Netflix announced today the feature film Against the Ice, directed by Peter Flinth, produced by Baltasar Kormákur, and starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Joe Cole.
Historical drama Against the Ice is a true story of friendship, love, and the power of companionship. It is based on Ejnar Mikkelsen’s book Two Against the Ice, which Emmy® Award nominee Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) and Joe Derrick adapted for this English-language film that stars Coster-Waldau and BAFTA nominee Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders).
In 1909, Denmark’s Alabama Expedition, led by Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), was attempting to disprove the United States’ claim to North Eastern Greenland — a claim rooted in the idea that Greenland was broken up into two different pieces of land.
Leaving the crew behind with the ship, Mikkelsen sleds across the ice with his inexperienced crew member, Iver Iversen (Joe Cole). The two men succeed in finding the proof that Greenland is one island, but returning to the ship takes longer and is much harder than expected. Battling extreme hunger, fatigue and a polar bear attack, they finally arrive to find their ship crushed in the ice and the camp abandoned.
Hoping to be rescued, Mikkelsen and Iversen must fight to stay alive. As the days grow longer, their mental hold on reality starts to fade, breeding mistrust and paranoia — a dangerous mix in their fight for survival.
Directed by award-winning Danish director Peter Flinth (Wallander) and produced by acclaimed filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur and his Icelandic production company RVK Studios (Katla, Entrapped), the film features Charles Dance (The Crown) and Heida Reed (Poldark).
Said Nikolaj Coster-Waldau:
“Against the Ice has been a passion project for me from the very beginning. It combines a lot of themes that excite me: adventure, Greenland, companionship, loyalty and love. It is an intense exploration of two men, two opposites, trapped in an epic dangerous setting. It is also a story of living under extreme pressure and circumstances, of constant struggle for survival, fighting off threats of extreme cold, lack of food, hungry polar bears and not least the frailty of the human mind. Peter Flinth sent me the book ‘Two against the ice’ by Ejnar Mikkelsen. I read it, fell in love with it and started adapting it together with Joe Derrick. Together we set up our own banner: ill kippers. Against the Ice is our first project. Luck would have it that Netflix wanted to be the home for our film, which I will forever be grateful for. To be able to shoot this film with Peter Flinth directing and Baltasar Kormákur producing is and has been a dream scenario for me. I cannot wait to share Against the Ice with audiences everywhere.”
Added Baltasar Kormákur:
“It was an honor when [Netflix VP of International Film] David Kosse asked me to join the team of Against the Ice and take the helm as the lead producer. The true story of Mikkelsen and Iversen grabbed my attention from the get go. A story of friendship through survival in the worst possible conditions, told with humor. It was a welcomed challenge to take this on and shoot it in the Icelandic highlands and in Greenland. Putting together a great team of talent both above and below the line; a crew of awesome people that were up for the challenge and ready to make the most out of the conditions given the extreme circumstances this movie deserved to be shot in.”
Against the Ice will launch globally on Netflix in 2021 (date tba). You can set a reminder for it now on the film’s Netflix page at www.netflix.com/againsttheice.
Stay tuned for updates.
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