After The King’s Choice and Utøya-July 22, Poppe will continue to explore the frailty of democracy with the first ever biopic about Nazi collaborator and traitor Vidkun Quisling.

The major Norwegian feature project written by Ravn Lanesskog (Amundsen, The Last King) was just granted NOK 18 million in production support from the Norwegian Film Institute.

Quisling who headed a puppet government in Norway during the country’s German occupation from 1942-1945, until his execution on October 24, 1945, was such a notorious collaborator that his name remains a synonym for traitor. The film will focus on Quisling’s final hours, as he sits in his dark cell at Akerhus Fortress and must be held accountable for his actions and crimes committed in the name of Nazi ideology.

“Telling this dramatic chapter in our history is a mission we take very seriously, and we believe cinema is the best way to tell it,” said producer Finn Gjerdrum, co-founder of Paradox with Poppe and Stein B. Kvae. “It was an intense psychological drama and a thriller that unfolded these days in 1945. The parallels to what created and drove Quisling and forces in our present time are frightening”, observed the producer.

The Norwegian Film Institute’s Feature Film Commissioner Asle Vatn said Poppe’s third film in his trilogy about “a fragile democracy”, will focus on the abuser's thoughts and motives. “The strong script is based on thorough research, previously unknown and unique sources. Quisling continues to provoke debate 75 years after his death both in Norway and internationally. I have great faith that this project will be able to attract audiences to the cinemas, and open up public debate,” said Vatn.

Gjerdrum told nordicfilmandtvnews.com that around 80% of the financing is in place. He is currently working with co-producers in Europe and the Nordics to secure the rest of the NOK 50,692,500 (€5m) budget.

Cast and crew will be revealed closer to start of principal photography, set for November 2021. Paradox’s owner SF Studios will handle distribution in the Nordics.

In its last round of production support, the Norwegian Film Institute also allocated NOK1.5 million to the Swedish/Norwegian co-production Mini-Zlatan and Uncle Darling, to be directed by Christian Lo (Los Bando) for Snowcloud Films and Filmbin, as well as NOK 2 million to the drama Kalak by Isabella Eklöf (Holiday), co-produced by Denmark’s Manna Film, Sweden’s Momento Film and Norway’s Mer Film.