Benedict Andrews To Direct ‘Fury’ Based On Iceland’s Sturlunga Saga.

EXCLUSIVE: Fury, a drama series inspired by the legendary Icelandic Sturlunga saga is in the works with Seberg and Una helmer Benedict Andrews attached as director and showrunner. Reykjavík-based studio Truenorth is making the series, which is billed as a brutal, gripping tale of power, politics and blood feuds set during one of the most turbulent periods in Icelandic history.

The Sturlungs were a powerful Icelandic clan and the Sturlung Saga is a collection of Icelandic stories and histories written and assembled in the 12^th and 13^th centuries. Fury will focus on the Sturlung Era, a period defined by family betrayal, shifting alliances and violent uprisings.

“The Sturlunga saga is Iceland’s answer to Shakespeare and Game of Thrones rolled into one,” said Leifur B. Dagfinnsson, CEO of Truenorth. “It’s a national epic that deserves the global stage and Fury is our most ambitious project yet, launching the next chapter for Truenorth as a creative studio.”

Truenorth’s Kristinn Thordarson and David Ó. Ólafsson, Co-SVPs of Film and TV, will produce. The plan is to create a returning series.

Australian writer and director Andrews expanded on the story that will unfold in the eight-part series. “Fury is the story of two brothers pulled into a war that will destroy their family and their country,” he said. “It’s raw, urgent and deeply human. A brutal mirror of our modern world, wrapped in the smoke and snow of medieval Iceland.”

Andrews, who is based in Reykjavík, added: “I’m drawn to the savage poetry of the Icelandic sagas: their stark language, moral ambiguity, humor and sudden tenderness. Fury brings that spirit to the screen with the breathless immediacy of a fever dream.”

Truenorth historically specialized in production services, working on films including Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and series such as True Detective: Night Country. It has moved into original programming in recent years with shows such as The Valhalla Murders, which was the first Icelandic co-production for Netflix, and SkyShowtime drama The Darkness. Meanwhile, Fury is its biggest step into original series. We hear more projects will be announced soon.