‘The Bastard’ takes place in the mid 1700s, when the Danish King Frederick V announced that the wild and unruly Jutland Heath would be available to anyone who wished to lay claim to it. The King hoped that citizens would flock there to farm and build villages, bringing the crown more money in taxes, but it was just Mikkelsen’s character, the famous Danish risk-taker Captain Ludvig Kahlen, who did tame the wild Jutland heath for the Danish crown, in order to obtain wealth and honor (or die trying). The $8 million film was launched at the Festival de Cannes this year under the working title ‘King’s Land’: Magnolia Pictures prebought rights to the film in the U.S. and Zentropa’s sales division TrustNordisk closed multiple deals, including with Plaion Pictures for Germany, The Jokers Films for France, September Films for Benelux and Vertigo Media for Hungary. Mikkelsen and Arcel worked together on ‘A Royal Affair’ receiving critical acclaim and nominations at the Academy Awards as well as the Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. The Danish actor frequently stars in popular Danish language films such as ‘Another Round’ and ‘The Hunt’, but audiences shall recognize him from ‘Doctor Strange’, ‘Rogue One: A Stars Wars Story’, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and NBC’s ‘Hannibal’. Read more on Collider.com
