Tina Gharavi to reimagine Sólveig Pálsdóttir’s novel series Ice & Crime for TV

Tina Gharavi_ The Fox

Tina Gharavi is working up The Fox for TV

Tina Gharavi, founder of Bridge + Tunnel Productions and director of I Am Nasrine, has picked up rights to Sólveig Pálsdóttir’s Icelandic novel Refurinn to adapt for TV.

Six-part The Fox explores the mysterious disappearance of a Sri Lankan woman, who arrives in a small Icelandic outpost, prompting a suspended detective from Reykjavik to take up the case as he looks to revive his career.

Gharavi is writing the pilot and is attached as showrunner, with Icelandic outfit Polarama (Thin Ice) co-producing. The company’s Kidda Rokk and Steinarr Nesheim will oversee all production in Iceland.

A buyer is not yet attached but conversations have begun with potential broadcast and streaming partners in key territories, including Scandinavia.

Gharavi spent time with Pálsdóttir developing the show, with the Refurinn novel part of latter’s Ice & Crime thriller series featuring detective Guðgeir Fransson.

I Am Nasrine director Gharavi is also known for Jada Pinkett Smith’s four-part Netflix series African Queens: Cleopatra and the upcoming romantic comedy Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day.

The Fox is described as “a smouldering, tense, character-driven drama which presents a world and characters that never fail to surprise against a spectacular, otherworldly landscape and almost supernatural backdrop of the ‘hidden people’ of Nordic folklore.”

“I’ve been keen to be a showrunner for some time now, marrying my producer chops, narrative capabilities and love of working with teams. But when the right projects didn’t present themselves, I decided to build my own,” said Gharavi.

“I’m a big fan of Nordic Noir and cop shows in general, but The Fox’s themes around refugees, loneliness and belonging, which are explored in this achingly remote landscape, really resonated with me. I am thrilled to have Sólveig Pálsdóttir’s trust and support for my vision for her wonderful novel.”

Rokk, founder of Polarama, added: “Tina has written an absorbing thriller about people and place that plays to all our strengths as storytellers. Her detective series is quirky, pacey, and populated with captivating characters living and working in a rather unique and specific Icelandic setting that will look spectacular on screen.”