Netflix and Constantin Film have announced that POLAR, a film based off of the 2012 webcomic and series of graphic novels written and illustrated by Victor Santos has entered production!
Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund, who in the past has helmed a series of feature films, documentaries, concert films, music videos, commercials, and stage shows for acts like Lady Gaga, Rammstein, Beyonce and more, will be the man behind the camera for POLAR, an adaptation of Santos' Dark Horse action noir graphic novel Polar: Came From the Cold.
According to the Netflix press release, the logline for POLAR reads as follows: The world’s top assassin, Duncan Vizla, aka The Black Kaiser, is settling into retirement when his former employer marks him as a liability to the firm. Against his will, he finds himself back in the game going head to head with an army of younger, faster, ruthless killers who will stop at nothing to have him silenced.
Set to star as Duncan Vizla is HANNIBAL and DOCTOR STRANGE actor Mads Mikkelsen, who will be joined by Vanessa Hudgens (BEASTLY), Katheryn Winnick (VIKINGS), and Matt Lucas (DOCTOR WHO, LITTLE BRITAIN) for the gritty survival tale.
Jason Rothwell (SILENT NIGHT) will write the screenplay based off of Santos' graphic novels while Constantin Film’s Robert Kulzer (RESIDENT EVIL), Jeremy Bolt (DEATH RACE), and Hartley Gorenstein (ROOM) will produce with Martin Moszkowicz, Mads Mikkelsen, and Dark Horse Entertainment’s Keith Goldberg and Mike Richardson on board to executive produce.
The Netflix film is currently shooting in Toronto with the project aiming for a 2019 release on the popular streaming network.
It's been a while since I've picked up POLAR, but I'll be damned if I don't recall it being a thumping good read. Mikkelsen strikes me as a perfect casting choice for Vizla, and I can't wait to see how the story translates to the small screen. If the film is in any way as good as the book, we could be looking at one very cool story of the old guard versus the new, with plenty of blood in the snow to go around.