yes Studios has announced that it has gone into partnership with Sigurjón Kjartansson’s production company S800 and has become the international distributor for HAZE, an eight-part crime drama commissioned by Icelandic broadcaster RUV.

yes Studios will formally launch the series – which has actor Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Succession, Game of Thrones) attached – to buyers at next week’s Content London, where it will be initially seeking pre-sales.

HAZE creator Kjartansson (Trapped S1 & 2, Katla) has assembled an impressive team for the series, which includes producer Erlinger Jack Gudmundsson (Operation Napoleon, The Minister), writers Gagga Jonsdottir (Bitch and Snitch, Trapped S3) and David Mar Stefansson (Trapped S3, Gangs of London S3) and director Óskar Thor Axelsson (Trapped S1 & 2, Stella Blomkvist, Riviera).

Set in present-day Iceland, HAZE is a gripping international crime story about the drug industry, with themes around double standards and corruption in the highest echelons of power. It tells the story of three childhood friends – from very different backgrounds – who grew up together in a small Icelandic town but have gone their separate ways since their early 20s. Now in their mid-40s, one is the CEO of one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Europe, one is a doctor, and the third is a drug dealer. When a big secret from their past begins to surface, the forces of destiny serve to bring them together again, with serious consequences for each of their lives.

yes Studios has full international distribution rights for the series (excluding Benelux, where it will be repped by Lumiere) and will also hold rights to the scripted format.

HAZE will be the first international drama on the yes Studios slate, marking a new strategic direction for the company as it now actively seeks good-fit, premium titles to sit alongside its enviable catalogue of top domestic dramas, comedies and documentaries, which include Your Honor, Night Therapy, Fauda, Shtisel, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, Bloody Murray, Significant Other and The Lost City: 101 Days in Captivity. yes Studios has successfully placed completed series with a wide range of international broadcasters and streamers, including

Netflix and HBO Max, and has seen its scripted formats successfully adapted for the likes of Showtime in the US, Amazon Prime, TF1 in France, Sony LIV in India, ENA in Korea and ITV in the UK.

Sharon Levi, managing director at yes Studios, comments: “We have been considering expanding our slate to include international titles for a little while now, but were waiting for the right title – one that we not only loved but that also fits with the premium, well-crafted and thoughtful content we currently represent. HAZE ticks all those boxes and more. It is a brilliantly engaging contemporary thriller, plays cleverly with a universal David vs Goliath theme and has an impressive and talented team already attached. We are delighted to bring it to Content London and hope that both our and Sigurjón Kjartansson’s reputations will make it of great interest for international pre-sales.

“In addition, with this new strategy now in play, we will also be keen to review other international scripted projects that are seeking representation and will be taking meetings in London. Our dedicated team has experience with numerous genres, including crime, political thrillers, family sagas, romantic comedy and science fiction, and we are used to working closely with creators and producers to help shows get developed, financed and placed with the right buyers. We are excited for this next stage in the development of our business and look forward to establishing many fruitful new partnerships around the globe.”

Sigurjón Kjartansson, creator of HAZE and managing director of S800, adds: “My original idea for HAZE is to show the grey area between the lawful trade of pharmaceuticals and the unlawful business of the underworld. Both I and producer Erlingur Jack Gudmundsson are very happy to be working with the team at yes Studios and look forward to seeing what their professional approach and many years of experience in the international TV industry will bring to our project.”

HAZE will begin filming in Summer 2025 and will deliver the following year.