HBO Europe Orders First Danish Original ‘Kamikaze’, Based On Erlend Loe’s Novel ‘Muleum’

HBO Europe has ordered Kamikaze – its first Danish original. The WarnerMedia-backed European broadcaster has given a greenlight to the eight-part series, which is an adaptation of Erlend Loe’s Norwegian novel Muleum.

The show follows Julie, a fierce and hypnotically charming 18-year-old main character as she goes through an existential struggle back to life after losing everything.

The story begins shortly after her 18th birthday, when Julie receives a final text message from her father. Seconds later, her parents and big brother are killed in a plane crash in Uganda. She is left alone in a giant mansion, and on the face of it has everything others only dream of: youth, beauty and money – lots of money. As the loss of her family sinks in, she is forced to find a reason to keep going and embarks on a dangerous journey of rediscovery that will take her from her native Denmark to all corners of the world.

Kamikaze is produced by Profile Pictures’ Ditte Milsted, written by author and screenwriter, Johanne Algren, who wrote Sundance-feature Holiday, and directed by Annette K. Olesen (Borgen). Production will begin in January 2020 and will be exec produced by Hanne Palmquist, Steve Matthews and Antony Root for HBO Europe.

Hanne Palmquist, Commissioning Editor and VP Original Programming, HBO Nordic, said, “Where most Nordic series for young adults are focused on friendships, life at school and the local environment, Kamikaze definitely turns its back on the home turf and takes you on a tour de force out in the world – from Seoul to Mexico, London to the Sahara Desert.”

Ditte Milsted said, “Kamikaze is a wild, edgy and surprising story about a young woman who – because of some horrific circumstances – takes a giant quantum leap into life. It feels like the right thing to produce Kamikaze in collaboration with HBO Nordic, and we believe that this series will both challenge and entertain its audience.”

Johanne Algren, added, “I can’t think of a better story to tell an audience – the young human being who has everything and nothing at the same time. All she sees is meaninglessness, so she embarks on a journey through it all and ends up experiencing life, not from the outside, but from the inside. I think it is rare to feel so connected and deeply touched by a material that is not originally your own. I am therefore very grateful that the project Kamikaze landed on my desk.”