Cary Fukunaga's Blood on Snow, starring Tom Hardy and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is set to begin filming this fall — World of Reel

I was wondering what was happening with Cary Fukunaga's '77 Blackout', which was supposed to star Tom Hardy and Mahershala Ali. It seems Fukunaga has put that project on hold and now wants to make another film with Hardy.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson will join Hardy and Fukunaga in the crime adaptation by Jo Nesbo. The film is called “Blood On Snow” and is Deadline describes it as “the biggest pre-sale title at TIFF.” Nesbø is writing the screenplay, which is based on his bestselling novel of the same name.

Set in Oslo in the 1970s, the story is about two rival gang leaders fighting for control of their territory. Production is set to begin this fall, so a theatrical release for the film is likely planned for 2025. The synopsis reads:

Hoffman (Hardy) has a trusted assassin, Olav (Johnson). He's a cold-blooded, efficient killer, perfect for the job. But behind his ruthless facade lies an unexpected intelligence and an unshakable moral code shaped by a complicated childhood… When Hoffman orders the murder of his own wife, Olav's principles clash with his loyalty. Rather than pull the trigger, he hatches a plan that makes him Hoffman's next target. With nowhere safe to turn, Olav forms an uneasy alliance that puts him at the center of Oslo's deadly gang war. Once a violent enforcer, Olav's decision makes him an unlikely hero in a world where no good deed goes unpunished.

Several of his novels have been made into films, including Headhunters and The Snowman. This is his first foray as a screenwriter, although he has also written three television series, all produced in Norway, including the upcoming Leonard Cohen biopic So Long, Marianne.

This will also be an interesting opportunity for Fukunaga to test the waters, so to speak. Especially after the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior three years ago, which he has vehemently denied.

In 2021, he was accused of pressuring an actress to do a topless scene for “True Detective” that she said was not part of her contractual role as a stripper. This opened the floodgates against Fukunaga.

Months later, in April and May 2022, three women accused Fukunaga of various forms of sexual harassment, including “pursuing relationships with them” on the set of Apple TV's “Masters of Air.” Then, on May 31, 2022, Rolling Stone added new allegations via “nearly a dozen sources” that Fukunaga had harassed younger women on set.

This all happened as Fukunaga was releasing his final film, 2021's James Bond finale, No Time to Die. Before these allegations, Fukanaga broke out with his high-wire, stylistic direction in the first season of True Detective. He also directed the critically acclaimed Beasts of No Nation and a popular Netflix series (Manic).