Alma Pöysti To Star In Arvet Agency’s ‘Theatre Of War’ Limited Series Based On Kjell Westö’s Epic Novel ‘Dusk 41’

EXCLUSIVE: Golden Globe nominee Alma Pöysti (Fallen Leaves) is starring in Theatre of War, a Nordic limited series based on Kjell Westö’s novel ‘Dusk 41.’

She’ll be joined by Jakob Öhrman (Raptures), Tyra Wingren (To Cook a Bear), Saga Sarkola (Memory of Water) and Germany’s Merlin Rose (Das Boot) in the multi-lingual series, which is from Arvet Agency and for Svenska YLE, the Swedish arm of Finnish pubcaster YLE, and MTV3.

Pöysti was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in 2023 for her role as a struggling, low-paid woman in Helsinki. She’s also known for starring in STV drama Blackwater and for playing Moomins creator Tove Jansson in 2020 pic Tove.

Ulrika Bengts (Hotel Swan Helsinki) is directing Theatre of War, with Erna Aalto the series producer. Magnus Bimberg and Arvet founder and CEO Grace Maharaj are the exec producers. We’ve been tracking the project since 2024, when Sweden’s Arvet set the series up after acquiring rights to the book.

Westö’s novel – published as ‘Skymning 41 in Sweden, ‘Henry & Molly’ in Finland and ‘Dusk 41’ internationally – is set against the backdrop of World War II.

Here’s the synopsis: “As Finland braces for a Soviet invasion, actress Molly Timm and journalist Henry Gunnars live in a fragile bubble of love and ambition. When bombs fall over Helsinki, their lives are torn apart: Henry is sent to the front as a war correspondent, while Molly is left behind amid rubble, fear, and uncertainty, joins a theatre troupe to Sweden to raise funds for the war effort.

“As air raids intensify and propaganda spreads, both must decide who they will become – witnesses or performers – while Finland faces its most morally complex choice: align with Nazi Germany or risk annexation by the Soviet Union.”

The limited series will be produced in Swedish, English, Finnish and German. Filming will take place on location in Tampere, Finland, and Sweden, with principal photography scheduled for late summer.

“This is a premium Nordic-international series based on internationally renown author, Kjell Westö, and which has attracted the pedigree of talent we are very proud to have on the series,” said Arvet’s Maharaj. “Arvet’s creative vision and business strategy is to invest in Nordic IP and build pan-Nordic collaborations around the stories we share historically, culturally, and generationally – stories that remain deeply relevant today.”

The news comes as the Goteburg Film Festival’s TV Drama Vision event enters its final day. Earlier this morning, we revealed news of another Nordic series, Miso Film and TV2’s Danish investigative drama Side Effects. Sherlock & Daughter creator Brendan Foley is also heading to the Nordics for his next project, Finnish geopolitical thriller based on a book by journalist and former army officer Helena Immonen titled ‘Operation: Arctic Fox.’ We had first word on that yesterday.