Recently we reported on Jo Nesbo’s nom de plume, Tom Johansen. We also revealed that Harvill Secker had signed the rights to two books written by Nesbo under that name. Today we bring you even more big news on how the Norwegian author is building his crime fiction entertainment empire.

Warner Brothers has signed the first book written under the Tom Johansen pseudonym, Blood on Snow, to potentially become a motion picture. Nesbo will be an executive producer on the project and, according to a press release from Harvill Secker, Leonardo DiCaprio will co-produce and may also act in the film.

There is more news on the publishing side too. On top writing two books as Tom Johansen – Blood on Snow and Blood on Snow 2: More Blood – Jo Nesbo is planning to use his alter ego as a character in a third book. This will come out with the Jo Nesbo by-line, but Tom Johansen will appear in the book, which will be called The Kidnapping. Tom Johansen will be the character kidnapped in the story. We’re not sure at this time whether The Kidnapping will be a Harry Hole mystery, or something entirely new.

Confused? Well it is starting to sound a little like crime metafiction might be a new direction for the author, who has become the global standard bearer for the entire Scandinavian crime fiction sub-genre. All this, and we’re patiently awaiting the release of Cockroaches, the second Harry Hole book written in Norwegian. It will appear in English on 28 November.

You can read our guide to Harry Hole here, and our review of the latest novel in that series here.