Gunvald Opens Door For Tormund Giantsbane To Join Beck

On New Year’s Day, Beck returns to C More for the first of four new films. The remaining three films will premiere in February, March and April 2016.

The synopsis for the first episode to air is careful not to reference either Beck or Gunvald, yet is actually entitled Gunvald:

“Jacob, an investigative journalist, is found dead in his apartment. He has been beaten to death, and a fingerprint from a previous crime is found in the apartment. Jacob’s colleague Anna says that he was writing a book about a criminal and that he had previously received threats both because of his Jewish ancestry, and from right-wing extremists because of his politics.”

It is no secret that actor Mikael Persbrandt is to leave the Beck franchise, and his publicist has issued a statement to confirm this, but exactly how remains a mystery:

“After completing his filming of Beck, Mikael is now focusing on an international film career… Mikael is ever grateful for the time he has spent on Beck. He has enjoyed working with a fantastic cast, outstanding creative team, producers and crew. Mikael would also like to thank all of the die-hard fans of the films and the response he has received for his role as Gunvald.”

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.

According to Ingvar Hirdwall, who plays Martin Beck’s eccentric neighbour, Gunvald has been killed off.

“He gets shot in the beginning. He gets shot right away, and then one sees him at a hospital in such a way as to not see his face. Gunvald is just the beginning,” says Ingvar Hirdwall.

Hirdwall says that they worked through a number of different possibilities,before finally deciding how Gunvald Larsson should disappear from the series, but is not quite sure of the end result.

“He must be shot in the first film. The only thing I know is that he gets shot because he’s not in the films after that. I do not know how it will be done. There was talk about different ways that he might disappear from the series,” says Hirdwall.