Netflix's Troll - What We Know So Far
When hearing that a new "Troll" movie is coming, people's thoughts turn to one of three things: "Trolls," as in the DreamWorks animated films based on the popular Good Luck Trolls with the up-combed hair which is expecting a "Trolls 3" soon; 2010's "Troll Hunters," a Norwegian mockumentary film, or — if you're old enough to remember it — the 1986 horror comedy "Troll," of which the protagonist's name is Harry Potter. Released a couple of years after filmmakers saw the success of "Gremlins," "Troll" was part of a group of mini-monster films released in the 80s that included "Ghoulies” and "Critters." Julia Louis-Dreyfus also made her film debut as neighbor turned-wood nymph Jeanette Cooper, which is probably one of the most notable things about "Troll."
Luckily, the new "Troll" movie coming is none of these. What it is, is the next project by internationally-acclaimed director Roar Uthaug. Best known for Norway's first disaster film "The Wave," and 2018's "Tomb Raider," "Troll" is a pet project from the Norwegian director that he's excited to finally bring to life. "'Troll' is an idea that has been developing in the back of my mind for over 20 years," he told Variety. "To finally be able to realize it with the enthusiastic and ambitious people at Netflix and Motion Blur is truly a dream come true. I can't wait to unleash this Norwegian monster on the world." Here's what we know about Uthaug and Netflix's upcoming "Troll" film.
What is the plot of Troll?
"Troll," with a screenplay written by Espen Aukan, is a fantasy thriller about a group of scientists and explorers who discover something has awakened in the Dovre mountains, and as it makes its way towards Norway's capital of Oslo, it's destroying everything in its way. All the group has to go on is a Norwegian folktale and a rhyme: "Made of earth and stones. A snowclad heart and icy bones. From darkness they rose. In sunlight they froze." The ending of the rhyme signifies that the group must figure out how to bring enough sunlight so the troll will freeze again. But how do you battle a creature that was believed to be only a myth?
The official teaser trailer shows the group searching around in a cave and exploring a giant footprint. There is also a scene involving a helicopter as members of the group search for a sign of the beast. A father and daughter are looking at notes when a giant eye opens behind them, and the troll starts to get up, ambling after them. A second teaser trailer shows two people climbing what they think is a mountain when two eyes open, revealing them to be climbing the troll instead.
Who is in the cast of Troll?
The film's cast is made up of some very famous Norwegian actors, such as Ine Marie Wilmann, who plays the lead role of Nora. The award-winning actress has starred in "Homesick," or "De nærmeste," and a biopic about Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie, "Sonja: The White Swan." In 2021 she began starring in the series "Furia," playing an undercover agent that is trying to infiltrate radical right-wing groups (via IMDb). When asked about "Troll," Wilmann told Film Rezensionen that "It's a very Nordic film, but in the vein of Hollywood blockbusters. After "Furia," this is already the second more action-oriented role of mine. Somehow that just seems to be my direction. But it's fun."
The rest of the main cast consists of Kim Falck as the prime minister's adviser, Andreas, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen as a Norwegian army captain, Kristoffer, and Gard Eidsvold as a former folklore professor and Nora's father, Tobias. Pål Richard Lunderby as Fisker, Pål Anders Nordvi as a specialist, Eric Vorenholt as an OPS officer, and Hugo Mikal Skår as a helicopter soldier captain round out the rest of the small cast (per Netflix).
When can we see Troll?
"Troll" is set to be released exclusively on Netflix on December 1, 2022, with a rating of TV-14. It's being produced by Espen Horn and Kristian Strand Sinkerud of Motion Blur, who also produced the 2020 Netflix film "Cadaver," a post-apocalyptic horror film. "We are thrilled to bring "Troll" to life, a Norwegian fairy tale figure, played, directed and produced by Norwegians for the global market," Horn and Sinkerud previously released in a statement. "We at Motion Blur are ecstatic to finally announce this collaboration with director Roar Uthaug and Netflix."
Netflix's Vice President of International Original Film, David Kosse, also initially commented, saying "We are incredibly proud to bring a Norwegian project of this scale to the world together with Roar Uthaug and Motion Blur. Roar is an extremely skilled filmmaker and I'm excited for him to go back to his Norwegian roots with this ambitious and fun film," (per Deadline). With the troll's design and stellar cast looking pretty intriguing, we're excited to see this new monster film.