Denmark’s TV2 & Germany’s ZDF to adapt ‘Oxen’ thriller novels

Oxen

Danish broadcaster TV2 and German pubcaster ZDF have ordered Oxen, a new Danish thriller based on the book series of the same name by Jens Henrik Jensen.

Created by Mai Brostrøm and Peter Thorsboe (Unit One, Modus), the returnable six-part project hails from SF Studios in collaboration with SquareOne Productions and REinvent handling international sales. Shooting has just begun near Copenhagen and the series will be released in 2023.

The series recounts the story of war veteran Niels Oxen, a former special forces soldier who must conquer his inner demons as he is framed for a series of gruesome murders.

Oxen is Denmark’s highest decorated war hero. While probing into the death of his best friend, who died during a military mission in Mali, Oxen is wrongfully arrested for possession of narcotics and dishonorably discharged from his military duties. He retreats to absolute seclusion in Rold Forest, but when the owner of the forest, Hans-Otto Corfitzen, is found dead, Oxen becomes the prime suspect.

The situation soon becomes more complex when the chief of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, Frigg Mossman, recruits Oxen to go undercover against the knowledge of the organisation and he suddenly he finds himself in the heart of a deadly web of mysteries.

Oxen is directed by Jannik Johansen (Borgen) and will star Jacob Lohmann (Shorta) as Niels Oxen alongside Ellen Hillingsø (The Bridge), Josephine Park (The Investigation) and Birgitte Hjort Sørensen (Borgen). They are joined by the German speaking actors Reinout Scholten van Aschat (Sea Of Time), Luise Belfort (Der Palast) and Julie Burkhardt (Letzte Spur Berlin).

Michel Schønnemann and Senia Dremstrup, who produce for SF Studios, commented: “Reading the books, we saw big potential in a TV series about Niels Oxen, and it has been a pleasure to work with such talented writers developing the material. From the very beginning we have dreamt of making an outstanding series and we are looking forward to bring this story to an international audience.”