Magnus Leifsson to direct new Glassriver series Magaluf
- Created by writing duo Ragnar Bragason and Snjolaug Ludviksdottir, and commissioned by Channel 2, the 8x30-minute show is a romantic comedy set in 1979
Magnus Leifsson is set to direct Glassriver’s new project, an 8x30-minute series titled Magaluf. Leifsson is best known for his short-form debut, Dovetail, crowned Short Film of the Year at the 2019 Edda Awards. The show will be co-written by writer-director Ragnar Bragason (Metalhead [+see also:
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film profile], the TV series The Night Shift and Prisoners) and stand-up comedian Snjolaug Ludviksdottir (Stella Blomqvist). The announcement was first reported by Variety.
Currently at the development stage, Magaluf promises to be “a light, nostalgic romantic comedy with dramatic undertones set in 1979”. In a desperate attempt to win back Karen, his childhood sweetheart, Halli, a DJ from Reykjavik, becomes a tour guide in Majorca, where Karen is shooting a documentary about a beauty pageant. Herding a group of Icelandic tourists on a Majorca package holiday, Halli is a fish out of water, having never been abroad before. Moreover, Karen shows up on the trip with her Danish boyfriend Christian.
The series will star Steinthor Hroar Steinthorsson, the lead actor in Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson’s Under the Tree [+see also:
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interview: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson
film profile], Iceland’s hopeful for the 2017 Academy Awards.
“Magaluf will gently rib an age with no internet nor mobiles, where Icelanders, a reserved and isolated people, would pack canned food and take it on holiday with them. It’s as if they believed that Spaniards died from eating their own food, but it’s something that is relatable to anyone from any nation travelling for the first time,” explained Rúnarsson.
According to nordiskfilmogtvfond.com, the project has been selected for Conecta Fiction (unspooling this year from 21-24 June), where Rúnarsson hopes to find international partners to close the 40% gap financing.
The show is commissioned by Iceland’s Channel 2 and is being produced by Reykjavik-based firm Glassriver. The air date is yet to be disclosed.
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