Lead cast announced for NRK and Crave Original Drama SO LONG, MARIANNE
– Alex Wolff, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Anna Torv, Noah Taylor to star in the new eight-part series about the love story that inspired Leonard Cohen’s iconic song –
Key Tags: @Crave_PR, @CraveCanada, @TheLede_CA
(TORONTO) April 13, 2023 – Crave and NRK announced today the primary cast of their hotly-anticipated, Original series SO LONG, MARIANNE, which tells the legendary love story of Canadian singer and poet Leonard Cohen, and his muse Marianne Ihlen. Leading the cast are Alex Wolff (The Line, Hereditary, Jumanji) as Leonard, with Thea Sofie Loch Næss (The Last Kingdom, Delete Me, A Storm For Christmas) playing Marianne. Joining them are Anna Torv (The Newsreader, The Last of Us, Mindhunter) as Charmian Clift and Noah Taylor (Preacher, Peaky Blinders, Game of Thrones) as George Johnston.
Principal photography began on March 24, for the series, which is shooting in multiple locations including the Greek island of Hydra, Oslo in Norway, and Montréal in Canada.
Set in some of the most beautiful places during the 1960s, SO LONG, MARIANNE is an intimate tale of two, lonely people falling in love, during a period of their life when they are trying to figure out who they are and their place in the world, while one is becoming one of the most famous singers of all time.
Their story crosses the world, travelling from Oslo to Hydra; New York and Montreal, with the majority of the series set on the picturesque Greek island of Hydra where they lived during the 1960s. There, they joined legendary Australian novelists Charmian Clift and her husband George Johnston, the matriarch and patriarch of a bohemian group of writers, artists, poets and outcasts who were exploring a new world of free love, drugs, and artistic freedom, but also experiencing the rivalries and jealousy that accompanied their intense, interwoven lives.
SO LONG, MARIANNE is a beautiful, poetic, and searing tribute to life, shedding light on the events that inspired one of the most iconic songs of many generations.
“It feels like the way the world is right now, a series that celebrates life and love, with a core about finding your way in life, is needed more than ever,” said Øystein Karlsen, series creator, Redpoint Productions.
“Øystein Karlsen has shown in his previous projects that he can create original dramas that are both exciting and emotional, said Marianne Furevold-Boland, Head of Drama, NRK. “We believe this project has the potential to become a timeless drama with a universal appeal – it is about life and the pursuit of happiness.”
“As Crave continues to expand its output of original content in both English and French, we’re excited to be part of this unique co-production opportunity and lean into the strengths of our international partners to deliver stories that translate, and resonate around the world,” said Justin Stockman, Vice-President, English Content Development & Programming at Bell Media.
James Durie, Head of Scripted, Cineflix Rights added: “SO LONG, MARIANNE must be one of the most iconic love stories of the last century. The events it depicts, the beautiful locations in which it’s set and with an incredible cast, makes it a drama that will enthrall audiences around the world, whether they know the story already or are coming to it fresh.”
Developed by Ingeborg Klyve (Exit) and Tony Wood (Irvine Welsh’s Crime, Marcella, Whitstable Pearl) and written for the screen by Øystein Karlsen (Dag, Lilyhammer, Exit, Whitstable Pearl), who is also amongst the Directors, and Jo Nesbø (Harry Hole, Kingdom, Headhunters), SO LONG, MARIANNE is co-produced by Letters From Leonard, Tanweer Productions, and Connect3. Directors are Øystein Karlsen. The Executive Producers are Ales Ree for NRK, Richard Tulk-Hart and Tony Wood, Vegard Stenberg Eriksen and Ingeborg Klyve for Redpoint Productions, Dionyssis Samiotis and Nancy Kokolaki for Tanweer Productions, and André Barro and Pablo Salzman for Connect3. Cineflix Rights is distributing the series globally.
This summer Wolff will be seen in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Next up, Wolff reteams with Pig filmmaker Michael Sarnoski on Paramount Pictures’ A Quiet Place: Day One, alongside Lupita Nyong’o set for a 2024 release. Wolff is known for starring in the A24 hit film Hereditary, which launched the feature career of Ari Aster. Most recently Wolff starred opposite Nicolas Cage in the Independent Spirit Award-winner Pig from Neon, and in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old. Wolff made his feature directing and writing debut with 2019’s The Cat and the Moon. Wolff is repped by WME, Untitled and Definition Entertainment.
Alex Wolff is repped by WME, Untitled and Definition Entertainment.
Thea Sofie Loch Næss is repped by Actors in Scandinavia, Independent Talent Group, Gallant Management, Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
Anna Torv is repped by United Management and WME.
Noah Taylor is repped by Lou Coulson Associates in London and Andrew Freedman in the US.
Social Media
About Redpoint-productions
Redpoint is a newly-established boutique production company geared to create outstanding content for film and TV series. Redpoint is owned by three of the leading creatives in the Nordic media industry, Øystein Karlsen, Jo Nesbø and Niclas Salamonsson, which means they are in a truly advantageous position in terms of creating quality stories with fresh perspectives. Redpoint’s long-term strategy is to produce high-end drama with strong Nordic voices for an international audience. We stand for quality content, rather than focusing on the yearly quantity of productions. Redpoint is led by Vegard Stenberg-Eriksen and lead producer Ingeborg Klyve.
About Tanweer Productions
Tanweer Productions was founded in 2018 by its president Joseph Samaan and it’s the production arm of Tanweer Group, a company that for over 30 years has been active in many sectors of the audio-visual industry in Greece, Cyprus, the Middle East, India and Turkey. Tanweer Productions, based in Athens, Greece, utilizes the experience from its distributing division and steps into the Greek market strong, confident and ambitious. Tanweer Productions’ awarded films My Name Is Eftihia (2019) and Smyrna (2021), among the greatest Greek Box Office successes of all time, have also been released worldwide, while its fiction TV series have been streamed on Greece’s biggest digital subscription platforms and major free TV channels.
About Connect 3 Media
Connect3 Media collaborates with independent producers, writers, and showrunners to develop and deliver first-class television content. The company focuses on co-productions for the North American and international markets, working with independent creatives to connect their projects with the right platform and broadcast partners. Led by Pablo Salzman, Connect3 Media is based in Montreal and part of the Cineflix Media group of companies.
About Cineflix Rights
Cineflix Rights is the UK’s largest, truly independent TV content distributor to broadcasters and streamers worldwide with a catalogue of premium standout scripted series and movies as well as must-watch returning factual programming from some of the world’s most creative producers.
Our growing scripted slate includes Last King of The Cross, a new crime drama featuring Tim Roth and Lincoln Younes for Paramount+ Australia; supernatural drama Reginald the Vampire starring Spider-Man’s Jacob Batalon for SYFY US; Irvine Welsh’s Crime, the acclaimed author’s riveting adaptation of his bestselling novel starring Dougray Scott in his International Emmy® and BAFTA Scotland® award-winning role as Ray Lennox for ITVX/BritBox; International Emmy® Best Drama Award-winning Israeli espionage series Tehran for Apple TV+; French thriller Rebecca, an Official Selection at Séries Mania 2021; Acorn TV’s cozy crime procedural Whitstable Pearl; award-winning Israeli police corruption series Manayek; global hit police procedural Coroner; and International Emmy®-winner Marcella.
Established in 2002, Cineflix Rights is based in London, and is part of the Cineflix Media group of companies.
About Crave
Crave is Canada’s prestige entertainment offering, delivering more Oscar®-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning programming than any other service, with HBO, HBO Max Originals, SHOWTIME®, STARZ, Hollywood-hit movies, and boasts a robust slate of English and French original series. It is a bilingual TV and streaming service, with thousands of hours of exclusive French-language content. Crave is available directly to all Canadians with access to the Internet at Crave.ca, via iOS and Android, and other platforms such as Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, select LG Smart TVs, PlayStation, Roku, select Samsung Smart TVs, and Xbox One, and through participating service providers across ten, 24-hour High Definition linear and on demand channels.
About NRK
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) is the leading broadcaster in Norway for Norwegian drama series for all audiences. NRK’s titles include SKAM, Nobel, Mammon, Home Ground, State of Happiness and Exit, among many others. NRK aims to give the audience stories that create identification, reflection and space for conversations.
About VRT
VRT is the public broadcaster of the Flemish Community in Belgium. It is the leading broadcaster of high-end drama in the territory, both in local production and international acquisitions for general and specific target audiences. VRT is known for such titles as Tabula Rasa, The Twelve, Two Summers, Undercover and Beausejour. The company has a tradition of getting on board of specifically selected, ambitious international projects such as So Long, Marianne.
Contact
Get the latest announcements from Bell Media
Subscribe to our media lists to receive official press releases and alerts from Bell Media PR.