Three years ago came the release of “Polar,” a Jonas Akerlund-directed film adaptation of the acclaimed Víctor Santos comic of the same name.
Beloved actor Mads Mikkelsen starred as hitman Duncan Vizla, an aging assassin on the verge of retirement who is targeted by his employer who wants to cash in on his pension. Vanessa Hudgens, Katheryn Winnick, Matt Lucas, Johnny Knoxville and Richard Dreyfuss co-starred.
The film premiered as a Netflix exclusive in January 2019, bypassing cinemas and disappearing quickly. Reviews were terrible with the movie scoring just 19% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Now though, Mikkelsen and Akerlund are returning in the same capacities for a follow-up titled “The Black Kaiser” which will once again be based on the Santos comic. In this outing, Vizla uncovers a deadly conspiracy protecting a powerful syndicate of killers, and becomes their number one target.
Constantin Film and JB Pictures are backing the film with this serving as a “new take” as opposed to a “sequel or a prequel” to the prior film – meaning it’s likely standalone and won’t require having seen “Polar”. The comics consist of five volumes numbered 0-4, with this adapting Vol. 0 whilst “Polar” adapted Vol. 1.
Mikkelsen and Jayson Rothwell co-wrote the script while Robert Kulzer and Jeremy Bolt are producing.
Source: Screen Daily
