German Fantasy Epic “Hagen”: Here’s a First Look

The first pictures from Constantin Film’s much awaited new fantasy drama, Hagen, have been revealed. The story, which is based on the Teutonic Nibelungen saga and features swords and magic, is aimed at appealing to fans of Game of Thrones and Vikings globally.

Constantin has sold Fremantle the global distribution rights to the series outside of German-speaking regions. German streaming and free TV rights are held by Fremantle’s parent company, RTL Group.

The Niebelungen saga, a medieval German folktale that is regarded as the source of inspiration for contemporary fantasy epics like J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, is reimagined in Wolfgang Hohlbein’s Hagen von Tronje, the television series.

Hagen tells the account of the soldier Hagen, the girl fighter Kriemhild, the legendary dragon slayer Siegfried, and the mystical Valkyrie queen Brunhild. It is a tale of love, family, power, and conflict, and it ends catastrophically because it is a Germanic tale after all.

Hagen is portrayed by Gijs Naber (The Story of My Wife), while Siegfried is played by Jannis Niewöhner (Munich). Kriemhild is portrayed by Lilja van der Zwaag (Stralshund), and Brunhild is portrayed by Rosalinde Mynster (Truth About Men). Jörg Hartmann, Jördis Triebel, and Dominic Marcus Singer are also members of the ensemble cast.

The series was directed by Cyrill Boss and Philipp Stennert (Pagan Peak), who also co-wrote Hagen with Doron Wisotzky.

Hagen was produced by Constantin as a feature film and as a six-part television series. Executive producers Martin Moszkowicz and Oliver Berben of Constantin Film served as co-producers with Jan Ehlert, Christoph Müller, and Christian Rohde.

On Friday, March 1, at the London TV Screenings, Fremantle—which just sold the Constantin/Amazon Studios production We Children From Bahnhof Zoo to over 92 territories—will showcase Hagen as one of the highlights of its upcoming slate.