During last year’s awards season, we were gifted with Bong Joon-ho’s magnificence in so many ways, in so many speeches. One of the best moments was when he lectured American audiences: “Once you overcome the one inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” This was a running theme for Bong as he swept the major awards and called English-speaking Western audiences idiots for not being able to watch foreign films with subtitles. Apparently, Oscar winner Thomas Vinterberg does not feel the same way. Danish director Vinterberg won the Best International Film Oscar for Another Round, the Danish-language film about friendship, day-drinking and alcoholism. Soon after Vinterberg picked up his Oscar, he made a deal to executive produce an English-language remake of his film. It will probably star Leonardo DiCaprio, likely in the role played by Mads Mikkelsen in the Danish film.
Fresh off its Oscar win for best international feature film, “Another Round” is getting the Hollywood treatment. The Danish dramedy about four friends who engage in an epic drinking binge will be remade in English.
Leonardo DiCaprio is being eyed to star in the film in the role originated by Mads Mikkelsen, but there’s no formal deal in place. DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way acquired rights following a bidding war that reportedly involved Jake Gyllenhaal’s production company Nine Stories, as well as Elizabeth Banks.
Thomas Vinterberg, who landed a surprise Oscar nomination for directing the Danish film, will executive produce the remake, along with Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Kasper Dissing. Vinterberg also co-wrote “Another Round” with Tobias Lindholm. However, he won’t be directing or writing the upcoming version. Endeavor Content and Makeready are financing the English-language movie.
“Another Round” centers on four friends who consume booze on a daily basis to test a theory that maintaining a certain blood alcohol content level inspires creativity and affects their daily lives. Along with Mikkelsen, the cast included Danish actors Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang and Lars Ranthe.
While I’m sure not many people were watching this year’s Oscars, those of us who were paying attention were far more likely to watch the original Danish movie following Vinterberg’s Oscar win. But whatever, Bong Joon-ho will be so disappointed. Leo and his boys are going to turn this into an artsy version of The Hangover OR some kind of bros-only, no-speaking-roles-for-women super-dark drama. Are they going to call the English-language version Another Round? Or will they just call it P-ssy Posse: Rise of the Wolfpack?
Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.
He’s such a bro. Please explain again why people like him?
Imagine Leo doing the Mads Mikkelsen dance at the end lmaoooo. I still remember his moves from Coachella.
Mads’s dance at the end is epic.
Mads was a professional dancer before he was an actor.
We do not need this.
We certainly do not need Leo in the same role as the far superior in every way Mads.
Dance, Mads, dance!
Sit down, Leo.
Oh, I so agree with you!
Mads dancing at the end was just so heart-breakingly beautiful. So poignant!
I don’t want to have some bro remake floating around out there.
Why can’t it have Mads Mikkelsen? He’s certainly been in American/English movies before. Is it because then it would be too obvious that the remake isn’t necessary and people can just watch the Danish movie?
(I will say though that a positive side effect of Amazon and Netflix, as told to me by my mom’s friends, who are all over 70, is that it makes it easier for them to watch TV because they can put the subtitles on. My parents have no hearing issues really and they do this, especially with British shows, my mom says she has trouble distinguishing accents as she’s getting older, and the subtitles help. I think its cool because it means they’re watching some shows they probably wouldn’t have otherwise. Maybe that will eventually spill over to foreign language films.)
THIS and THIS!!!!
Why can’t Mads play Mads in English, if an English version is really necessary.
And I also put the captions / subtitles on for almost everything I stream on Roku, even if it’s in English. I just say “Captions on” and I’ve got ’em. I can’t understand half of what is said. It really came in handy during fantasy shows in English, like Game of Thrones, when I have no idea what the characters names are or half of the fantasy / sci fi stuff they’re spewing.
one of my biggest gripes is that Netflix doesn’t allow you to turn off dubbing from a foreign show/movie and just rely on subtitles. I can’t tell you how many shows look like they may be interesting but the dubbing is a distraction (turning the sound off really isn’t an option b/c score & background sounds plus the tone the actor uses when speaking matters when you’re a hearing person and used to those cues)
Yes, I hate this, sometimes it can work but sometimes its just bad. I was watching Cable Girls on Netflix and had to stop bc the dubbing was so bad. I would have preferred subtitles. (which I know you can add, but I actually like hearing the original language.)
We have gotten used to it and it has opened up our choices. We watched Luther in French with English subtitles because I speak French but my husband doesn’t. We got used to the subtitles so now we’re watching this awesome Brazilian show called 3% in Portuguese.
No opinion here except to say Mads Mikkelsen is my celeb crush.
NO.
Gosh Mads is handsome.
This remake is so unnecessary.
If it just won an Oscar why is he trying to remake it and women will flock to it and dudes. Please don’t add thirsty Pitt to it.
Or people could just….I don’t know….WATCH A FOREIGN FILM! Jesus people. If Leo is such a film guy and an “actor’s actor” like he claims, you think you would be secure enough to say “hey, check out this amazing foreign film, the acting is incredible”. There’s lots of room for people from different genres in the game.
I mean, his first mistake is trying to follow up Mads Mikkelsen lol. Dude is just an incredible actor who turns in amazing performances without breaking a sweat. Nothing like the forced, manic energy of Leo’s performance in “Wolf on Wall Street.” (How is that movie so well rated, by the way? Every time I watch scenes from it, the performances are just borderline farcical.)
Also, I look at Leonardo DiCaprio these days and just see all the years of cocaine and partying written all over his face. LOL, just try to imagine for a moment an actress getting lead roles letting herself go the way he has. He’s borderline “picture that on top of you” territory these days when you add his personality to the equation.
Hubris. Leo is about to embarass himself.
Americans are always remaking classics, which were done to perfection already. And the language barrier is not the only excuse Americans have for doing the remakes. Case in point: The Office. I personally feel its unnecessary and kinda xenophobic.
PS: Im French-American, which is why I’m comfortable poking fun at my fellow Americans. Plus, I will put subtitles on regardless of the language the movie is in.
How can you shrink your film experience by not putting on subtitles and watching masterpieces that were done with pure love of cinema. Instead of overpriced over produced american movie.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! I’ve loved foreign films for years and had a legit MELTDOWN when I saw Parasite in theatres. You could attempt to remake it in the US but it would seriously miss the massive cultural differences between the US and South Korea. That difference is what helps make that movie so insane and perfect.