EXCLUSIVE: Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train), Tom Hardy (Venom) and director Cary Fukunaga (No Time To Die) are teaming for Jo Nesbo crime-thriller adaptation, Blood On Snow, which will likely be the hottest pre-sales title at TIFF for WME Independent and Range.
Nesbø is scripting the project (with revisions by Ben Power), based on his own best-selling novel of the same name.
The buzzy story unfolds in 1970’s Oslo, where two rival gang leaders—Hoffman and the Fisherman (Hardy) —vie for control. It marks a rare feature screenwriting outing for the acclaimed Norwegian novelist whose books have been adapted into multiple hit movies and TV series.
The synopsis reads: “Hoffman’s trusted hitman, Olav (Johnson), is a cold, efficient killer, perfect for the job. But beneath his ruthless exterior lies an unexpected intelligence and an unwavering moral code shaped by a complicated childhood…When Hoffman orders his own wife to be murdered, Olav’s principles clash with his loyalties. Instead of pulling the trigger, he hatches a scheme that makes him Hoffman’s next target and with nowhere safe to turn, Olav forms an uneasy alliance that places him at the heart of Oslo’s deadly gang war. Once a violent enforcer, Olav’s choice makes him an unlikely hero in a world where no good deed goes unpunished.”
Hardy, who has a supporting role in the movie and Dean Baker will produce the project under their Hardy Son & Baker banner, alongside Fukunaga, Nesbø, Niclas Salomonsson, and Hayden Lautenbach.
Mike Larocca and Michael Schaefer will also produce under the Department M banner which will also fully finance the feature. Executive producers on the film are Hardy Son & Baker’s Tallulah Fairfax as well as Damiano Tucci, Sophia Banks & Tiziano Tucci.
WME Independent is co-repping domestic rights with Range Media. WME Independent will handle international rights.
Taylor-Johnson has Kraven The Hunter, Nosferatu and 28 Years Later upcoming. Hardy has Venom: The Last Dance out next month.
True Detective and Beasts Of No Nation director Fukunaga most recently helmed on big-budget Apple series Masters Of Air. His last movie was Bond pic No Time To Die in 2021, which made $775M globally. Between 2021-2022 reports surfaced from multiple women of alleged inappropriate behavior by the filmmaker but he has subsequently made the big-budget Apple series.
Taylor-Johnson is repped by WME, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Sloane, Offer. Hardy is repped by Range Media, United Agents, and Sloane, Offer. Fukunaga is repped by WME, Sugar23, and Lichter, Grossman. Nesbø is repped by Salomonsson Agency, WME and Christopher Tricarico. Hardy Son & Baker is repped by Range Media, CAA, and Sloane, Offer.
