01/06/2012 - The Swedish director is preparing a new €20 million adaption of the book - first filmed in 1977 - with Swedish producer Peter Pjodor Gustafsson

Swedish director Tomas Alfredson (photo), who most recently made the award-winning John le Carré adaptation Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy [+see also:
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film profile] for UK's Working Title Films, is preparing a new €20 million adaption of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren's The Brothers Lionheart for Swedish producer Peter Pjodor Gustafsson. Lindgren's 1973 novel was first filmed by Swedish director Olle Hellbom in 1977.

Alfredsen and Gustafsson were both in Cannes, where - according to Sweden's DN - they were introducing the project to potential international partners. Alfredson has twice received the Guldbagge - Sweden's national film prize - for Four Shades of Brown (2004) and Let the Right One In [+see also:
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interview: Tomas Alfredson
film profile] (2008). Originally a producer, Gustafsson has been a commissioning editor at the Swedish Film Institute, is now working in acquisitions for Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

Let the Right One In writer John Ajvide Lindqvist will script Lindgren's novel about two young brothers, Karl and Jonatan Lion; Karl is dying from tuberculosis, but Jonatan comforts him - after death they will meet in the country of Nangijala. Jonatan dies first in a fire, however, Karl follows, and in Nangijala they join the resistance against the Black Knight Tengil who rules with the help of Katla, the dragon.

The Brothers Lionheart was Hellbom's 16th Lindgren adaption; Ingmar Bergman was initially interested in filming it, but Lindgren was faithful and insisted on Hellbom. The SF-Artfilm production went far over budget and schedule, and the censors gave it an 11 rating. Still, it took 550,000 admissions domestically, and it became one of the biggest successes of Swedish cinema - it was the first Swedish film to be purchased for Chinese distribution. Swedish critics named it Best Swedish Film 1977.