‘So Long, Marianne’: Alex Wolff To Play Leonard Cohen As Crave Boards NRK Drama Series

NOTE: This article is a republication- Source: Deadline.com (by Jesse Whittock).

Alex Wolff (The Line, Hereditary, A Quiet Place: Day One) has been cast as legendary singer Leonard Cohen in So Long, Marianne, the NRK drama series we first revealed last year.

Thea Sofie Loch Næss (The Last Kingdom, Delete Me, A Storm For Christmas) will play Canadian musician Cohen’s muse Marianne Ihlen. Anna Torv (The Newsreader, The Last of Us, Mindhunter) has also been cast Charmian Clift and Noah Taylor (Preacher, Peaky Blinders, Game of Thrones) is George Johnston.

Wolff appeared opposite Nicholas Cage in indie flick Pig and has been cast in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Before that, he reteams with Pig filmmaker Michael Sarnoski on Paramount Pictures’ A Quiet Place: Day One alongside Lupita Nyong’o in 2024.

In further developments, Canadian streamer Crave has boarded So Long, Marianne, which began principal photography on March 24 and is shooting in multiple locations including the Greek island of Hydra, Oslo in Norway, and Montreal, Canada. NRK ordered the show last year. The UK’s Buccaneer Media (Marcella, Crime) and Dag and Lilyhammer writer Øystein Karlsen’s Oslo-based Redpoint Productions are co-producing, along with Connect3 Media in Canada.

Set in some of the most beautiful places during the 1960s, So Long, Marianne is billed as the “intimate tale of two, lonely people falling in love, during a period of their life when they are trying to figure out who they are and their place in the world, while one is becoming one of the most famous singers of all time.”

Series creator Øystein Karlsen from Redpoint said: “It feels like the way the world is right now, a series that celebrates life and love, with a core about finding your way in life, is needed more than ever.”

Marianne Furevold-Boland, Head of Drama, NRK said: “Øystein Karlsen has shown in his previous projects that he can create original dramas that are both exciting and emotional. We believe this project has the potential to become a timeless drama with a universal appeal — it is about life and the pursuit of happiness.”

“As Crave continues to expand its output of original content in both English and French, we’re excited to be part of this unique co-production opportunity and lean into the strengths of our international partners to deliver stories that translate, and resonate around the world,” said Justin Stockman, Vice-President, English Content Development & Programming at Bell Media.

James Durie, Head of Scripted, Cineflix Rights added: “So Long, Marianne must be one of the most iconic love stories of the last century. The events the series depicts, the beautiful locations in which it’s set and with an incredible cast, makes it a drama that will enthral audiences around the world, whether they know the story already or are coming to it fresh.”

Developed by Ingeborg Klyve (Exit) and Tony Wood (Irvine Welsh’s Crime, Marcella, Whitstable Pearl) and written for the screen by Øystein Karlsen (Dag, Lilyhammer, Exit, Whitstable Pearl), who is also amongst the Directors, and Jo Nesbø (Harry Hole, Kingdom, Headhunters), So Long, Marianne is co-produced by Letters From Leonard, Tanweer Productions, and Connect3.

The executive producers are Ales Ree for NRK, Richard Tulk-Hart and Tony Wood, Vegard Stenberg Eriksen and Ingeborg Klyve for Redpoint, Dionyssis Samiotis and Nancy Kokolaki for Tanweer, and André Barro and Pablo Salzman for Connect3. Cineflix Rights is distributing globally.

Wolff is repped by WME, Untitled and Definition Entertainment. Loch Næss is repped by Actors in Scandinavia, Independent Talent Group, Gallant Management, Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Torv is repped by United Management and WME and Taylor is repped by Lou Coulson Associates in London and Andrew Freedman in the U.S.

Karlsen is represented by Salomonsson Agency, WME and Range Media Partners.