‘The X-Files’ Writer Frank Spotnitz Returns to Sci-Fi With Newen Connect’s ‘We Come in Peace’: ‘It’s Compelling, Thought-Provoking and Deeply Human’ (EXCLUSIVE)
“The X-Files” executive producer and writer Frank Spotnitz and his London-based Big Light Productions have boarded event Swedish sci-fi “We Come in Peace” as a co-producer, Variety has learned in exclusivity on the eve of London TV Screenings. Spotnitz serves as writing supervisor as well as executive producer, alongside Big Light’s Adrian Banyard.
The six-part TV show which just wrapped production in Sweden is repped internationally by Newen Connect, which will unveil clips and creative materials to global buyers at a presentation in London Feb. 25, to be attended by Spotnitz and the main Swedish producer Piodor Gustafsson (“Border,” “Lamb”) of Black Spark Film & TV. The Swedish and US executives go way back. As former drama buyer and commissioner for Swedish pubcaster SVT, Gustafsson acquired in 2012 the BBC series “Hunted” created and penned by Spotnitz, and the latter has taught for the last 12 years at the Berlin-based screenwriting training course Serial Eyes which Gustafsson helped to found.
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The uniqueness of Spotnitz’s involvement in “We Come in Peace” cuts two ways. Firstly, it’s his first non-English language project, although the senior US showrunner and writing guru has already worked on several European mega-productions, such as the lavish RAI-commissioned “Leonardo” and Rai/Netflix’s “Medici” double seasons. Here the show was ordered by commercial broadcaster TV4 in Sweden, with Germany’s ZDF serving as co-producer.
Second, its Spotnitz’s first sci-fi project since the iconic “The X-Files” which earned him three Golden Globes and an Emmy nomination. “I’ve been approached countless times to get involved with alien sci-fi dramas since “The X-Files” and always said ‘no.’ But when I read the pilot for ‘We Come in Peace’ I had to say ‘yes,’” said Spotnitz for whom this “isn’t just another sci-fi series. It’s compelling, grounded, thought-provoking and deeply human.”
“We Come in Peace” is the brainchild of Swedish creator-writer Lars Lundstr?m, credited for the hit sci-fi “Real Humans” from Swedish pubcaster SVT and its English-language remake “Humans,” produced by Kudos for Channel 4. The grounded sci-fi explores the chaos unleashed when a mysterious jellyfish-like object appears in the sky over Stockholm, sparking widespread panic, fear and confusion among the population.
The main protagonists are Elias Kazemi, played by Fares Fares (“Cairo Conspiracy,” “Westworld”), the head of Sweden’s emergency response agency who tries to manage the rising public fear and foreign interference, and biologist Zandra Kraft (Evin Ahmad, “Snabba Cash”) who believes she has found the means to communicate with the unknown creature and joins forces with Elias.
“Before long, the creature releases an extraordinary energy source which could indefinitely power the planet, and a number of smaller creatures start to spread throughout Sweden, assimilating and adopting human DNA. As dark forces gather and violence levels rise, Zandra, Elias and Prime Minister Moa Holmgren must decide whether these creatures and their ‘mother’ represent the subjugation of human-kind, or its best chance of survive”, the synopsis reads.
Meaning of Life
In a pure sci-fi fashion, the show blends pure entertainment and suspense with scientific inquiry while raising high-brow questions about humanity’s place in the universe.
“We humans don’t really know about outer space and perhaps in 200 years, we will look back at our time, and feel we were quite ignorant,” says Lundstr?m who first played with the idea for the show after reading the short story “Queer Nouveau 2.0” by Anders Fager a decade ago. “Then the pandemic hit and gave a whole new meaning to this vision of humanity in transition. All of a sudden, we human beings were faced with a major disaster. Governments were under pressure and the public wanted answers that politicians and scientists were struggling to deliver.”
Picking up on the coexistence between religion and science in our perception and understanding of the world, Gustafsson said: “The more science gets closer to religion, the more we realise that what religion has talked about for 1,000 years, scientists are just starting to explore. Time, space is elastic, and there must be different dimensions.”
Spotnitz, who admits not being religious, said he is still “absolutely fascinated” by [religion], “the unseen world that science cannot understand. And whether you believe in God or not, you have to acknowledge the mystery of the universe. We have to be humble and acknowledge how much we don’t know and will never know,” he points out.
Beyond the show’s deep dive into the meaning of life on earth, Spotnitz said he loved Lundstr?m’s complex presentation of the interaction between humans and aliens.
“A lot of ‘The X-Files’ was about alien abduction, government conspiracy. You’ve seen movies like ‘Independence Day’ with people fighting the aliens. What is interesting with ‘We Come in Peace’ is that it’s really more about us and what we read into aliens. It tells you a lot about human nature, the way the different characters that Lars has assembled react to what’s initially just a ‘thing’ in the sky. Then the pendulum of suspicion or trust keeps swinging back and forth over the course of the series, as you’re just not quite sure what to think.”
What makes the show also extremely compelling for Spotnitz is the way it reflects today’s geopolitics, letting the viewers decide for themselves who are “the good or bad guys.”
“You’ve got the main protagonists Zandra and Elias, but also several antagonists, and we’ve talked a lot [with Lars] about making sure we would respect their point of view. That said there are times in the narrative when the antagonists may be right and the protagonists may be wrong. All that feels really relevant and contemporary to what we’re living,” Spotnitz added.
Also relevant to the current times is government mistrust and the role of disinformation. “It’s a really big part of the show,” notes the U.S. showrunner. “There is a teenage male character in a big part, who is definitely affected by that. I have four kids who grew up with social media. I know how difficult it can be [for youngsters] to know what to believe.”
For Spotnitz, science-fiction, which he’s been passionate about since he was a kid (“The Twilight Zone,” the original “Star Trek” have stayed with me”), is the ultimate genre which brings together entertainment and intellectual stimulation. “‘The X-Files’ helped to make science-fiction mainstream, and I believe this show has an enormous potential to reach a big audience,” he said.
Lost in Translation
On his experience of working for the first time on a foreign-language show, Spotnitz says the language issue was “perhaps a bit of a hassle in the translation process of the different drafts” and getting them “in a timely fashion was challenging.” Other than that, he was amazed by the wealth of talent involved, especially Lundstr?m’s rare ability to fill his various drafts “with incredible ideas and small details,” Gustafsson’s production skills and TV4 Sweden’s “terrific” contribution. “They wanted to make the same show we wanted to make and gave us notes that only deepened the narrative. That’s not often the case,” he noted.
For Gustafsson, another key contributor to the series’ creative mix was helmer Jens Jonsson, with whom he had worked earlier on the 2008 Sundance Grand Jury winning pic “The King of Ping Pong.” “Jens is very experienced; we knew that he was interested in the unknown, plus he has a background in graphic design, so getting him on board at a very early stage was fantastic,” saidthe producer. Jonsson shares the directing duties with episodic helmer Mani Maserrat-Agah (“Young Wallander,” “Box 21”).
One of the biggest challenges for the Swedish team was to deliver a high-quality sci-fi universe with a budget way below Hollywood standards, yet on the higher end in European terms. “I can’t tell you the budget for “We Come in Peace” but a normal six-episode show in Swedish-language costs around €9 million ($9.5 million) and this was much more!” Gustafsson said.
To contain the costs, the production relied as much as possible on SFX rather than VFX, under the supervision of Tom Olsson, CEO of Infinite Entertainment (a former subsidiary of visual effects outlet Goodbye Kansas) who worked closely with a large team across three European territories to find solutions.
Key contributors to the initial creatures and universe were Swedish designers Alvaro Tapia, Eric Thunfors, Belgian special effects specialist Eric de Wulf, and Lithuanian artist Zilvinas. The alien Baby Kasper was created by the multi-awarded G?ran Lundstr?m (Oscar-nominated for the hair & make-up of Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” and Ali Abbasi’s “Border”), in collaboration with Fixas’ special effects expert Niklas Hermansson (“Triangle of Sadness,” “Border”).
“Our ambitions were clear and very high from the inception, and we all put extra efforts to reach that premium quality level,” said Gustafsson who feels magic does happen “if you are very focused and you work in a smart way.”
Lithuania
Filming took place almost entirely in Lithuania (55 out of 60 days), with the remaining days in Sweden. Gustafsson who teamed up with local production service outlet Dansu, says Lithuania is an ideal location for foreign producers, combining attractive 30% tax incentives, highly skilled crew and longer shooting hours. “Sweden’s tax rebate system is a total failure; we knew it would be very difficult or impossible to access it, whereas Lithuania is truly producer-friendly,” said the producer who even flew in the Lithuanian crew for the Swedish shoot.
On the financing front, Newen Connect, a subsidiary of French giant TF1 Group’s Newen Studios, came on board over two years ago, contributing on the creative side to the development of the show for an international audience, to the financing of the development and the production, and to the full market and sales strategy. “It’s been a very long journey with them and we’re looking forward to finally showcasing our project to buyers in London,” says Gustafsson.
Next to Big Light Productions in the U.K. and ZDF in Germany, the TV4 flagship series was co-produced by Lundstr?m’s Snyggfin Production, Infinite Entertainment in Sweden, Dansu in Lithuania, and Beside Productions in Belgium, in association with TV2 Norway, MTV in Finland and C More in Denmark, with financing from Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Creative Europe. The premiere is set for late 2025.
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