In a ground-breaking deal, DRG has sold a US version of NRK’s psychological thriller Eyewitness (Øyevitne) to the cable channel USA Network and its sister studio Universal Cable Productions (UPC). This is the first time ever that a Norwegian drama gets a US remake.

NRK’s other hit series Mammon was remade for HBO Europe, but not for the US. “It's great to get into the US market with Norwegian drama, and it confirms writer/director Jarl Emsell Larsen as a creator of world class. The international Emmy for Best actress to Eyewitness star Anneke von der Lippe (pictured) was no coincidence,” said NRK Head of Drama Ivar Køhn to nordiskfilmogtvfond.com.

The US version of Eyewitness will be adapted by Shades of Blue creator Adi Hasak who brought the series to Universal Cable Productions and serves as showrunner. He will executive produce the ten part straight to series drama alongside Jarl Emsell Larsen.

Showrunner Hasak said: "Thanks to my relationship with Jeremy Fox, CEO of DRG I was exposed to this remarkable Norwegian series. It's rare to find a format so rich in character and genre and I was extremely inspired by Jarl's stylistic execution not to mention that at the centre of this thriller he put two gay teens who are coming of age, as well as a local sheriff who must choose between career and family. There's been a lot of examples recently of Nordic noir, but Jarl takes it to another level. In the new global environment it's only natural to expose this format to an American audience and I'm thrilled that USA Network agreed to greenlight this incredible format straight to series."

The original version premiered on NRK1 last year and was sold to Arte for France and Germany and DVD for the UK. It was produced within the Nordvision Fund by NRK with SVT, DR, and Yle Fem.