PRODUCTION / FUNDING Germany / USA
New crime series Sleeping Dogs enters production
- The show is the second collaboration between Real Film Berlin and Netflix, after the internationally acclaimed series Unorthodox
Filming has begun in Berlin on the six-part series Sleeping Dogs, penned by Christoph Darnstädt. Based on the original series The Exchange Principle created by Noah Stollman and Oded Davidoff and produced by United Studios of Israel for HOT Telecommunications, the new project revolves around a fallen top police officer and an aspiring young public prosecutor who have two very different motives for opening a closed murder case. But when they do, it turns out to be Pandora’s box. As the bloody trail seems to lead them ever deeper into the police and the justice system, both parties suspect a conspiracy. Or does it all come back to a terrorist attack that shook the town 18 months ago?
The show is being directed by Stephan Lacant (episodes 1-3) and Francis Meletzky (episodes 4-6), with cinematography duties handled by Jens Harant (episodes 1-3) and Bella Halben (episodes 4-6).
The leading roles are played by Max Riemelt as Mike Atlas and Luise von Finckh as Jule Andergast, alongside Carlo Ljubek as Luka Zaric, Peri Baumeister as Lenni Atlas, Antonio Wannek as Roland Sokowski and Melodie Wakivuamina as Britney Adebayo. Additional cast members include Melika Foroutan, Helgi Schmid, Tara Africah Corrigan, Luna Jordan, Bernd Hölscher and Martin Wuttke.
Meanwhile, Regina Tiedeken is in charge of the costume design, whilst Stefan Schönberg takes on set design and Jens Bartram the make-up. Moreover, the production team includes producers Henning Kamm and Sibylle Stellbrink of Real Film Berlin, along with Günter Fenner and Ira Wysocki serving as the line producers.
Executive producers Henning Kamm and Sibylle Stellbrink commented: “The everyday pressures of police work take people to their limits and beyond. Christoph Darnstädt successfully captured this pressure and all its consequences with his own unique storytelling style. Stephan Lacant and Francis Meletzky now have the wonderful task, alongside Max Riemelt, Luise von Finckh and Carlo Ljubek, of bringing the whole thing to life in front of the camera. We can’t wait!”
Steffi Ackermann, Director Local Language Series at Netflix, added: “I’m very happy about the new collaboration with Real Film Berlin, with whom we already worked very successfully on our award-winning series Unorthodox [+see also:
series review
series profile]. German audiences love crime content more than any other genre, and we’ll certainly cater to their desire. The experience and creative potential of the entire cast and crew of Sleeping Dogs means we can expect a fantastic miniseries which viewers can really get excited about.”
Sleeping Dogs will be released on Netflix in the first half of 2023.
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