2024
Lasse Hallström directed The Darkness (2024), the six-episode Nordic noir series based on Ragnar Jónasson's novel, in Iceland in and around Reykjavík in 2024. Lena Olin plays Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir, a Reykjavík police investigator whose last case before retirement is the discovery of a young woman's body frozen in a glacier.
The Darkness is an Icelandic-American co-production between Reykjavík-based Truenorth and CBS Studios, with Jónasson himself executive producing alongside the Truenorth team. The source novel is the opening book of his Hulda trilogy, followed by Drungi and Mistur. The series released on SkyShowtime and Síminn in 2024.
Reykjavík. Primary filming location. The city's streets, waterfront and interiors form the world of Hulda's final case.
Icelandic glacier interior. The glacier where the body is discovered, the inciting moment of the case, was filmed on location rather than restaged in studio.
The Darkness is one of a small set of international noir series produced principally in Iceland rather than restaged elsewhere, filmed inside the country where the novel is set and where its author lives. Jónasson served as executive producer alongside the Truenorth team, and the production worked with a majority-Icelandic supporting cast and crew. Hallström directed Olin, his wife and frequent collaborator from films including Chocolat, in the lead. The result is a Nordic noir with Iceland's actual weather, light and landscape, the way the novel has them.
For specific enquiries, contact the Iceland Film Commission.
