Global Bulletin: ZDF Enterprises Greenlights ‘Body of Water’ From ‘Cold Courage’ Scribe (EXCLUSIVE)

22-07-20 – Germany’s ZDF Enterprises, experts in crime and the production and sales outfit behind Nordic Noir original “The Bridge” and Swedish mega-hit crime thriller “Before We Die,”  is at it again. This time round, the commercial arm of German public broadcaster ZDF has greenlit “Body of Water,” an eight-part crime drama showrun and written by Brendan Foley. Production is scheduled for 2021.

A Northern Irish writer, Foley has built up Nordic Noir credentials, co-writing Lionsgate and Viaplay series “Cold Courage” (pictured above) and adapting Finnish crime drama “Man Who Died” for Elisa.

Production partners include Nucleus Media Rights, with offices in London, Los Angeles, Milan, Mumbai and Seoul, and Italy’s 3zero2, part of France’s Euro Media Group.

Euro Noir “Body of Water,” which ZDFE will bring onto the market, begins when the bodies of a man and woman are dredged up three years apart from the River Thames and a Venice canal, both suffocated and bearing similar, mysterious markings. A male British detective travels to Venice to investigate, in uneasy alliance with a young Italian female investigator. “Body of Water” will largely be spoken in English, which opens up Noir to even larger audiences.

Jamie Lang
©Variety