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The English language rights to the Danish film “Another Round” have been acquired by Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way and is being eyed as a star vehicle for the actor.
One day after Thomas Vinterberg’s drama about a group of school teacher friends who decide to experiment with the idea that life could be improved by maintaining a constant state of mild drunkenness won the Academy Award for Best International Feature, the remake rights have officially been acquired.
DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson’s company won the rights in an auction for a remake, following the film’s premiere at TIFF. Jake Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker’s Nine Stories and Elizabeth Banks through Universal Pictures also reportedly showed interest in acquiring the rights. The auction was in the works for two weeks prior to Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, but was only now finalized.
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Vinterberg, who co-wrote the script with Tobias Lindholm, was reportedly intrigued by the idea of seeing DiCaprio take on the lead role of school teacher Martin, originated by Mads Mikkelsen.
Vinterberg seemed to brush off the idea of DiCaprio taking on the role, telling IndieWire, “This is all new to me. So I’ll discuss this with them, and we’ll see.”
While news of DiCaprio taking on the part was met with mixed reaction, it wasn’t a big deal to Vinterberg.
“I’ve seen various interpretations of my work before,” he said. “It’s an interesting artistic thing to see something grow into different versions. Now it’s in the hands of the finest actor you can get and besides being a brilliant actor, he’s made very intelligent choices throughout his career. I feel there’s a lot of integrity in the choices he’s made. I’m full of hope and curiosity about what they’re up to.”
And as for those who suggested that Mikkelsen, who speaks English, should have the part, he continued, “I’ll leave those kind of decisions to Appian Way and the dialogue I’ll have with them. I don’t know if Mads would do such a thing. My first thought would be to make a different interpretation. Asking the same actor to do a different interpretation could be a little bit confusing. But I won’t be the main creative force in this. That would have to be up to the people who end up doing it.”
See more reaction to the news below:
There’s no rhyme or reason to remake ANOTHER ROUND. The film is accessible af. It’s literally right on Hulu. International films have a greater reach than ever before in America because of growing interest in world cinema in audiences. We don’t need a fucking American remake. https://t.co/ACvj0fRDfS
— Rendy Jones (@Rendy_Jones) April 26, 2021
The end of Leonardo DiCaprio’s English-language #AnotherRound: https://t.co/m43m5fYyQY
What the hell just watch Vinterberg’s movie… it won an Oscar for a reason. pic.twitter.com/Ex3blj0jOe
— Zack Sharf (@ZSharf) April 26, 2021
When I hear they’re doing an American remake of Another Round: pic.twitter.com/o7qy9KMiFR
— Alan Sepinwall (@sepinwall) April 26, 2021
this is literally the worst news possible. don’t touch another round, it’s damn near perfect
— benjamin (@kersey_benjamin) April 26, 2021
Know what, I will allow it if the friend group is filled out exclusively with other members of the Pussy Posse https://t.co/ZkuNm8ey1b
— Alison Willmore (@alisonwillmore) April 26, 2021
A writer and director for the project have not been announced yet.
“Another Round” won several awards including the BAFTA for Best Film Not In The English Language, as well as several other top prizes from film critics’ circles. Vinterberg was also nominated for Best Director at the Oscars.
RELATED: Thomas Vinterberg Dedicates His ‘Another Round’ Oscar Win To His Late Daughter In An Emotional Speech
Accepting the Academy Award for Best International Feature, Vinterberg said the movie was “about letting control of life as I lost control of my own.” Four days after production began, his 19-year-old daughter Ida was killed by a distracted driver.
“Ida, this is a miracle that just happened, and you’re a part of this miracle. Maybe you’ve been pulling some strings somewhere. This one’s for you,” he said in his Oscars speech, dedicating the win to her memory.