Germany’s ZDF is co-producing, alongside Scandinavia’s streaming service Viaplay, Canal+ in France and in Poland, and NPO in Holland. Sweden’s Måns Mårlind is creator/writer of the period drama and will direct four of the eight episodes, alongside Midnight Sun directing partner Björn Stein. Mårlind is executive producer alongside Jim Gillespie (director of I Know What You Did Last Summer), Tandem Productions’’s Rola Bauer (Take Two,The Pillars of the Earth), Jonas Bauer (Spotless), Tim Halkin (World Without End), and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert, Steven Thibault and David Davoli (Fences, The Birth of a Nation).

Shadow Play centres on Max McLaughlin, an American cop who arrives in Berlin in the summer of 1946 to help create a police force in the chaotic aftermath of the war. Max’s goal is to take down “Englemacher” Gladow, the Capone of post-war Berlin. At the same time, he undertakes a secret crusade to find his missing brother, who is killing ex-Nazis in hiding. However, Max is unaware that he is being used as a pawn in what is the very beginning of the Cold War.

Rola Bauer, Managing Director/Partner Studiocanal TV and founder of Studiocanal’s production affiliate Tandem Productions said: “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Bron Studios, who also embrace this vivid and thought-provoking drama from the talented Måns Mårlind. To have such a wealth of partners from key markets onboard now is testament to Shadow Play’s huge potential to become a major returning series on the international stage.”

Simone Emmelius, ZDF Senior Vice President Feature Films said: “What connects us with Måns Mårlind are the years of collaboration with The Bridge [co-created and co-written by Mårlind]. We’re thrilled to have our next creative adventure with him on Shadow Play. “

The series is currently in the casting stage and is scheduled to start production in the spring 2019.