Ingmar Bergman Movie Starring Robert Gustafsson In Works From SF Studios – Cannes

An Ingmar Bergman movie is in the works from SF Studios, with Robert Gustafsson (The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared) playing the celebrated Swedish auteur.

The as-yet-untitled movie, revealed on day three of Cannes, is a political thriller set during the Swedish election year of 1976, when Bergman is arrested by the police suspected of serious tax evasion in the midst of the receptions for Strindberg’s The Dance of Death at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. The personal catastrophe quickly becomes a reality for Bergman, as does the mental breakdown, and the director finds himself in a Kafkaesque state, where culture is ultimately pitted against politics, with Bergman on one side and the political establishment on the other.

More from Deadline

Bergman, who died in 2007, is one of Sweden’s best known directors, with famous works including The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries and Fanny and Alexander. Gustafsson is best known for playing Allan Karlsson in the Oscar-nominated 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, which is one of Sweden’s top-grossing movies of all time.

SF has acquired the Nordic distribution rights to the film with principal shooting by Beret Film planned for 2025.

“We’re not very good at telling our own story as a nation in Sweden—about who we were and what has shaped us,” said Yaba Holst, Head of Nordic Acquisition, SF Studios. “The events of that time, when the welfare state burst in its own excellence and a world-renowned cultural figure became as vulnerable as a thief in jail, make for a surprisingly suspenseful and captivating tale. We’re excited to share this historical gem with the moviegoing public.”

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.