Amblin Sci-Fi Film ‘Distant’ Adds ‘Game Of Thrones’ Veteran Kristofer Hivju
Norwegian actorKristofer Hivju, who’s best known for playing the foul-mouthed, bear-bedding, giant-killing Wildling warrior Tormund Giantsbane in HBO’s epic fantasy seriesGame of Thrones, is heading to space in a new movie.
Hivju has joined the cast ofDistant, a science fiction film from Amblin Partners that hasAnthony Ramos(Hamilton, upcomingIn the Heights) andNaomi Scott(2019’sAladdin, 2017’sPower Rangers) on board in the lead roles. Learn more about the project below.
Deadline reports that Hivju is the latest addition to Amblin’sDistantcast, although there’s no word yet on who he’ll play. Here’s the synopsis for the movie:
Distanttells the story of an asteroid miner who, after crash-landing on an alien planet, must contend with the challenges of his new surroundings, while making his way across the harsh terrain to the only other survivor – a woman who is trapped in her escape pod.
With Ramos likely playing the asteroid miner and Naomi Scott likely playing the woman in the escape pod, could this mean that Hivju might be playing an alien? Or could he be part of another team that also crash-landed on the same planet?
It’s worth noting that Rachel Brosnahan, the star of Amazon’s award-winning comedy seriesThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, wasinitially announcedas part of the cast for this film, but it appears that Scott has since taken over in that key role, because there was no mention of her in Deadline’s new report. And speaking of changes, the movie was previously described as a “comedic” sci-fi film, but there’s also no mention of comedy in Deadline’s new description. Did they leave that detail out, or has a new draft from screenwriterSpenser Cohen(who also wrote Roland Emmerich’s upcoming sci-fi disaster movieMoonfall) excised the comedy and made the film more serious and straightforward?Blades of Glory,The Switch, andOffice Christmas PartydirectorsWill SpeckandJosh Gordonwill direct, so it’s probably a safe bet that the comedy elements have been retained.
While most audiences primarily know him from his multi-season arc onGame of Thronesor his appearance as a villain inThe Fate of the Furious, Hivju has actually appeared in several comedies in his career – most prominently, he played a supporting role inForce Majeure, the excellent 2014 Swedish film that was remade earlier this year into a film calledDownhill. (He also showed up inDownhillfor good measure.)
