It was just a couple of weeks ago when director Catherine Hardwicke hinted at her next movie saying, “I have another project that looks like it’s going to go first. It’s in Sweden and Germany, and it’s really wild. I can’t quite talk about it, but we’ll probably do the announcement in a couple of weeks.” Well, right on schedule, that news has arrived.
ScreenDaily (via ThompsonOnHollywood) reports that Hardwicke will go behind camera for the currently untitled biopic of the colorful Swedish boxer Bo “Bosse” Högberg. Noomi Rapace boarded the film last fall and it sounds promising. Högberg’s life is something of “Raging Bull”-esque legend. Coming from working-class roots, the pugilist was the subject of a book by Swedish author Lars Hesslind called, “Kontringen” (“Counter Attack”). Evidently the boxer won the light-middleweight title in 1966 at the age of 28 only to lose it three weeks later to Frenchman Yolande Leveque when he actually fought the match with a broken jaw. His story is full of romance, bouts with alcoholism and legal troubles that changed—somewhat—when he married singer Anita Lindblom. Noomi will play Anita and interestingly, her ex-husband Ola will take on the part of Bo — he’s been training for four years for the part so dude is gonna be ripped.
“It’s a very fun, very crazy story that goes back to more of my ‘Thirteen’ days. It’s more indie, raw and gritty, and it’s a true story,” Hardwicke also said earlier in the month and it sure sounds like it. We’re glad to see Hardwicke now firmly moved out of tentpole-land and back to doing something of real substance (sorry Twihards).
As for Rapace, it continues an interesting career path her breakout turn in ‘Dragon Tattoo’ has afforded her. She will be seen later this year in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” and next year in Ridley Scott‘s “Prometheus.” The Scandinavian production will shoot this fall, with a 2012 release date in the works.
