John Lydon goes Norwegian in Sons Of Norway

John Lydon, the former Sex Pistols frontman, is going Norwegian.

Lydon plays a cameo role as himself is Jens Liens’ Norwegian drama Sons Of Norway. Lydon has also given permission for several anthems from The Sex Pistols’ Never Mind The Bollocks to be used on the soundtrack. These include God Save The Queen, Pretty Vacant, Liar and Anarchy In The UK. Lydon will also have an executive producer credit on the film.

Sons Of Norway, scripted by Nikolak Frobenius from his partly autobiographical novel Teori & Praksis, is billed as “an energetic film about revolt, punk rock, suburban hell and the eternal struggle between freaks and punks”. Sales are handled by Films Distribution. The film is produced by Asle Vatn and Christian Fredrik Martin for Friland AS.

Here in Cannes, another film from Friland has been kicking up a stir in the market - Morten Tyldum’s Headhunters (sold by TrustNordisk). The Jo Nesbo adaptation, screening in the market, has sold widely. Magnolia took US rights during the Berlinale.

Meanwhile, Friland is also behind Pioneer, the new film from Erik Skjoldbjærg, director of the original Insomnia. Pioneer is a €5m conspiracy thriller set at the beginning of the Norwegian oil rush. This is likely to be made as a co-production with Pandora.