Tomas Alfredson's 'The Snowman' begins shoot with Michael Fassbender

Tomas Alfredson’s The Snowman started shooting yesterday (Jan 18) in Oslo, produced by Working Title for Universal.

Universal has dated the release for October 13, 2017.

The film is the hotly anticipated adaptation of Jo Nesbo’s bestselling novel.

Michael Fassbender plays Harry Hole, an idiosyncratic detective who investigates the murder of a woman who might be the target of a serial killer who strikes with the first snowfall of the year.

The cast also features Charlotte Gainsbourg and Rebecca Ferguson.

Working Title’s Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan produce alongside Robyn Slovo, and the Swedish producer is Piodor Gustafsson of Another Park Film. Working Title founders Bevan and Fellner acquired the rights to Nesbø’s bestseller in 2011.

In addition to Oslo, the film will also shoot in Bergen and Rjukan (west of Oslo).

NRK reports that the film assembles the largest crew ever in Oslo, of 150 crew and more than 1,700 extras.

As expected, The Snowman becomes the first major international film to benefit from Norway’s new tax incentive confirmed earlier this month, enabling producers to deduct up to 25% of the production expenditure occurred in the country. The City of Oslo is also backing the production, and the production has been assisted by the Norwegian Film Commission.

Executive producers are Nesbø, Niclas Salomonsson, Martin Scorsese, Alfredson, Liza Chasin and Amelia Granger.

Alfredson’s credits include Let The Right One In and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, also for Working Title.

The Snowman marks Working Title’s second big foray into Scandinavia recently after partly shooting The Danish Girl in Copenhagen, with backing from the Copenhagen Film Fund.