Jeremy Strong already has two buzzy upcoming projects: starring as Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin‘s “The Social Reckoning,” in theaters on October 9, and a starring role in Netflix‘s limited series adaptation of “The Boys From Brazil.” But here comes another exciting film that actor will lead, the English-language debut of Swedish director Magnus von Horn.
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Strong will star in von Horn’s “The Passenger,” an adaptation of Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz‘s 1938 novel of the same name. Centered around the infamous November 1938 pogroms in Berlin, known historically as Kristallnacht, or the Night Of Broken Glass, the film follows businessman Otto Silbermann’s doomed quest to flee the German capital by train. Long considered one of the seminal literary works about life in Nazi Germany, Boschwitz’s novel has never been adapted for the big screen until now. Von Horn adapts the novel for the film’s screenplay with Aleko Gotscheff.
Here’s a press statement from von Horn on “The Passenger”: “I keep being struck by how history repeats itself. Boschwitz wrote The Passenger as a 23-year-old refugee in 1938, he didn’t have the luxury of hindsight, and neither does Otto Silbermann, who moves through Germany over four days believing the next train, the next acquaintance, the next bank counter will return him to the life he knew. I want to make a film about that exact moment, the moment before someone admits the world has changed. I see it everywhere now: in headlines, in negotiations, in the rooms of people I love. We are extraordinary at staying.”
Jan Krueger and Rosh Khodabakhsh produce “The Passenger” via Port au Prince Films, as does Mariusz Wlodarski via Lava Films. Martina Valentina Baumgartner is also on board as executive producer. FilmNation co-finances the film, and will launch sales for the project at the Cannes Market next month.
As noted earlier, “The Passenger” will be von Horn’s English-language debut and the fourth feature film of his career. His previous film, 2024’s “The Girl With The Needle,” was his breakout: a favorite at Cannes that year, and an Oscar nominee for Best International Feature Film. Other films for the director include 2015’s “The Here After” and 2020’s “Sweat.”
Meanwhile, all eyes are on what Strong will bring to the role of Facebook founder Zuckerberg in “The Social Reckoning” this Fall. With its October 9 theatrical release date, it’s a safe bet Sorkin and Sony will want the film to get a buzzy festival world premiere: look at Venice as the most likely landing place for it.
Stay tuned for more details on “The Passenger” as they arrive.
