Leijonberg to direct Swedish remake of Ben X

Erik Leijonborg is to direct the Swedish remake of Belgian director Nic Balthazar’s award-winning feature debut Ben X.

Principal photography is set to start on 26 March in the Stockholm region. 

The producers of the Swedish make-over are Martin Söder and Tomas Bäckstrom for Eyeworks Sweden. Alex Haridi (Departure, Miss Kicki) adapted the original screenplay written by Balthazar.

Erik Leijonborg is the director of such features as Not Even The Past (2011) and Brothers - The Return (2007), as well as a string of hit TV series in Sweden. 

Balthazar’s second feature, Time Of My Life (sold by Films Distribution), receives its international market première this Saturday at the EFM in Berlin.The film is produced by Peter Bouckaert of Eyeworks. It opened in Belgium at the end of January and registered close to 65,000 admissions in its initial 10 days of release. 

The original Ben X (handled by Films Distribution) sold to over 50 territories. It won the Grand Prix des Amériques as well as the Audience Award and the Ecumenical Jury Award at the 2007 Montréal World Festival. Ben X is also a book and is a stage play that has been performed in French, German and English (USA and Australia), Now, it is also being adapted as a musical which is to receive its première in September 2012 in Belgium.