The Danish film Daniel is based on Puk Damgård’s best-selling novel The ISIS hostage: one man’s true story of 13 months in captivity, adapted for the screen by Anders Thomas Jensen.

Kebbell (Fantastic Four, Control, War Horse) will play US reporter James Foley who was held in captivity by Isis with more than 20 aid workers and other journalists, including Danish war photographer, Daniel Rye. Rye was freed in 2014, after 13 months of imprisonment, unlike Foley who was brutally murdered by the Islamic terrorist group in August 2014. The film focuses both on the hostages’ time in captivity and on Rye’s family in Denmark, as they raise money for a ransom and hold on to their hopes.

Esben Smed (A Fortunate Man, Follow the Money) plays Daniel Rye, and Anders W. Berthelsen (Italian for Beginners, Speedwalking) the security expert Arthur who had a pivotal role in Rye’s release. Berthelsen who had the idea for the film, is co-director and executive producer, together with main director Niels Arden Oplev.

Top crew just announced include DoP Eric Kress (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), production designer Knirke Madelung (Ride Upon the Storm), costume designer Stine Thaning (Borgen, The Day Will Come) and composer Johan Söderqvist (The Bridge, The King’s Choice). Filming started this month and continues until January 2019, between Trollhättan in Sweden, Aarhus in Denmark, Jordan and Canada.

The DKK 41m (€5.5m) film is produced by Morten Kaufmann and Signe Leick Jensen of Toolbox Film, in co-production with Sweden’s Cinenic Film, Norway’s Hummelfilm, Denmark’s Deluca Film, Film i Väst, in association with Oktober Oy, DR, SVT, YLE, the West Danish Fund, support from the Danish Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute, Norwegian Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Creative Europe and Eurimages.

Nordisk Film holds Scandinavian distribution rights. TrustNordisk is in charge of world sales.

The announcement was first published in Screendaily.