Norwegian director Morten Tyldum will replace Aksel Hennie as director of Fallen Angels, the second theatrical production for SF Norge's $12.9m (Euros 9.8m) Varg Veum detective series, Norway 's largest film project to date.

Tyldum's 2003 feature debut, Buddy, won the Amanda - the national film prize - for best film and sold 275,000 tickets domestically.

'It has been a bit of a challenge to find the right director for the film in time, but with Tyldum now on board we seem to have avoided delays,' explained SF Norge CEO Guttorm Petterson, who produces the package with Jonas Allen, of Denmark's Miso Film.

Writer-director-actor Hennie (Uno) pulled out of the project becausing of clashing schedules, and Petterson had to withdraw an application for $1.1m (Euros 900,000) state funding, which had already been approved. It will now be renewed for the Norwegian Film Fund's consideration in June, and production will start as planned.

In the meantime the first theatrical feature of the series, Bitter Flowers, has been shot under the direction of Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen (Izzat) - it is currently in post-production and scheduled for a local launch on Sept 28. Erik Richter Strand (Sons), who has been signed to direct the series' four television movies, has started with Sleeping Beauty and Yours, Till Death.

Based on Norwegian author Gunnar Staalesen's best-selling novels about the Bergen-based private investigator, Veum - a Norwegian cousin of Philip Marlowe - all films are will be shot on location in Bergen, with Trond Espen Seim in the lead, and Kath rine Fagerland and Bjorn Floberg among the regular cast.

SF Norge - a subsidiary of Swedish major Svensk Film Industri - will handle Norwegian distribution of Bitter Flowers and Fallen Angels, while the television films will be aired by Norway 's TV2, and Denmark 's TV2/Danmark, Sweden 's TV4 and Finland 's YLE. Co-producers include Germany 's ARD-Degeto Film.

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