Ole Bornedal (Deliver Us from Evil, Possession, Just Another Love Story) is now working on the anticipated sequel to his 1994 smash hit Nightwatch. Moreover, a US remake of the same name starring Ewan McGregor and Nick Nolte was released in 1997, with Bornedal himself at the helm.
In this sequel, which entered production in Denmark this week, we zoom in on Emma, a 22-year-old medical student who has taken the job as the nightwatch in the forensic department. She grew up with her mother, Kalinka, who committed suicide when Emma was 10, and her traumatised apathetic father, Martin. The fatal night when the psychopathic inspector Wörmer almost killed Emma’s parents, before they were saved at the very last minute by their friend Jens, marked the family. Since that night, they have all been haunted by the memory of the monster. Emma decides to investigate her parents’ past and wakes Wörmer from his coma, unintentionally initiating a bloody revenge on all who sealed Wörmer’s destiny. Emma and Martin are now surrounded by vindictive maniacs whose only motive is revenge.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (A Taste of Hunger, the TV series Games of Thrones) will play alongside Kim Bodnia (the TV series The Witcher and Killing Eve) and Ulf Pilgaard, all of whom starred in the original film. Other main cast members are Fanny Bornedal (The Purity of Vengeance, set to play the daughter of Coster-Waldau’s character), Paprika Steen (That Time of Year, Love is All You Need), Sonja Richter (The Keeper of Lost Causes, Alex Høgh Andersen (the TV series Vikings) and Christopher Læssø (The Square). Key crew members include DoP Lasse Frank Johannessen and editor Anders Villadsen.
Commenting on the project, the director said: “Nightwatch was a far greater success than both I and everyone else had expected. Both domestically and internationally. Probably because in many ways it was a rather personal story that many could relate to. Beneath the suspense and horror, it was also a generational story about growing up, becoming mature and breaking free from youthful anarchy! Only then could the two young men, Jens and Martin, become adults. And now the time is ripe to return to the two – and the new generations that surround them. Nightwatch is about legacy. About the silence in families. About the traumas and cuts and wounds that are allowed to live through generations. And in addition, it is exciting to return to the condensed genre that horror is. Kiss the demons – pull them into the light for a little moment. Look them in the eyes and think: ‘Good thing it’s only a film.’”
Budgeted at €4.3 million, Nightwatch – Demons are Forever is being produced by Thomas Heinesen for Nordisk Film Production (Denmark), with backing from the Danish Film Institute, Den Vestdanske Filmpulje and the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, and in collaboration with DR, ZDF and Nadcon. Its release is slated for 25 December 2023.
TrustNordisk has acquired its world sales. Speaking about the acquisition, the outfit’s Managing Director Susan Wendt said: “We are excited to be on board this highly anticipated successor to the world-renowned psychological thriller Nightwatch, which took the global audience by storm, and have high expectations for the sequel. We are confident that Ole Bornedal will make this strong and nerve-wracking story come alive and look forward to the collaboration.”
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