Frank Doelger is a six-time Primetime Emmy winner, whose credits include “Game of Thrones,” “The Swarm,” “John Adams”And “Rome,”Intaglio Films and Beta Film, a joint venture of ZDF Studios and ZDF Studios have begun production on a surveillance drama thriller. “Concordia,”Set up in an experimental utopian community.
ZDF, MBC, France Télévisions and Hulu Japan have signed up as partners for the six-part series, shot in English and directed by Barbara Eder (“The Swarm,” “Barbarians,” “Cop Stories”). Doelger helms as executive producer and showrunner, alongside the executive producers Ute Leonhardt, Rafferty Thwaites, Jan Wünschmann and Robert Franke. Filming takes places in Rome, Northern Italy, as well as Leipzig, Germany.
The world of “Concordia,”Mike Walden created this (“The Frankenstein Chronicles,” “U Want Me 2 Kill Him”) and Nicholas Racz (“The Burial Society,” “The Real Thing”AI powers the AI powered community. This AI helps to make society more fair, free and more humane. Cities all over the world are trying to emulate the success of this community, which is approaching its 20th anniversary. The secret behind its creation could threaten to end all that its creators have accomplished.
Christiane Paul (International Emmy-winner) is the star of the lead roles.“Counterpart,” “In July”) as Juliane, the visionary behind the new utopia; Steven Sowah (“For Jojo,” “Before We Grow Old”Ruth Bradley (as Noah’s mother, plays the role of the ambassador.“Ted Lasso,” “Humans”) takes on the role of Thea, an external investigator, who joins up with Isabelle, played by Nanna Blondell (“Black Widow,” “House of the Dragon”), to uncover secrets which led to the utopia’s creation.
Kento Nakajima (“Detective Novice,” “She was Pretty”), one of Japan’s top actors, stars as A.J., the 27-year-old Japanese wunderkind and head of the AI system that is the beating heart of Concordia. Jonas Nay (“Line of Separation,” “Deutschland 83”() is cast as Moritz, a senior operator for the anti-surveillance organization called “The Faceless,”One of the principal antagonists in the project. Ahd Kamel (also starring)“Collateral,” “Honour”), Hugo Becker (“Baron Noir,” “Leonardo”), and Joséphine Jobert (“Death in Paradise,” “Summer Crush”).
“Concordia” is written by Nicholas Racz, Isla van Tricht, and Mike Walden. Tobias Gerginov and Jacob Glass are the producers. Sergio Ercolessi is the editor.
Doelger said: “Throughout history, blueprints for the reimagining of society along religious, political, economic, and environmental lines have been put forward – particularly in periods marked by a sense of tumult, cultural and financial dislocation, and a rise in violence, like our own. The visionaries behind Concordia think they finally have the technology to realize such a brave new world, only to discover that there is no way to keep evil out as it comes from the inside.”
Eder was added: “I’m very excited to be part of a project that has such thought-provoking and increasingly pertinent subject matter. The exploration of surveillance, privacy, and data is the backdrop for this chilling thriller. ‘Concordia’ merges both, technology and its abuses, and also how it shapes the hierarchy of society.”
“Concordia” is supported by Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Sächsische Staatskanzlei, and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and is jointly distributed by ZDF Studios and Beta Film. The series is Intaglio Film’s latest production following the eight-part eco-thriller “The Swarm,” an international co-production with ndFI, ZDF, France Télévisions, RAI, ORF, SRF, the Viaplay Group, and Hulu Japan. “The Swarm”Is in post-production