Mads Mikkelsen Reunites With ‘Polar’ Director Jonas Akerlund For Hitman Thriller ‘The Black Kaiser’, XYZ Commencing Sales In Cannes

Mads Mikkelsen will star in new action-thriller The Black Kaiser, based on the Dark Horse graphic novel Polar by Victor Santos.

The project reunites Mikkelsen with Swedish director Jonas Akerlund after the duo worked on Netflix’s 2019 film Polar. Akerlund directs from a script written by Jayson Rothwell and Mikkelsen.

In the story, Mikkelsen will play The Black Kaiser, the world’s most lethal hitman, who uncovers a deadly conspiracy protecting a powerful syndicate of killers and becomes their number one target.

Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer produce with XYZ Films exec producing with Martin Moszkowicz, Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg and Mikkelsen. XYZ is launching sales on the title at the Cannes market next week. Discussions with additional cast are currently underway.

The title is a Constantin Film/JB Pictures production in association with Dark Horse Entertainment.

“We are very excited to be working with the brilliant Mads Mikkelsen and the visionary Jonas Akerlund on what will be an explosive, action-packed, funny, unexpected and little insane and emotional journey,” said Bolt in a statement.

Mikkelsen is best known for his roles in Casino Royale and as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the TV series Hannibal. He’s also had roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Another Round and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore. He will next be seen in the upcoming fifth Indiana Jones film.

Akerlund’s credits include Lords Of Chaos, which premiered at Sundance in 2018, and Small Apartments, starring Matt Lucas, Billy Crystal, Johnny Knoxville and James Caan among others, and Jason Schwartzman starrer Spun. He recently directed Netflix limited series Clark.

Mikkelsen is repped by UTA and Art Management. Akerlund is repped by Anonymous Content and Casarotto Ramsay & Associates.