Yahoo Movies ‘The Unlikely Murderer’: Netflix Orders Limited Series On The Assassination Of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme
Netflix has greenlit a five-part Swedish-language series on Stig Engström, the man who was named as the probable murderer of former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme.
The Unlikely Murderer is made by Swedish producer FLX — which is behind Netflix series Quicksand and Love & Anarchy — and stars Robert Gustafsson as Engström. The part-fictionalized story is based on a 2018 book by Thomas Pettersson.
Following the assassination of Palme in 1986, Engström managed to elude justice right up to his death through a combination of audacity, luck, and a perplexed police force.
Other cast includes Eva Melander, Mikael Persbrandt and Peter Andersson. Joel Spira, Emil Almén, Shanti Roney, Torkel Petterson, Henrik Norlén, Lia Boysen, Magnus Krepper, Björn Bengtsson, Peter Viitanen, and Cilla Thorell also feature.
Wilhelm Behrman and Niklas Rockström are the writers, while Charlotte Brändström is the conceptual director. Simon Kaijser also directs. The executive producer is Pontus Edgren, while Fatima Varhos and Frida Asp are the producers.
Gustafsson said: “It’s an exciting challenge and a great responsibility to portray Stig Engström, but also, in a way, a form of therapy. Since I was at the same cinema as Olof Palme on the night of the murder, this case has always felt like an abscess that never disappears – and I’m not alone in feeling that. The theory about Engström is the most logical one and the one that the latest Palme investigation group has concluded as the right one. It is also the theory I believe.”
Tesha Crawford, director of Nordics original series at Netflix, added: ”This gripping and challenging case has intrigued people both in Sweden as well as in the rest of the world for more than 34 years. We are therefore very excited to bring Thomas Pettersson’s book to life.”
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