The Millennium story
As Nordic Acquisitions Manager, Lone Korslund is tasked with identifying interesting projects for Nordisk Film to finance and distribute. A phone call brought the Millennium trilogy to her attention three years ago. An acquaintance asked her to look out for a book entitled The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
It is the responsability of Nordic Acquisitions Manager Lone Korslund to find the Nordic film projects which are interesting for Nordisk FIlm to finance and/or distribute. The Millennium trilogy was brought to Lone Korslund's attention three years ago, when her phone suddenly rang. It was one of her friends telling her to keep a close eye on an up-coming novel called The Girl witht the Dragon Tattoo.
“I started reading the novel, but found the first 50 pages too heavy, so I put it aside. I had 50 other scripts waiting around to be read! But I eventually returned to it, read it to the end, and lost no time making a bunch of phone calls,” Lone Korslund recalls.
Reading the book convinced Lone Korslund of its box office potential.
“It had an incredible plot and a female lead quite unlike any other – she has a truly original personality. A woman like this echoes our times. And then there’s the whole myth surrounding Stieg Larsson – a backer of the socialist cause, and a man who personally hated “men who hate women”, the Swedish title of the book.”
Nordisk Film won the stakes
The production company Yellowbird had already acquired the rights to the film version of the books. But Nordisk Film quickly decided on investing in the film project, even though Swedish films were considered risky investments at the time.
“Swedish films aren’t popular, neither in Denmark or internationally, and the Swedish film industry was also in crisis at the time. We still needed the opportunity to prove ourselves in Sweden. Nordisk Film’s distribution there was not very large. But everyone at Nordisk Film supported our hunch that we could turn the book into a Swedish success, and make it a hit in Scandinavia,” explains Lone Korslund.
Getting permission to invest in the film was itself a challenge, as Nordisk Film had to convince Yellowbird of its capabilities. Decisive was a mixture of the desire for a Danish Director, Nordisk Film’s ability to provide post production facilities and an excellent chemistry between Yellowbird and Nordisk Film.
Salander goes to Hollywood
Other countries have also jumped on the Millennium wave. The films have become megasellers in most European countries, and upcoming American remakes will doubtlessly conquer the US market.
“Initially the original Millennium trilogy will be released for US cinema distribution. The contracts for American remakes were signed at the end of January, and it might take a few years before the films are ready. We don’t need the remakes on the market immediately, as it’s in our best interest to get as much out of the project we’ve invested in, right now,” explains Lone Korslund.
A life after Larsson
“The comprehension of pulling off such a huge challenge, and make this Nordic film a roaring success, has boosted our self-confidence. Following the Stieg Larsson success, it has been a struggle to restore our enthusiasm. And even though Millennium is still showing, and the DVDs have not yet all been released, I still feel a slight pang of regret that my role in the project has come to an end,” Lone concludes.
The success of the Millennium trilogy has also had a contagious effect on Nordisk Film’s distribution in Sweden, where the trilogy has put Nordisk Film on the map. For eample, Swedish cinemas howed Easy Cash for full houses in January. The film is another major Nordisk Film co-production, and the first in the Easy Cash trilogy
“I started reading the novel, but found the first 50 pages too heavy, so I put it aside. I had 50 other scripts waiting around to be read! But I eventually returned to it, read it to the end, and lost no time making a bunch of phone calls,” Lone Korslund recalls.
Reading the book convinced Lone Korslund of its box office potential.
“It had an incredible plot and a female lead quite unlike any other – she has a truly original personality. A woman like this echoes our times. And then there’s the whole myth surrounding Stieg Larsson – a backer of the socialist cause, and a man who personally hated “men who hate women”, the Swedish title of the book.”
Nordisk Film won the stakes
The production company Yellowbird had already acquired the rights to the film version of the books. But Nordisk Film quickly decided on investing in the film project, even though Swedish films were considered risky investments at the time.
“Swedish films aren’t popular, neither in Denmark or internationally, and the Swedish film industry was also in crisis at the time. We still needed the opportunity to prove ourselves in Sweden. Nordisk Film’s distribution there was not very large. But everyone at Nordisk Film supported our hunch that we could turn the book into a Swedish success, and make it a hit in Scandinavia,” explains Lone Korslund.
Getting permission to invest in the film was itself a challenge, as Nordisk Film had to convince Yellowbird of its capabilities. Decisive was a mixture of the desire for a Danish Director, Nordisk Film’s ability to provide post production facilities and an excellent chemistry between Yellowbird and Nordisk Film.
Salander goes to Hollywood
Other countries have also jumped on the Millennium wave. The films have become megasellers in most European countries, and upcoming American remakes will doubtlessly conquer the US market.
“Initially the original Millennium trilogy will be released for US cinema distribution. The contracts for American remakes were signed at the end of January, and it might take a few years before the films are ready. We don’t need the remakes on the market immediately, as it’s in our best interest to get as much out of the project we’ve invested in, right now,” explains Lone Korslund.
A life after Larsson
“The comprehension of pulling off such a huge challenge, and make this Nordic film a roaring success, has boosted our self-confidence. Following the Stieg Larsson success, it has been a struggle to restore our enthusiasm. And even though Millennium is still showing, and the DVDs have not yet all been released, I still feel a slight pang of regret that my role in the project has come to an end,” Lone concludes.
The success of the Millennium trilogy has also had a contagious effect on Nordisk Film’s distribution in Sweden, where the trilogy has put Nordisk Film on the map. For eample, Swedish cinemas howed Easy Cash for full houses in January. The film is another major Nordisk Film co-production, and the first in the Easy Cash trilogy
March 2010
