Esben Smed To Play Lucky Per In TV2 Adaptation
Denmark’s TV2 has announced that its adaptation of Henrik Pontoppidan’s literary classic Lucky Per begins filming in August, with Esben Smed (Follow The Money) confirmed for the lead role.
Lucky Per (Lykke-Per) is a captivating love story and a tale of a modern, ambitious man who strives for a happy life but must choose between career and family, which also serves as a portrait of Denmark in the late 1800s. It was declared part of the Danish cultural canon by the Ministry Of Culture in 2006.
The role of Peter Sidenius (Lucky Per) will be played by Esben Smed, who was named as a Shooting Star at the Berlin Film Festival in February, where the jury described him as an “intense, high octane Dane… (whose) presence is unquestionable.”
The adaptation is directed by Bille August, whose 1987 film Pelle The Conqueror also forms part of the Danish cultural canon, and is co-written with his son, Anders August. It will be the most expensive drama project yet for TV2 and will not only air as a four part miniseries, but also be released as a feature film.
TV2 Head Of Drama, Katrine Vogelsang, says: “The feature film will be shown around the country as part of the series launch as well as internationally, where it will have great potential at festivals and significant opportunities with international distributors.”
Lucky Per is slated to air on TV2 in 2019.