Paul Anderson, who stars as Arthur Shelby in TV hit Peaky Blinders, is set to next star in WWII action movie Immortal.
Jalmari Helander, the Finnish filmmaker behind Rare Exports and Big Game, will direct the film, which will start shooting in Lapland, Finland, in September of this year.
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) has swooped on world rights outside Nordic, and Nordisk Film has taken Nordic rights.
Set in 1945, Immortal tells the story of ex-soldier Aatami, played by Helander’s long-time collaborator Jorma Tommila, who discovers gold in the deep wilderness of Lapland. When he attempts to take his loot into the city, a squadron of Nazi soldiers led by a brutal SS officer (Paul Anderson) get in his way and a battle for the gold ensues between the lone soldier and the Nazis.
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Petri Jokiranta, who has also produced Helander´s two previous films, is producing the film through Subzero Film Entertainment. Mike Goodridge, Gregory Ouanhon and Antonio Salas are executive producers.
The film, which will be in English and some Finnish, is backed by Finnish Film Foundation, Business Finland – Audiovisual Production Incentive and MTV Cmore.
Paul Anderson is also known for Oscar winner The Revenant, Scott Cooper’s Hostiles, Ron Howard’s In The Heart Of The Sea and Yann Demange’s ’71. He recently completed Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley for Searchlight opposite Cate Blanchett, Bradley Cooper and Rooney Mara.
“To make an action film in Finland has been a dream of mine since I was 10 years old,” said Helander. “Finally I am in a situation where I can fulfill my dream and make an epic, action-packed survival story which takes place in World War II.
Jalmari Helander’s first feature Rare Exports (2010) was a huge success and won festival awards at Locarno, Brussels, Sitges and others. His second film the action adventure Big Game starred Samuel L. Jackson, Jim Broadbent, Felicity Huffman and Ray Stevenson and sold out worldwide after its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in 2014.
Paul Anderson is represented by CAA. Helandar is repped by WME.
