EXCLUSIVE: Anne Watanabe (Cube, Stay Mum) and Jasper Pääkkönen are leading the latest international drama series hitting the market. They will star in Blood & Sweat, which brings together partners from three continents.
Japanese satcaster and streamer Wowow and Finland‘s Nelonen have co-commissioned the series, with Japan‘s AX-ON, a subsidiary of Nippon TV, and Finland’s ICS Nordic attached to co-produce. Canada’s Boat Rocker Rights now boarding to take global distribution rights and another partner on the production. Japan’s AX-ON, a subsidiary of Nippon TV, and Finland’s ICS Nordic are also attached as co-producers.
The eight-part series, which Wowow teased earlier this year, follows Watanabe and Pääkkönen as detectives from different cultures whose shared sense of justice drives them to embark on a joint investigation into a mysterious serial murder case that stretches from Finland to Japan.
Production is underway in Finland and Japan. Boat Rocker’s Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier, Nick Nantell and Jon Rutherford are exec producing alongside Wowow’s Takashima, AX-ON’s Daniel Toivonen, who will also direct, and ICS’s Ilkka Rahkonen and Ilkka Hynninen. The series is produced by Wowow’s Keita Tsutsumiguchi, AX-ON’s Risa Tanoue and ICS’s Erna Aalto and Jarkko Hentula. Riku Suokas, Daniel Toivonen, Marie Iwasaki, and Heikki Syrjä are the writers.
“Though Japan and Finland are far apart, this project has revealed unexpected cultural harmony between the two,” said Tomomi Takashima, executive producer at Wowow. “With a powerful original story and an outstanding cast from both countries, it’s a unique and wonderful collaboration, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Boat Rocker to bring this special series to audiences around the globe.”
Wowow is known for international co-productions such as HBO Max’s Tokyo Vice, another noir-style drama made with partners outside Japan that ran for two seasons.
Ilkka Hynninen, Creative Director of ICS Nordic added that Blood & Sweat was “a great example of how international IP from Finland and Japan can be successfully brought to the international market. Developed in collaboration with our Japanese partners, this project blends Finnish and Japanese sensibilities to create a unique and exciting experience that resonates with global audiences and sparks the imagination of world citizens.”
Hynninen, who founded ICS Nordic with Ilkka Rahkonen, have focused on making shows for the global market since launch in 2022 and recently finished an international version of comedy feature ISMO – Breaking Bad English.
Writer and director Toivonen told audiences to be “prepared for something you have never even imagined seeing before as we mix the Nordic Noir genre with Japanese aesthetics and characters.”
“With deep mystery, intrigue, and action, Blood & Sweat is sure to captivate international audiences thanks to the bold storytelling from our creative partners,” said Nantell, who is Executive Vice President, Head of Scripted Creative at Boat Rocker Studios. “This exciting new project further underscores our commitment to strategically invest in premium scripted co-productions we believe in,” added Boat Rocker’s Jon Rutherford, President of Global Rights, Franchise and Content Strategy.
Toronto-listed Boat Rocker, originally known for unscripted, now sells international scripted series such as Irish comedy-horror Video Nasty, buzzy Australian drama Mix Tape and upcoming BBC Scotland and Sky New Zealand drama The Ridge.
The company is in the process of being sold to Blue Ant Media in a reverse takeover, but Boat Rocker bosses Ivan Schneeberg, David Fortier and John Young have formed a new biz, IDJCo, to buy Boat Rocker Studios and their brand management and franchise management operations. Once the transaction is completed, their new company will be named Boat Rocker once again, as Blue Ant establishes a Toronto Stock Exchange-listed business, Blue Ant Media Corporation.
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