Charlie Plummer (
"The Long Walk"),
Stephen Graham (
"Adolescence"),
Toni Collette (
"Little Miss Sunshine"),
Isabela Merced (
"The Last of Us"),
Maisy Stella (
"My Old Ass") and
Anthony Hopkins (
"The Father") have signed on to star in the upcoming biographical drama
"Ibelin" based on the true story of disabled Norwegian gamer
Mats Steen. The film hails from L.A. and Paris-based Vendôme Pictures, the studio behind Oscar Best Picture winner
"Coda", and Pathé.
The film is directed by Oscar-nominated helmer
Morten Tyldum (
"The Imitation Game") from a script by BAFTA nominee
Ilaria Bernardini (
"Citadel: Diana"), with current revisions by Oscar nominee
Hossein Amini (
"Drive",
"The Wings of a Dove") based on the blog
"Musings of Life" which Steen wrote until shortly before his death at the age of 25 in 2014. Filming is expected to begin in Europe in Spring/Summer 2026.
Born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), which gradually saw him lose control of his limbs, Steen connected with the outside world through the gaming world, where he was admired by thousands for his humor, kindness, and courage. Behind the screen, he was living with a degenerative muscular disease that slowly took away his body, but never his spirit. At home, his loving family feared he was withdrawing from the world, but they would later discover that quite the opposite was happening. The film takes its title from Steen's
"World of Warcraft" online alter ego 'Ibelin'.
Vendôme Pictures'
Philippe Rousselet and
Fabrice Gianfermi are producing alongside
Jérôme Seydoux at Pathé and Tyldum and
Guri Neby for Neby-Tyldum AS. Vendôme and Pathé are financing the film.
Sarah Finn (
"Everything Everywhere All at Once") is the casting director and serves as an executive producer. Black Bear is representing international sales rights and will be introducing to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market. CAA Media Finance represents the domestic rights.
Here's what Rousselet had to say about the project:
"Ibelin is a sensational story which will be told by a remarkable group of storytellers, first and foremost, Morten, who has a rare ability to evoke emotions with films like The Imitation Game and epics such as Passengers and Silo. We have assembled a formidable cast, and with our frequent collaborators at Pathé, and the team at Black Bear, are confident this will be a film that will resonate with buyers and audiences everywhere".
