Långfilmsutvekling

"Noll" is a feature film script that was written by myself with help from my partner in Strange Orbit Films, Adam Benn. The script is complete and is imagined as the first film in a trilogy.

The project was inspired by the zombie genre, specifically the book (not the film) World War Z. I really liked some of the realism of WW Z but for me, the commitment to realism in the zombie genre always falls apart with the whole "undead" thing. I set out to create a universe of a totally plausible zombie pandemic.

"Noll" or "Zero" (as in patient zero, ground zero, etc.) is the story I came up with. The script was written pre-covid pandemic btw. It has had many rewrites and a 3-day long workshop reading process with local actors from Dalarna, many of whom are known by Film i Dalarna! It's a small world.

The story begins 1000 years ago when a female Viking tribal elder "Old Mother" weaponises her granddaughter (the men of the village are all at sea) to help defend the village against a band of enemies. Old Mother uses a psychedelic fungus to transform her teenage granddaughter into a berserker.

In this story berserkers are super strong, controlled by blind rage, and difficult to kill as they cannot bleed. They appear dead or "undead" but are not. This first sequence lasts about 10 minutes and establishes the fungus and how it operates (highly contagious, etc.).

Then we fast forward 1000 years to present-day Sweden where Thomas Holm, a senior inspector for the Swedish Mining inspectorate is living out a dull middle-aged life. He has been passed over for a major promotion and his marriage is failing. He is sent to inspect a possible archaeological find at a new mining site and discovers the fungus which slowly transforms him into a berserker. There are subplots of Thomas's personal life and the government's attempt to contain the fungus and develop it as a bio-weapon.

The script probably needs another rewrite or two but I would say it is very close to "lock". I am currently having some key art developed by a graphic illustrator. There is an ongoing conversation about possible future development/spin-offs as graphic novels.

I'm applying for funds to further develop the script, production design, and key art. I will direct the film and it will be shot in Sweden with some virtual stage work done in NY unless we can get a comparable virtual stage here. The film will also use a majority of Swedish actors and we will shoot it in Swedish accented English.