Crime thriller writer Jo Nesbø is a famous Norwegian writer whose works have been adapted as either movies or TV shows. From The Snowman (2017), The Hanging Sun, and The Headhunters, it is clear that Nesbø’s works are worth adapting. The next book from Nesbø’s roster will be the recently announced movie adaptation of Blood on Snow, a crime thriller filled with suspense and gang wars comparable to a 1940s American noir novel set in Oslo, Norway.
The Cast
With no release date confirmed, Deadline (an extremely reliable source) announced the stars and director set to be part of the movie production. Both famous actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson (unrelated to Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tom Hardy (not to be confused with football player Tom Brady) are set to star as the lead and supporting role respectfully.
Tom Hardy has acted as a motorcycle club president (Bikeriders), a raging prisoner (Bronson), and an early 1900’s British gang member (Peaky Blinders). He’s famously known for playing Eddie Brock in the Venom franchise. Having played these roles and more, Hardy will easily assimilate as the Fisherman, a gang leader in Blood on Snow who fights for control of the Oslo territory.
Opposing the Fisherman is Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Olav, a successful hitman under the employment of gang leader Hoffman, who orders Olav to kill his wife, Corina Hoffman. You may know Johnson from Bullet Train, Nocturnal Animals, and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter. He also played in Avengers: Age of Ultron as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver.
The article also announced that filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga will direct the movie. He directed the last iteration of the latest Danial Craig’s Bond franchise, No Time to Die, True Detective’s first episode: The Long Bright Dark, and 2011’s Jane Eyre.
Movie’s Premise
Following the book, the movie’s premise follows Olav, a hitman for gang leader Hoffman as a ruthless killer seemingly without a sense of morality. In a kill-or-be-killed underworld of Oslo filled with gun wars between two rivaling gangs, there is no room for sentiment.
As written by Deadline, the synopsis for the movie states:
Hoffman’s trusted hitman, Olav (Johnson), is a cold, efficient killer, perfect for the job. But beneath his ruthless exterior lies an unexpected intelligence and an unwavering moral code shaped by a complicated childhood…When Hoffman orders his own wife to be murdered, Olav’s principles clash with his loyalties. Instead of pulling the trigger, he hatches a scheme that makes him Hoffman’s next target and with nowhere safe to turn, Olav forms an uneasy alliance that places him at the heart of Oslo’s deadly gang war. Once a violent enforcer, Olav’s choice makes him an unlikely hero in a world where no good deed goes unpunished.
Blood on Snow Reviews
A book has to have high praise or something noteworthy to be considered watchable for the big screen. Since its publication in 2014, there have been positive reviews of the book such as:
Wow! Unbelievably good. Stunning. I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed this book.
Author David Putman, Goodreads reviewer
A surprisingly satisfying tale of a hitman with a human heart and the capacity to take risks out of love and an emerging sense of justice.
Michael, Goodreads reviewer
Not to be redundant, but I am so impressed by how much depth and characterization Nesbo is able to create in such a short work!
Brian, Goodreads reviewer
Based on the reviews alone, this crime thriller is more than fighting off gangsters. It’s about a man struggling to be more than a hitman, wondering what he could do other than kill people. What type of life could he live if he could escape Hoffman with his life intact?
With Olav going against his boss to protect Corina, who he slowly falls for, it’ll be hard for the hitman to make it out alive. Full of contradicting morals, we can bet that Aaron Taylor Joy will show audiences Olav’s strong-willed morality brought to life in Blood on Snow.
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