Is ‘Nocturne’ based on a true story? The inspiration behind Stephen Graham’s serial killer
Apple TV’s ‘Nocturne’ arrived on October 30 and follows Stephen Graham as Jurek Walter, a serial killer who can manipulate another inmate to kill themselves in a different cell. While Jurek is held in a high-security underground ward of a mental hospital, he is dragged back into the investigation when a teen reappears in the Pennsylvania woods three years later. That premise has many wondering whether there was a real-life predator behind the character, but it turns out it starts with a pair of Swedish novelists.
The show ‘Nocturne’ is an adaptation of ‘The Sandman’ and ‘Lazarus’, both written by Lars Kepler (a husband-and-wife duo) whose real names are Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril. These were released in Sweden in 2012 and 2018, respectively, as part of the Joona Linna series (known in the US as the Killer Instinct series). These are the fourth and seventh books within the series. Jurek Walter is the most infamous serial killer in Sweden and is serving a life sentence in a high-security psychiatric hospital, and the show shifted this confinement to America. The series was originally going to be called ‘Lazarus,’ but Apple TV changed it to ‘Nocturne’.
The show was adapted from Scandinavia to Western Pennsylvania by showrunner John Hlavin and creator Rowan Joffé. Detective Joona Linna, whose name comes from the Finnish spelling of ‘Jonah’, became homicide detective Jonah Lynn. Played by Liev Schreiber, he moves from Philadelphia to a peaceful small town. Swedish Security Service superintendent Saga Bauer retains her name from the books. She becomes an undercover FBI agent (played by Zazie Beetz).
That means Walter is not modeled on any real-life serial killer. The authors mentioned in an interview in 2018 with Crime by the Book that they had done research into real-life serial killers, speaking to doctors, psychiatrists, carers, criminologists and police officers. They were fascinated by the smartest serial killers. They then went on to say, “We then searched deep within our own fears and let Jurek Walter take shape. He was so frightening that he infiltrated our thoughts and we couldn’t stop thinking about him, even long after we had stopped writing.”
Inspired by real-life stories, Graham went on a binge, watching true-crime documentaries suggested by his wife Hannah. He explained to the Associated Press that he would study how killers would deceive people and “believed their own truth.” Graham likened it to going into an art gallery and just getting inspired without even realizing it. The first two episodes of the 10-part season were directed by Tim Van Patten. All three actors are executive producers. The first two episodes are currently streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes released every Friday until the December 25 finale.
