Danish writer/director Anders Thomas Jensen is reuniting with Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas for Back To Reality (working title), which started shooting in Denmark on August 19, and will also film in Sweden.
The pair of acclaimed actors play brothers in the new dark comedy.
The story follows a bank robber, Anker (Lie Kaas), who is fresh out of jail on his way to collect the loot. The only one who knows where the money is buried is his brother, Manfred (Mikkelsen), who has a mental illness and no longer remembers where the loot is.
The cast also includes Lars Brygmann, Sofie Gråbøl, Bodil Jørgensen, Søren Malling, Nicolas Bro, Kardo Razzazi, Lars Ranthe and Peter Düring.
Zentropa is producing and the film is budgeted at $9.6m (€7.8m).
TrustNordisk has already sealed pre-sales on the film, including to Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Neue Visionen and Splendid) and Benelux (September Film).
Mikkelsen and Lie Kaas have appeared in all of Anders Thomas Jensen’s previous films including 2020’s Danish box-office hit Riders Of Justice, 2000’s Flickering Lights, Men & Chicken (2015), Adam’s Apples (2005) and The Green Butchers (2003).
Thomas Jensen is also well known as a screenwriter, working recently on Oscar shortlisted The Promised Land and Oscar winner In A Better World.
Producers are Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Sidsel Hybschmann for Zentropa in co-production with Film i Väst and Zentropa Sweden/Lizette Jonjic with support from The Danish Film Institute, FilmFyn, The Swedish Film Institute, Eurimages, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, in co-production with Nordisk Film Distribution & TV 2. Creative Europe MEDIA supported development.
Nordisk Film Distribution plans to release the film in autumn 2025.
Originally published at https://www.screendaily.com/news/mads-mikkelsen-nikolaj-lie-kaas-reteam-with-anders-thomas-jensen-for-back-to-reality-exclusive/5196525.article