Tom Hardy and Aaron Taylor-Johnson collaborate with the James Bond director for a crime thriller

The adaptation of the film by Nesbø himself is scheduled to take place later this year. Further casting inquiries are expected to follow.

The book was first published in 2015 and is a first-person narrative by Olav Johansen (Taylor-Johnson).

According to the synopsis, Hardy plays gang leader Fisherman, while Taylor-Johnson plays Olav, a contract killer for rival gang leader Hoffman.

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It continues: “Hoffman's reliable assassin Olav (Johnson) is 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 loyalties. Rather than pull the trigger, he hatches a plan that will make him Hoffman's next target – and with nowhere safe to turn, Olav forms an uneasy alliance that puts him at the center of Oslo's deadly gang war.

“Olav was once a violent enforcer, but his decision makes him an unlikely hero in a world where no good deed goes unpunished.”

In addition to appearing in the film, Hardy also produces alongside Dean Baker for their production company Hardy Son & Baker, as well as alongside Fukunaga, Nesbø, Niclas Salomonsson and Hayden Lautenbach.

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Former James Bond director Fukunaga's role in the film will no doubt further fuel Bond rumors surrounding Aaron Taylor and Johnson, after reports earlier this year claimed he had been offered the role.

But the actor remained tight-lipped about the rumors. During the British premiere of The Fall Guy, Taylor-Johnson was asked AP Entertainment when he was tired of being asked about Bond, to which he replied: “Are you tired of being asked that question?”

When the reporter replied, “I want to know, so no,” Taylor-Johnson laughed before walking away and saying, “Well, have fun.”

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