From a gripping novel to a riveting production

August 11, 2017

On 8 August 2017, UFA Fiction began producing an adaptation of Sebastian Fitzek’s bestseller Das Joshua Profil for RTL Television, a thriller about a hunt for a man who is about to commit a horrible crime in a few days.

It stars Torben Liebrecht (Duell der Brüder), Franziska Weisz (Tatort, Homeland), Inez Bjørg David (Die Toten vom Bodensee), Armin Rohde (Kleine Haie, St. Pauli Nacht, Alleingang), Lina Hüesker (Hilfe, ich hab meine Lehrerin geschrumpft), Arnd Klawitter (Die Stadt und die Macht, Oh Boy) and Max Hopp (Der gleiche Himmel, Bella Block).

Jörg Winger (Deutschland 83 and Deutschland 86) is the film’s producer, Henriette Lippold (Charité) the executive producer. The screenplay was written by Jan Braren (Homevideo, Soko Leipzig). It is directed by Oscar winner Jochen Alexander Freydank (Nord bei Nordwest, Tatort). Nico Grein is the RTL Television editor under the direction of Philipp Steffens. The 105-minute thriller is being filmed in Berlin until mid-September. RTL Television has not yet announced a broadcast date for Das Joshua Profil.

From left to right: Nico Grein, Henriette Lippold, Armin Rohde,
Sebastian Fitzek, Torben Liebrecht, Arnd Klawitter and Jochen Alexander Freydank © Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland/Boris Laewen

“We’re delighted to be collaborating with Sebastian Fitzek, one of Germany’s most successful thriller authors, and to film two of his bestsellers, which millions of people have loved reading,” says Philipp Steffens, Head of Fiction at RTL Television. “Das Joshua Profil is a suspenseful thriller that rapidly pulls you into its maelstrom and won’t let go of you until the end.  It is also a highly emotional family saga about a father who is fighting for his daughter with his body, heart and soul. Good stories deeply move us, heighten emotions and enthral us – as we found with this book.”

Jörg Winger, Producer and CEO UFA Fiction, says: “Sebastian Fitzek’s gripping novel is about two highly relevant topics – data mining and predictive policing – and is ideal for a suspenseful, entertaining and enlightening thriller. It’s time that we shed more light onto the darkness surrounding data collectors.”

The author Sebastian Fitzek is also enthusiastic: “It’s an honour that so many very talented and creative people are working together to produce my thriller. I have a good feeling that something truly extraordinary is being created here.”

The thriller Das Joshua Profil focuses on a highly controversial topic that has already become a shocking reality: predictive policing – predicting crimes before they happen. The book and film follow Max Rohde, an unsuccessful author, law-abiding citizen and loving father as he is caught up in events. According to the new Joshua pre-crime software he will commit a horrible crime in a few days – he just doesn’t know anything about it yet. A suspenseful chase and race against time begins set against a sweltering Berlin, and in the end nothing turns out quite as it seems…

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