Ben McKenzie has had success on TV in the likes of The OC and Southland, but he hasn’t had much of an impact on the big screen. However now he’s signed on to star in The Swimmer, which Richard L. Fox is set to direct.
While McKenzie is American, it’s actually a Scandinavian funded film, with a script by Bard Ivar Engelsas, and will star two of Norway’s celebrated actors, Agnes Kittelsen and Kristoffer Joner.
The movie is about an American extreme swimmer (McKenzie) who embarks on a mission to conquer one of the wildest rivers in Norway – his personal Mt. Everest. But his journey proves that his true conquest is far more daunting than his swim; as he is faced to confront his inner demons and reconcile his past.
McKenzie commented, “It’s a modern story, but timeless as well. Bard’s script really captivated me: a tortured man risking it all in a battle against nature. It’s themes evoke the spirit of Hemingway and London, and I couldn’t be more excited to shoot in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, Norway.”
The actor won’t be on the set for a while yet, as it won’t start shooting in Northern Norway until June 2014. As considering the location and the fact McKenzie will be swimming, we hope he doesn’t mind the cold.