The news that Mikael Persbrandt was no longer to feature in the Beck films as Gunvald Larsson came as a shock to viewers in March of this year, but director Mårten Klingberg now says that the decision was made long before that.
After Persbrandt’s agent wrote on the actor’s Facebook page that he had decided to leave the role of Gunvald Larsson in order to focus on his international career, many wondered if the scripts had already been written for the new series. However, according to Expressen, Klingberg says that the script was written after that and that filming had not yet begun:
“This whole drama of Gunvald (the first film of the new series) is written as it should be, there is not a scene that has changed. There has been no last minute manoeuvers made. It was decided long before the news came out. There was a good margin before we finished the script for this.”
Klingberg continues: “It has opened up opportunities, so that we could introduce a new character. In my second movie, there is a new police officer to join the group. It is always thankful, if you are a playwright, to find good new conflicts. So in this way the film is separated from its predecessors, and it has been great fun.”
Norwegian Kristofer Hivju, better known for his role in Game of Thrones as Tormund Giantsbane, is to replace Mikael Persbrandt in Beck. Hivju’s character is called Steinar and is described as a “modern, empathetic representative for Oslo police”. This is in stark contrast to Gunvald, who is somewhat lacking in interpersonal skills and whose forthright approach to police work has led to many confrontations.
Beck returns to C More for the first of four new films on New Year’s Day. The remaining three films will premiere in February, March and April 2016.
Meanwhile, Mikael Persbrandt’s new movie directed by Guy Ritchie, entitled Knights of the Roundtable, has had its cinematic release pushed back from July 22nd 2016 to February 17th 2017. Persbrandt will feature as a knight alongside Charlie Hunnam as King Arthur and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey as Guinevere.