Top 150 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2019: #42. The Jonsson Gang (Jönssonligan) – Tomas Alfredson

The Jonsson Gang (Jönssonligan)

Director Tomas Alfredson returns to Sweden for the first time since his 2008 international breakout Let the Right One In with the reboot of a popular 1980s television series, which was itself a remake of a Danish television series. The feature of The Jonsson Gang (Jönssonligan) counts as a return to Alfredson’s roots in Swedish comedy and television, including his collaborations with the comedic group Killingganget, which resulted in the underrated (at least in the US) 2004 feature Four Shades of Brown. After the success of the vampire film Let the Right One In (which was remade in the US with 2010’s Let Me In), Alfredson made the celebrated John Le Carre adaptation Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in 2011, which resulted in Gary Oldman’s first Oscar nomination. Unfortunately, Alfredson’s 2017 Hollywood studio adaptation of Jo Nesbo’s Nordic noir The Snowman (starring Michael Fassbender and Charlotte Gainsbourg) was a major disappointment, so the return to native source material might be a welcome reprieve. The cast of his latest includes Henrik Dorsin, Anders Johansson, David Sundin, and Hedda Stiernstedt. Alfredson’s Four Shades of Brown competed in Rotterdam and Let the Right One In went to Goteburg for its premiere. 2011’s Tinker Tailor Solder Spy brought Alfredson to the Venice competition.

Gist: The Jonsson Gang is a comedy concerning a group of troubled criminals (including an alcoholic explosions expert) as they plan a heist.

Release Date/Prediction: Production has already begun on Alfredson’s latest with a Winter 2019 release, which means The Jonsson Gang would most likely be Alfredson’s second stint competing for the Golden Lion in Venice.