In "Valhalla Rising" Mads Mikkelsen plays a warrior of supernatural strength, a misfit, by the name of One-Eye, a man who journeys to a fabled land where he discovers his true self. "I'm convinced that with Mads Mikkelsen in the leading role, we see here the makings of a new type of action hero, multi-facetted, austere and iconic," says executive producer, Thorrir Sigurjónsson talking to Kulturplakaten.dk — an internet site for Danish culture.
Toronto audiences are already familiar with Refn. His trilogy, "Pusher", renowned for its full-blooded gangster characters, was selected for their festival in 2005. Mikkelsen appeared in leading roles in the first two "Pusher" films, as he did in Refn's "Bleeder", premiered in Venice in 1999.
International success followed with Refn's cinematic tornado, the British production "Bronson", selected for Sundance and commended by critics for actor Tom Hardy's brilliant performance.
International sales for "Valhalla Rising" are handled by Wild Bunch. Domestic distribution in Scandinavia is handled by Scanbox Film Distribution, in France by Wildside and in Great Britain by Vertigo. The film is scheduled for release in Danish cinemas in March 2010.
"Valhalla Rising" is produced by Johnny Andersen, Bo Ehrhardt and Henrik Danstrup with co-producer Karen Smyth for Nimbus Film Productions ApS, One Eye Production, La Belle Allee Productions Ltd, Scanbox Entertainment A/S and Blind Eye Productions.
For interviews with Nicolas Winding Refn, please contact producer Bo Ehrhardt +45 2627 1110, bo@nimbusfilm.dk