Mads Mikkelsen reacted to the news of Leonardo DiCaprio's English-language remake of Another Round. The Danish film starring Doctor Strange and Rogue One alum, Mads Mikkelsen, won Best International Feature at the Academy Awards last month and also earned its helmer, Thomas Vinterberg, a nod in the competitive Best Director category. The Monday after the Oscars, news broke that DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions won the rights to Another Round after an intense bidding war, with the 6-time Oscar-nominated actor likely starring in the English-language remake.
Also known as its original title, Druk (Danish for "binge drinking"), Another Round first premiered in 2020 to much acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival and then saw a resurgence in popularity after it started streaming on Hulu. The film follows four high school teachers in the midst of midlife crises who conduct an experiment based on psychiatrist Finn Skårderud's theory that humans are born with a blood alcohol level that is .05 percent too low. What begins as an enjoyable albeit noble experiment quickly turns catastrophic.
Now, in an interview with EW, Mikkelsen is reacting to the news of DiCaprio's remake of Another Round. Vinterberg and his Another Round co-writer, Tobias Lindholm, will serve as executive producers, though they will not be tapped to write or direct the English version. While Mikkelsen has some slight reservations about the remake, he is intrigued by the idea of the film being told from a different perspective, saying:
It's always tricky to make a remake but on the other hand I understand why. Because even though a lot of people might watch [the original], it's not that big. Having said that I have a hunch that a lot of Americans [have] watched this one. So it's going to be interesting, the remake. There are some cultural differences with alcohol from nation to nation, especially between Denmark and America. Everyone's always like, won't they approach it really differently in America? Maybe. Maybe not. I mean the film is about embracing life and re-finding your life. I think if they get that right, they can have some freedom with the alcohol.
News of DiCaprio’s Another Round remake was met with a mixed reaction online, based on the notion that Hollywood remakes of foreign films are generally not up to par with the original. Vinterberg himself said he is "full of hope and curiosity" about the remake, which is slightly surprising, considering Another Round is an incredibly personal film for him. During his Oscars acceptance speech, Vinterberg revealed his daughter was going to star in the film, but she was tragically killed in a car accident just days into production.
Mikkelsen makes an astute observation regarding the different drinking cultures in America and Denmark, which is why the film will be tricky to translate. He also points out how underneath all the copious consumption of alcohol, the film is really a life-affirming drama, which should be the main focus of Another Round's English-language remake.
Source: EW