I have bought and devoured every single one of Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole thrillers. I can’t get enough of this Nordic noir and I was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of having the literary detective hit the big screen. 2012’s Headhunters proved to me that Nesbo’s work lent itself perfectly to the cinema. It had a brilliant cast and I was glad they had adhered to the original Norwegian.
So, imagine my delight when I heard there was going to be a trailer for The Snowman. And then I watched the trailer. It looks pacy and tense enough, and seems to capture the main elements of the book but WHY ON EARTH would you cast Michael Fassbender as Harry Hole? The detective is described as 52 years old, whisky swirling, chain smoking and sandy haired. He’s rough around the edges and often struggles to keep his demons under control.
Moreover, I’m not sure why they have started the Nesbo adaptations with The Snowman, as it is the seventh book in the Harry Hole series – meaning that they are either going to have to cram in a whole lot of back story and context or miss it out entirely.
The film co-stars Val Kilmer, J.K. Simmons, Rebecca Ferguson and Chloe Sevigny and is due for release in October this year. I will reserve further judgement until then. The one redeeming feature is the great storyline and the fact that Tomas Alfredson (the man behind Let The Right One In and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) is directing.
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