Viaplay’s ‘In the Name of Love’ brings together star Norwegian cast

• ‘In the Name of Love’ inspired by award-winning director Bård Breien’s unusual childhood
• Comedy-drama stars Maria Bonnevie (‘Another Round’), Trond Espen Seim (‘Amundsen’), Jakob Oftebro (‘Agent Hamilton’) and Jonas Oftebro (‘Ragnarok’)
• Viaplay to premiere at least 70 Originals in 2022

Maria Bonnevie (‘Another Round’), Trond Espen Seim (‘Amundsen’), Jakob Oftebro (‘Agent Hamilton’) and Jonas Oftebro (‘Ragnarok’) will headline the Norwegian Viaplay Original ‘In the Name of Love’. Set in 1970s Norway, the ambitious comedy-drama series is created by director Bård Breien (the award-winning ‘The Art of Negative Thinking’), inspired by his own distinctly unconventional upbringing. ‘In the Name of Love’ has begun shooting in Oslo and will premiere exclusively on Viaplay in 2023.

Anne-Lise Bang (Maria Bonnevie), a primary school teacher, does everything to keep her husband Lars (Trond Espen Seim)’s highly profitable porn business a secret. For his part, Lars sees his line of work as an act of social protest. Their two sons, played by real-life brothers Jakob and Jonas Oftebro, are caught in the middle – until a family confrontation becomes inevitable.

Bård Breien: “I grew up in a fantastic family who lived an increasingly wild life in the 1970s and 1980s due to the money my father earned from porn. Neither I nor my family came out unscathed. That’s why it feels extra good finally to tell this story together with Viaplay.”

Trond Espen Seim: “Viaplay has set a high bar for Norwegian drama in recent years. Our ambition with this series is to go even higher.”

Filippa Wallestam, Viaplay Group Chief Content Officer: “In this exciting Viaplay Original, Bård Breien offers viewers a unique window into both his own life and a hidden chapter in modern Norwegian social history. ‘In the Name of Love’ is a compelling character-driven show with an incredible cast. It once again highlights Viaplay’s position as the leading producer of premium Nordic drama for a broad local and international audience.”

The eight-episode series is produced by Rebecca Mathiesen and Finn Gjerdum at Paradox, with Kari Moen Kristiansen as Viaplay’s executive producer. Viaplay Content Distribution is responsible for global sales.

Recent Norwegian scripted commissions by Viaplay include the film ‘Listen Up!’ starring Asim Chaudhry, and dramas ‘R.I.P. Henry’ and ‘The Fortress’. ‘My Fault’, an adaptation of former culture minister Abid Raja’s autobiography, is currently in development.

About Viaplay Originals

At least 70 Viaplay Originals are set to premiere in 2022. Upcoming Originals include ‘The Street Where I Live’; ‘My Fault’; ‘Call Me Dad’; ‘The Beach Hotel’; ‘Roombeek’; ‘Listen Up!’; ‘End of Summer’; ‘R.I.P. Henry’; ‘Thunder in My Heart’ season two; ‘Live Life’; ‘Little Did I Know’; ‘It Could Have Been Us’; ‘Threesome’ season two; ‘R.S.V.P.’; ‘The Fortress’; ‘The Hunt for Jasper S.’; ‘Liv Ullmann: The Road Less Travelled’; ‘Those Who Kill’ season three; ‘Face to Face’ season three; ‘The Meaning of Life’; ‘Something Stupid’; ‘The Guilty’; ‘Stockholm Bloodbath’; ‘Delete Me’ season two; ‘The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen’; ‘Fenris’; ‘Gold Run’; ‘Last Light’; ‘Elvira’; ‘North Sea Connection’; ‘Limbo’; ‘Litvinenko’; ‘Karma and Jonar’; ‘Ronja’; ‘The Uninhabitable Earth’; ‘Murderesses’; ‘Freedom of the Swallow’; ‘Honour’ season three; ‘Pørni’ season three; ‘Hilma’; ‘Who Shot Otto Mueller?’; a biopic of Börje Salming; ‘THE KINGDOM EXODUS’; ‘Stella Blómkvist’ season two; and ‘The Swarm’.

Two major English-language films will be produced by Viaplay every year. The company has also established a UK-based joint venture with FilmNation Entertainment and invested in US studio Picturestart.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Viaplay Group AB (publ) is the international streaming challenger. Our Viaplay streaming service is available in every Nordic and Baltic country, Poland, the US and the Netherlands, and we are expanding rapidly by launching in the UK in 2022, followed by Canada, Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 2023. Viaplay will have a market presence in at least 21 countries by the end of 2023, including at least five partner markets for the Viaplay Select branded content concept. Every day, millions of customers enjoy our unique entertainment offering, including acclaimed Viaplay Originals and an unrivalled line-up of premium live sports. From streaming to TV channels, radio stations and production companies, our purpose is to tell stories, touch lives and expand worlds. Viaplay Group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘VPLAY B’).

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