Beck returns to telly in 2016, with Peter Haber as Martin Beck but without Mikael Persbrandt as Gunvald Larsson. Say hej to Kristofer Hivju as Beck’s new sidekick.
Beck, the longest-running Swedish film series of all time, returns in 2016 with four new films (for a total of 34 to date) that will premiere exclusively on C More in the Nordic countries.
The first film — “Gunvald” — premieres on New Year’s Day, followed by “Steinar” on 6 February, “Vid vägs ände” (“At the End of the Road”) on 5 March, and “Sista dagen” (“The Last Day”) on 2 April.
C More’s synopsis of “Gunvald” reads as follows:
“An investigative journalist is found beaten to death in his home, where the fingerprints of a notorious enforcer [hit man] are found. The murder victim had been threatened by right-wing extremists, but it is mainly his work on a book that captures the interest of Beck’s team. The case takes a terrible turn, and suddenly there is much more at stake than finding the journalist’s killers. Martin Beck and his colleagues have never before had to balance their professional and personal roles in the same intractable way as now.”
Everyone involved with the production of Beck is tight-lipped about how Mikael Perbrandt’s character, Gunvald Larsson, has been written out of the show. Rightfully so, because who wants spoilers, so let the speculations begin.
(As you may recall, Persbrant’s publicist made the fan-crushing announcement this past March that the actor was leaving the series to pursue his international film career. Word came two weeks later that he had signed to costar in the new Netflix film, Jadotville.)
The second of Beck‘s 2016 films — “Steinar” — introduces viewers to Martin Beck’s new sidekick, Steinar Hovland, described as a “modern, empathetic representative for the Oslo Police.” Playing Steinar is Game of Thrones‘ Guldbagge Awards-winning Norwegian actor, Kristofer Hivju (Force Majeure, aka Turist).
(Hmm. Does Steinar join the Stockholm Police and thus Beck’s team, or is there a cross-border partnering of Steinar and Beck, à la the lead Swedish and Danish characters in The Bridge? We’ll find out in February.)
In addition to Peter Haber reprising his role as Detective Martin Beck, so too do Måns Nathanaelson as Detective Oskar Bergman and Ingvar Hirdwall as Martin’s neighbor, Valdemar. There is no mention of Rebecka Hemse, who plays Beck’s daughter Inger, in the announcement.
Of the cast members who joined Beck in the 2015 films, the ones who definitely return include Jonas Karlsson as Police Chief Klas Fredén, Anna Asp as junior detective Jenny Bodén, and Elmira Arikan as data analyst Ayda Çetin. Whether Anu Sinisalo reprises her role as forensic pathologist Gunilla Urst remains to be seen.
Guest stars in the 2016 Beck films include Simon J Berger (Modus, Crimes of Passion), Lisette Pagler (Viva Hate, Real Humans), Per Graffman (Maria Wern, Talisman), and Elisabet Carlsson (The Sandhamn Murders, Wallander).
Mikael Syrén, Josefin Johansson, Stefan Thunberg, and Antonia Pyk are the writers of the new Beck films, with Mårten Klingberg directing “Gunvald” and “Steinar” and Jörgen Bergmark directing “Vid vägs ände” and “Sista dagen.”
Beck is a production of Filmlance International, in cooperation with TV 4 and C More.
Stay tuned for updates about if and when the new films will premiere in the UK and US.
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