Last summer, news that Netflix had commissioned an original film been based on the Eurovision Song Contest set many hearts racing. One year later and still without any official announcement from Netflix themselves, this is what we know so far.
Will Ferrell to play comedic lead role
Will Farrell was first linked to Eurovision when he made a shock appearance in Lisbon, during rehearsals for the 2018 contest. Swedish representative Benjamin Ingrosso managed to bag a selfie with the star, who we now know was in attendance for research purposes, during the movie’s pre-production stage.
The news of his presence soon spread to fans and the media, when he was spotted attending the first semi final. When speaking with French website 20minutes during his time in Lisbon, he revealed that his interest in the contest went as far back as 1999 when his Swedish wife first introduced him to the competition.
Since then, I continue to follow this music contest as I find it really interesting. It’s often eccentric and very original.
Multi award winner Ferrell, has starred in the likes of Anchorman, Step Brothers and is most well known for his lead role in festive favourite Elf.
Shortly after his stint in Lisbon, the news that Netflix had commissioned an original motion picture based on the contest began surfacing in the media. As well as taking the lead role, reports revealed that Ferrell would also serve as the film’s producer and script writer, alongside Andrew Steele.
Although plot details remain scarce, Deadline reported that the Netflix feature is a comedy and was approved by the streaming giant as a means to improve the company’s stance on original light hearted entertainment.
Rachel McAdams rumoured to play Icelander
In May, Deadline reported the news that Canadian actress Rachel McAdams had been cast for the movie. The 40 year old had previously worked alongside Ferrell in the 2005 movie Wedding Crashers.
Icelandic media have since revealed that both McAdams & Ferrell will play Icelanders. According to information obtained by broadcaster RÚV, the website report that many of the character names are plays on Icelandic names, including Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson.
The information obtained supposedly suggests that filming will take place in the North Icelandic town of Húsavík as well as in London.
It’s possible that the storyline could centre on the fact that Iceland are yet to win the competition following their debut entry in 1986.
Scenes filmed during 2019 contest in Tel-Aviv
With much of the film’s production taking place this year, it was inevitable that the production company would utilise this year’s contest in Tel Aviv to assist with filming.
During the dress rehearsals of this year’s shows, audience members were treated to an ensemble of performances, written especially for the motion picture. These performances were recorded and will more than likely feature in the film’s scenes.
Those present for the recording were told that the movie would be released later this year.
No official word from Netflix
Despite the movie almost certainly a given, Netflix are yet to release any official information on the project. This is not an unusual tactic however, with the majority of the company’s original titles only being announced a mere month or two before release.
