In the first shot from The Bastard, a new Danish-language film that reteams Fantastic Beasts actor Mads Mikkelsen with his A Royal Affair director Nikolaj Arcel, Mikkelsen plays a despondent 17th-century soldier. Production on The Bastard, based on Ida Jessen’s 2020 best-selling Danish novel The Captain and Ann Barbara, has begun in Denmark, Germany, and the Czech Republic. As per the Hollywood Reporter, the photo was posted by Zentropa, the film’s producer, on Thursday. It shows the Hannibal actor frowning in the foreground, surrounded by swirling smoke, while workmen in the background set fire to the uncultivated terrain.
The events of the movie took place in the middle of the 1700s when Danish King Frederick V declared that the lawless region of land known as Jutland Heath was open for settlement by anybody. Wolf packs prowled the heath, and highwaymen preyed on travellers who happened to pass through the area. Without the inspiration for Mikkelsen’s persona, the King could have been severely disappointed in his hope that the area would attract settlers who would farm the land and create communities, increasing tax revenue for the monarchy.
Taking on the role of the legendary Danish risk-taker Captain Ludvig Kahlen, played by Mikkelsen, Kahlen was a soldier dispatched by the Danish crown to clear and nurture the untamed Jutland heath for the sake of money and prestige. Amanda Collin, who appeared in Raised by Wolves, plays Ann Barbara in The Bastard. Also released on Thursday was the rest of the cast, including Simon Bennebjerg (Borgen) as Kalen’s antagonist and local landowner Frederik de Schinkel and Norwegian actress Kristine Kujath Thorp (Ninjababy) as de Schinkel’s cousin Edel Helene.
Morten Hee Andersen (Ride Upon the Storm), Magnus Krepper (Queen of Hearts), and Felix Kramer (Tronte Nielsen in Dark) all feature in the historical drama. The $8 million picture, once known as King’s Land, premiered at this year’s Festival de Cannes. In the United States, Magnolia Pictures pre-purchased the rights, while Zentropa’s sales branch TrustNordisk completed various deals, including ones with Plaion Pictures for Germany, The Jokers Films for France, September Films for Benelux, and Vertigo Media for Hungary.
A Royal Affair was the final film that Mikkelsen and Arcel collaborated on, and it was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. The Danish actor is most recognised for his performances as Gellert Grindelwald (replacing Johnny Depp in later Fantastic Beasts films) and Hannibal Lecter (NBC’s Hannibal), although he has also appeared in Doctor Strange and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, among other films and television shows. The Bastard hopes to have a limited release in theatres in the fall of 2023.