'Westworld' actress Sidse Babett Knudsen will return to reprise the role of politician Birgitte Nyborg, with series creator Adam Price on board for the reboot, which Netflix will produce with Danish state broadcaster DR.
Netflix is bringing back Borgen, the Danish political drama that became a surprise global hit more than a decade ago.
The streaming giant has inked a deal with Danish public broadcaster DR for a new series of Borgen to star the original cast, including lead Sidse Babett Knudsen as Danish politician Birgitte Nyborg, and with series creator Adam Price on board for the reboot.
The new eight-episode series of Borgen will go out globally on the streamer in 2022, Netflix and DR said Wednesday. Netflix also intends to make the first three seasons of the drama, which aired from 2010 to 2013, available later this year.
Knudsen's role as the Danish Prime Minister in the slow-burning drama launched the actress' international career and led to roles in HBO's Westworld and Hulu's The Accident. Other members of the original Borgen cast, including Birgitte Hjort Sorensen as Katrine Fonsmark, will also return for the new series.
"Ten years ago, Borgen helped redefine the global television landscape, showing that great stories can come from anywhere and be loved everywhere," said Lina Brouneus, director co-production & acquisition at Netflix. "We are immensely proud to partner with DR and the whole creative team to bring this worldwide phenomenon back and to give Borgen's legion of fans the chance to be gripped once again."
The new fourth season will follow Knudsen's Birgitte Nyborg character, her staff and the media tasked with covering her in the new role as Danish Foreign Minister. Fonsmark, once Nyborg’s head of press, has in the new series returned to journalism and is the news director for a major, nationwide television station.
Borgen series creator Price will write the new series, which will be produced by Denmark's SAM Productions for Netflix and DR with Meta Louise Foldager Sorensen as executive producer and Stine Meldgaard Madsen as lead producer.
"We are very excited that we in partnership with Netflix are able to bring Borgen and its characters back to life,” said Christian Rank, drama director at DR, which will air the new series in Denmark before Netflix streams it globally. "We look forward to revisiting the universe and the characters to tell a current and highly topical story about a hot political topic with international implications.’"
Borgen was one of a wave of Scandinavian dramas — including The Killing and The Bridge — to break out and go global, successfully selling around the world and becoming ratings hits outside their home territories. Borgen, in particular, broke new ground as a subtitled political drama. It is credited with helping push non-English-language television into the mainstream.
