Copenhagen-based TrustNordisk has inked further deals and unveiled the first-look image to the dark comedy “The Last Viking” written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen (“Riders of Justice”).
Toplining the cast are his usual “partners in crime” Mads Mikkelsen (“Another Round,” “Fantastic Beasts”) and Nikolaj Lie Kaas (“Britannia,” “Families Like Ours”), as well as Sofie Gråbøl (“The Killing,” “The House that Jack Built”).
One of the hottest Danish titles lined up for launch later this year, the Zentropa pic has added Spain (Avalon), Greece (Videorama) and Bulgaria (Beta Film).
Earlier pre-sales were closed with Neue Visionen for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, September Film for Benelux, Plaion for Italy, Estinfilm for the Baltics, Vertigo Media for Hungary, Best Film for Poland, Film Europe for Czech Republic and Slovakia, September Film Rights for Singapore and Starcat Cable Network Co. for Japan.
TrustNordisk will unveil fresh scenes of the pic at a promo-reel slate presentation at Cannes market.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see ‘The Last Viking’ continue to attract such strong international interest and we are happy to be working with our friends at Avalon once again,” said TrustNordisk’ sales director Nicolai Korsgaard, ahead of the Cannes market. “These latest sales are a testament to the film’s broad appeal and the outstanding creative team behind it.”
Jensen’s previous pic “Riders of Justice,” also repped by TrustNordisk sold nearly worldwide including to Magnolia Pictures’ genre label Magnet Releasing for the U.S.
Billed as a “humorous, intriguing and devious tale about identity,” Jensen’s sixth pic turns on Anker (Kaas) who comes out of jail after a 15 year-sentence for robbery. Only one person knows where the money from the heist was buried – his brother Manfred (Mikkelsen) Unfortunately, the latter has no clue where it is, having since developed a mental illness, affecting his memory. Together, the brothers embark on an unexpected journey to locate the money and discover who they really are.
“The core of the film is that every human being is more than one thing,” says Jensen, famed for his zany storytelling with heart-felt existential thread. “We sometimes tend to forget this, both when defining who we are ourselves, and when passing judgement on others. It is so much easier to forgive and harder to get offended if you remember this.”
Talking Mikkelsen for whom he created some of the star actor’s most unhinged roles and striking physical transformations, Jensen says his delivery in the pic covers “literally many characters” and “depending on how you interpret the movie, Mikkelsen could [even] be the last Viking, but I hope not the last of the last!” he quips, adding. “Aside from their notorious barbaric traits and the pillaging, you are actually left with some great Viking-virtues, like accepting what you are, taking responsibility for your own actions, never succumbing to self-pity and the belief that the truth, the spoken word, is sacred and unbreakable.”
“The Last Viking” was produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Sidsel Hybschmann for Zentropa Entertainment4, in co-production with Zentropa Sweden and Film i Väst, with support from The Danish Film Institute, FilmFyn, Eurimages, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, The Swedish Film Institute and Creative Europe Media Programme, in collaboration with TV2 and Nordisk Film Distribution.
The local release is set for Oct. 9, 2025.
