When it was revealed in February of this year that Smiley's People, the sequel to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, wouldn't be starting production until 2014, it opened a gap in director Tomas Alfredson's schedule. And it was not just any gap - it was a gap that would allow him to move forward on the fantasy feature The Brothers Lionheart.
Swedish website MovieZine (via The Playlist) has confirmed that the Astrid Lindgren adaptation will be the next film on the slate for the Let The Right One In director. For those unfamiliar with the children's books, the plot follows two brothers who go on adventures in the afterlife. The material is best known for the way it approaches dark themes with such young characters. The source says that the movie "will become the most expensive movie ever made in Scandinavia," working with a budget of $50 million (which, by comparison, is about one quarter the budget of The Avengers). Production is planned to start this summer with Alfredson reteaming with Director of Photography Hoyte van Hoytema, who made headlines recently having been selected as Christopher Nolan's replacement for the Oscar-winning Wally Pfister on the sci-fi pic Interstellar.
The book was previously adapted by director Olle Hellbom in 1977, who directed an all-Swedish language version of the story. Alfredson will be directing his version in English as to appeal to a wider global audience. The site says that the movie will be in theaters for Christmas 2014, but that's likely the theatrical date in Sweden rather than here in the United States.
