Tordenskjold gets ready for another €9.3 million battle with the Swedes

by Jorn Rossing Jensen

26/04/2012 - Ever stroke a Danish match? The box was certainly adorned by a portrait of Norwegian 18th century nobleman and naval officer Peter Wessel Tordenskjold, celebrated both in Denmark and Norway, and now to become the hero of a €9.3 million historical drama.

Norwegian veteran producer John M. Jacobsen, who most recently signed André Øvredal’s The Troll Hunter [trailer, film focus] (2010), is currently concluding the financing of the production with Denmark’s Zentropa Entertainments, which will be filmed by Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (pictured), of Headhunters [trailer] fame.

Jacobsen, Peter Aalbæk Jensen, Sveinung Golimo and Marie Gade will produce the feature with a Norwegian actor in the title role, and 80% Danish dialogue, from a script by Mikael Olsen and Gert Duve Skovlund. It will shoot in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Germany, most likely from next summer.

Tordenskjold served during the Great Northern War (1700-1721), when Denmark-Norway, Saxony, Poland-Lithuania and Russia attacked the Swedish Empire, which was ultimately defeated. His greatest achievement was when, in 1716, his light force destroyed the supply fleet of the Swedish King Karl XII at the Battle of Dynekilden.

Born in Trondheim, Norway (which was then a tributary to Denmark), Tordenskjold went to Copenhagen when he was 13, and was employed by the Royal Danish-Norwegian Navy. He rose to the rank of Vice Admiral, was ennobled by King Frederik IV in 1716, and killed in a duel by swords at Hildesheim in 1720, aged 29.