Endemol Shine Names 'The Bridge' Producer Head of Non-English Scripted Drama
As head of scripted for the EMEA region, Lars Blomgren will lead Endemol's push into foreign-language series across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Lars Blomgren, producer of the original Scandinavian The Bridge, has been named the new head of scripted programming across Europe, the Middle East and Asia (EMEA) for indie production giant Endemol Shine.
Blomgren produced the hit Scandi crime drama as head of Endemol Shine's Swedish shingle Filmlance International and was instrumental in making it one of the most adapted series worldwide. The crime thriller, about a body found on the international border between Denmark and Sweden, has been successfully adapted for France and the U.K. (The Tunnel), Germany/Austria (Der Pass), the U.S. and Mexico (The Bridge), Russia/Estonia (Moct/Sild) and Singapore/Malaysia (The Bridge).
In his new role, Blomgren will work with Endemol Shine's international production labels including Filmlance and Rubicon in Scandinavia, German producer Wiedemann and Berg, Dutch shingle NL Flms, ES Fiction in France, Diagonol in Spain and Endemol Shine Studios Israel.
“This is about taking an already stunning portfolio to new heights, working with the established and emerging talent from across Europe, Middle East and Asia,” Peter Salmon, Chief Creative Officer, Endemol Shine Group said in a statement. “The world’s appetite for great scripted stories is exciting, growing and changing fast. The fact that a global production leader like Endemol Shine has asked one of its stars, Lars Blomgren, to spearhead this charge across key territories speaks volumes for our ambition.”
Endemol Shine is making a major push into non-English language drama and has seen success with the likes of German series Dark, which screens on Netflix and 4 Blocks, produced for German pay network TNT Serie, for which Amazon acquired for multiple international territories; Israel's Harem for Reshet and Matedero for Spain's Antena 3 network.
“Lars has trail-blazed from Scandinavia as godfather to wonderful Nordic Noir titles like The Bridge,” noted Salmon. “Now, working with our great scripted producers from Madrid to Amsterdam, Paris to Tel Aviv, Rome to Oslo – and beyond – we want to unleash the full potential of our non English stable for our existing buyers as well as new partners and platforms.”
Anders Landstrom will replace Blomgren as managing director at Filmlance International. Both will take up their new roles in September.
