Today we announce that we've secured worldwide distribution rights, outside of German-speaking territories, to the ambitious new fantasy drama, HAGEN (w/t), from Constantin Film.
The deal, brokered by Rebecca Dundon on behalf of Fremantle and Friedrich Radmann on behalf of Constantin Film, includes rights to a six-part series and a feature film. RTL group holds German streaming and free TV rights.
Based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s bestselling novel ‘Hagen von Tronje’, HAGEN (w/t) is a reimagining of the world famous medieval Nibelungen folk saga. The story is widely considered to be the inspiration behind all modern fantasies such as Game of Thrones and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings.
Bound by duty and loyalty to the kingdom, Hagen is a soldier and Lord Commander ready to serve and stand by his King. But he has a secret, he is deeply in love with Princess Kriemhild. A love that will never be permitted. His world is turned upside down as the Huns threaten to invade and an unexpected guest – Siegfried the legendary dragon slayer - arrives. The King, determined to strengthen his kingdom, seeks a new wife, Brunhild - the famous Valkyrie queen with old magic powers. To secure her hand, he requires the help of both Siegfried and Hagen. A dramatic and ultimately catastrophic series of events unfold in this sweeping universal tale of love, power, family and war delivered with impressive cinematic quality.
A visually stunning, epic fantasy drama, HAGEN (w/t) is a gripping new interpretation for modern audiences worldwide. HAGEN (w/t) will be made into a feature film for theatrical release and a six one-hour series for television.
Jens Richter, CEO Commercial & International, Fremantle, said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Constantin Film on this exciting new project. HAGEN (w/t) is a contemporary reimagining of the mother of all fantasy sagas – The Nibelungen. Prepare yourselves for premium entertainment with truly stunning production values, which promises to draw audiences into an immersive world filled with epic battles, love, power and betrayal; all delivered with striking visual integrity."
Constantin Film’s Martin Moszkowicz, Executive Chairman, and Oliver Berben, Deputy Chairman, said: “The epic saga of HAGEN (w/t) and this hero’s journey is the basis of modern, cinematic pop culture narration. We are excited to bring this standout production together with Fremantle to audiences worldwide.”
Gijs Naber (Blackbook, The Story of My Wife) will star as protagonist Hagen von Tronje alongside Jannis Niewöhner (Amazon’s Beat, Munich) as his antagonist Siegfried. Lilja van der Zwaag will play princess Kriemhild, Rosalinde Mynster will appear as Valkyrie Brunhild, while Dominic Marcus Singer takes on the role of King Gunter. Jördis Triebel (Dark) and Jörg Hartmann (The Weissensee Saga) support as Queen Ute and King Dankrat respectively.
HAGEN (w/t) is a Constantin Film production for global theatrical and TV exploitation. The producers are Jan Ehlert (The Allegation), Christoph Müller (Look Who’s Back) and Christian Rohde (The Witnesses) with Filip Hering (Never Look Away) co-producing on the Czech side. Martin Moszkowicz and Oliver Berben of Constantin Film will act as executive producers. Thomas Disch and Nico Grein have editorial responsibility on behalf of RTL under the direction of Hauke Bartel, Head of Fiction RTL Germany.
The feature film is funded by Filmförderungsanstalt, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Production Incentives from the Czech Film Fund, German Federal Film Fund, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and Government of Iceland, Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs. The series is funded by Production Incentives from the Czech Film Fund, Creative Europe – Media Programme of the European Union, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, German Motion Picture Fund, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Government of Iceland, Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs.
Serving as directors are the renowned duo Cyrill Boss and Philipp Stennert - the highly acclaimed Sky series Pagan Peak aka Der Pass is their most recent project. The script for HAGEN (w/t) was written by Cyrill Boss, Philipp Stennert and Doron Wisotzky.
The deal signals a strengthening relationship between Fremantle and Constantin Film, following a partnership in 2021 which saw us handle global distribution for Constantin Television and Amazon Studios co-production We Children From Bahnhof Zoo. The series went on to launch in over 92 territories worldwide.
We will be proudly showcasing HAGEN (w/t) as one of our key drama titles at Fremantle Presents this Friday 1 March, part of London TV Screenings 2024.
