Series Mania: Can ‘War of the Kingdoms’ Spin a Film Flop Into Streaming Gold?

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War of the Kingdoms is, by any measure, a big swing.

The highly anticipated European fantasy series showcased by Fremantle during the London Screenings last month and premiering at the initial buyers’ event of Series Mania this past Monday, is among the costliest and most daring productions ever originating from Europe.

Based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s 1986 novel “Hagen von Tronje”, the work of Cyrill Boss and Philipp Stennert, creators of Sky Germany’s popular mystery series “Pagan Peak”, is a reimagining of the ancient German epic known as the Nibelung saga. This timeless story features dragons, dwarves, and magic, and has been acknowledged as a significant influence on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” and, indirectly, “Game of Thrones”.

The novel “Hagen von Tronje”, written by Wolfgang Hohlbein in 1986, was adapted into a mystery series called “Pagan Peak” by Cyrill Boss and Philipp Stennert. This series is based on an old German tale called the Nibelung saga, which is believed to have inspired parts of “The Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones”. The story includes elements like dragons, dwarves, and magic.

For someone from Europe who doesn’t speak English, this project is quite substantial as well. Producers estimate that the budget exceeds fifty million dollars.

To ensure the figures added up, Constantin devised a fresh approach for the production by shooting both a full-length movie adaptation of the tale, named Hagen, and a six-episode TV series concurrently. The movie, Hagen, debuted in German cinemas last year. The series is set to debut on streaming platform RTL+ towards the end of 2025.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2022, Martin Moszkowicz, an executive producer for the project, explained that the unique financial model was both economically and creatively sound as it enabled directors to tell two distinct versions of the same story. Unlike Constantin’s previous film-TV hybrid productions like the German group’s two-part miniseries adaptations of “Downfall” and “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” which were produced alongside movie edits, “Hagen/War of the Kingdoms” was conceived as two standalone stories. Moszkowicz added that the narrative perspectives in the series would differ significantly from those in the cinema version, with each being developed simultaneously but as independent products.

Unlike past interpretations of the Nibelungenlied, such as Fritz Lang’s 1924 two-part film masterpiece and a 2004 TV movie with Kristanna Loken and Robert Pattinson in lead roles, the series “Hagen” and “War of the Kingdoms” offer a novel perspective by making Hagen, the story’s typical antagonist, into the main character, while transforming Siegfried, the hero known for his golden locks and dragon-slaying feats, into a captivating populist who jeopardizes the kingdom’s stability. Dutch actor Gijs Naber (known for “Blackbook” and “The Story of My Wife”) plays Hagen, with Jannis Niewöhner (from “Berlin Station”) taking on the role of Siegfried. Lilja van der Zwaag, Rosalinde Mynster, and Dominic Marcus Singer are among the co-stars.

The groundbreaking blend of film and TV by Constantin is currently under live experimentation. Regrettably, the movie named Hagen, in its theatrical run, struggled to attract audiences, with only about 178,000 viewers in Germany, translating to approximately $2 million in revenue – a modest return for a film intended to be grandiose.

At Series Mania, War of the Kingdoms presents an opportunity to transform streaming defeat into victory, where it could have been theatrical.)

Fremantle saw significant triumph with the Amazon Studios’ adaptation of “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo” (2021), a modern retelling of the drug addiction biography “Christine F.”, which was previously adapted by Uli Edel in 1981. However, the release of “War of the Kingdoms”, initially conceived during the peak of the global streaming boom, comes at a time when buyers are moving away from expensive and ambitious series to opt for more reliable, cost-effective procedurals and action thrillers instead.

Prior to the commencement of Series Mania, Fremantle revealed they had no agreements ready to announce regarding the show. Constantin’s significant wager might serve as a pivotal trial, determining the worldwide allure of top-tier European fantasy on a make-or-break basis.

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2025-03-23 20:24