HtU film starts production in 2021

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Siggdalos
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HtU film starts production in 2021

Post by Siggdalos » Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:55 pm

JAL has announced that he has finished writing the screenplay for the film adaptation of HtU, which will be directed by Thea Hvistendahl from Norway, and that shooting will begin next year.

From the Norwegian Film Institute's project page:
"Håndtering av Udøde er en magisk realistisk kjærlighetshistorie om å akseptere det vi ikke kan kontrollere. Filmen reflekterer over livet, døden, menneskelige relasjoner og naturen. Sjangermessig befinner vi oss et sted mellom drama og art house horror."

"Handling the Undead is a magical realistic love story about accepting that which we cannot control. The film reflects on life, death, human relationships and nature. Genre-wise we find ourselves somewhere between drama and art house horror."

Announcement on JAL's Facebook page (2020-10-16):
"Äntligen! Manuset är färdigt och nu ska filmen i kannan. Inspelning nästa år. Thea är superbegåvad och jag är övertygad om att detta kommer att bli kjempegreit!"

"Finally! The screenplay is finished and [not sure how to translate this expression]. Film shoot next year. Thea is super talented and I am convinced that this will turn out [Norwegian word for "great"]!"

Edit 2021-02-04: Replaced link to defunct Norwegian Film Institute page with a link to a working page.
Last edited by Siggdalos on Thu Feb 04, 2021 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
De höll om varandra i tystnad. Oskar blundade och visste: detta var det största. Ljuset från lyktan i portvalvet trängde svagt in genom hans slutna ögonlock, la en hinna av rött för hans ögon. Det största.

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Jameron
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Re: HtU film starts production in 2021

Post by Jameron » Mon Nov 02, 2020 7:09 pm

:shock:

This will be interesting. I wonder how the Fisher will be portrayed?

.
"For a few seconds Oskar saw through Eli’s eyes. And what he saw was … himself. Only much better, more handsome, stronger than what he thought of himself. Seen with love."

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Siggdalos
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Re: HtU film starts production in 2021

Post by Siggdalos » Mon Nov 02, 2020 7:50 pm

I'm mainly curious to see how much of The Final Handling is included, since that's the ending JAL originally envisioned for the story. IMO the ending of HtU doesn't really work on its own and at least some elements of The Final Handling have to be included if the story is going to have proper closure.
De höll om varandra i tystnad. Oskar blundade och visste: detta var det största. Ljuset från lyktan i portvalvet trängde svagt in genom hans slutna ögonlock, la en hinna av rött för hans ögon. Det största.

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Siggdalos
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Re: HtU film starts production in 2021

Post by Siggdalos » Wed Jan 20, 2021 12:06 am

Some new details from the "Upcoming productions" section on John's website and his live event on Instagram on January 13:
  • The plan is for filming to begin in Oslo in August this year, if the pandemic allows.
  • The film's version of the story will most likely take place in Oslo rather than Stockholm.
  • The Final Handling is not included in John's screenplay, with the exception of some elements towards the end in how the reliving are treated and experimented upon.
De höll om varandra i tystnad. Oskar blundade och visste: detta var det största. Ljuset från lyktan i portvalvet trängde svagt in genom hans slutna ögonlock, la en hinna av rött för hans ögon. Det största.

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Wolfchild
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Re: HtU film starts production in 2021

Post by Wolfchild » Sun Jan 24, 2021 3:49 pm

Siggdalos wrote:
Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:55 pm
"Handling the Undead is a magical realistic love story about accepting that which we cannot control. The film reflects on life, death, human relationships and nature. Genre-wise we find ourselves somewhere between drama and art house horror."
"Love story"? This hints that the screenplay will not be focused on Mahler and Anna. If this is true, I wonder if the whole scene on the island was jettisoned. :think:
...the story derives a lot of its appeal from its sense of despair and a darkness in which the love of Eli and Oskar seems to shine with a strange and disturbing light.
-Lacenaire

Visit My LTROI fan page.

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Siggdalos
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Re: HtU film starts production in 2021

Post by Siggdalos » Thu Feb 04, 2021 2:34 pm

Wolfchild wrote:
Sun Jan 24, 2021 3:49 pm
Siggdalos wrote:
Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:55 pm
"Handling the Undead is a magical realistic love story about accepting that which we cannot control. The film reflects on life, death, human relationships and nature. Genre-wise we find ourselves somewhere between drama and art house horror."
"Love story"? This hints that the screenplay will not be focused on Mahler and Anna. If this is true, I wonder if the whole scene on the island was jettisoned. :think:
Does "love story" necessarily have to refer to a story about romance, as opposed to, say, a story about fatherly/grandfatherly love? Maybe I'm reading other things into the Swedish kärlekshistoria than what is meant by the Norwegian kjærlighetshistorie or English love story.
De höll om varandra i tystnad. Oskar blundade och visste: detta var det största. Ljuset från lyktan i portvalvet trängde svagt in genom hans slutna ögonlock, la en hinna av rött för hans ögon. Det största.

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metoo
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Re: HtU film starts production in 2021

Post by metoo » Thu Feb 04, 2021 5:34 pm

From the web site of Norsk Filminstitutt:

Konsulentvurdering:
Håndtering av Udøde er et unikt og spesielt prosjekt, som etter mitt skjønn bli en film vi ikke har sett maken til i Norge. Den tilhører på mange måter en ny bølge av mørke og intellektuelt utfordrende genrefilmer som har høyere ambisjoner, og vil noe mer enn kun å skremme og underholde. Gjennom bruk av virkemidler fra en velkjent genre, er dette er en film som først og fremst tar for seg sorg og kjærlighet i nære relasjoner, og som blottlegger og grafser i det vi frykter mest. Det blir samtidig en film som vil se på hvordan storsamfunnet reagerer med frykt på det ukjente, ikke helt uten relevans i dagens Norge. Med et drivende og godt skrevet manus, en sterk regivisjon fra regissør og med en god og troverdig finansiering, er det derfor en sann glede å kunne tilby produksjonstilskudd til Håndtering av Udøde.
Konsulent:
Asle Vatn

Consultant assessment:
Handling the Undead is a unique and special project, which in my opinion will be a film we have not seen before in Norway. It belongs in many ways to a new wave of dark and intellectually challenging genre films that have higher ambitions, and want something more than just to scare and entertain. Through the use of tools from a well-known genre, this is a film that primarily deals with grief and love in close relationships, and which exposes and graphs in what we fear most. It will also be a film that will look at how society at large reacts with fear on the unknown, not entirely without relevance in today's Norway. With a driving and well-written script, a strong direction from the director and with a good and credible financing, it is therefore a real pleasure to be able to offer production grants for Handling the Undead.
Consultant:
Asle Vatn
Translated by Google, with some adjustments by me.

So it seems it's not a love story in the traditional sense, but it still is a story about love.
Like LtROI, I might add.
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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Siggdalos
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Re: HtU film starts production in 2021

Post by Siggdalos » Thu Feb 04, 2021 5:58 pm

I see. I managed to miss that part of the page. Thanks for pointing it out.
De höll om varandra i tystnad. Oskar blundade och visste: detta var det största. Ljuset från lyktan i portvalvet trängde svagt in genom hans slutna ögonlock, la en hinna av rött för hans ögon. Det största.

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Wolfchild
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Re: HtU film starts production in 2021

Post by Wolfchild » Thu Feb 04, 2021 10:27 pm

This is interesting. While to me LTROI was definitely a story about love, (and I think Harbour was as well), HtU was a story about grief more than it was a story about love. Did any of the Undead give any sign that they felt love? Maybe I should put it on my list of things to do to re-read HtU to see what I might have missed. :think:
...the story derives a lot of its appeal from its sense of despair and a darkness in which the love of Eli and Oskar seems to shine with a strange and disturbing light.
-Lacenaire

Visit My LTROI fan page.

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Siggdalos
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Re: HtU film starts production in 2021

Post by Siggdalos » Thu Feb 04, 2021 11:12 pm

I would say that since the characters' grief stems from love—Mahler and Anna's love for Elias, David and Magnus' love for Eva—it makes sense to describe HTU as a story about grief and love. Of course, for all I know, the movie might be drastically different from the book and include a new romance subplot or something (a love interest for Flora corresponding to Kalle in The Final Handling, perhaps, but that would conflict with John's statement about the epilogue being left out of the screenplay; maybe a combination of Kalle and Peter, who's otherwise a fairly pointless character).

On a related note, I would be fine with David and Eva being left out of the film, since I don't find their subplot to be nearly as interesting as Flora, Elvy, Mahler, and Anna's. I'll mainly be disappointed if Flora is left out, but I guess her inclusion or exclusion comes down to whether Thea wants to include the heavier supernatural elements or stick to a more grounded scenario.
Wolfchild wrote:
Thu Feb 04, 2021 10:27 pm
Did any of the Undead give any sign that they felt love?
Elias' soul when communicating with Anna, and Eva's soul when saying farewell to David. Otherwise no.
De höll om varandra i tystnad. Oskar blundade och visste: detta var det största. Ljuset från lyktan i portvalvet trängde svagt in genom hans slutna ögonlock, la en hinna av rött för hans ögon. Det största.

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