Mads Mikkelsen, star of Valhalla Rising and the brilliant broadcast television adaptation of Hannibal, has finally made the film we always knew he would: A western.

Filmmaker Kristian Levring will bring her latest film, The Salvation, to Cannes Film Festival later this year for a special midnight premiere. The story follows John (Mikkelsen), a former soldier and immigrant from Scandinavia who has come to the American West in search of a new life for him, his wife and child. The chance for new beginnings quickly becomes a nightmare when John’s family is murdered by stagecoach robbers, leaving John with a choice between fight or flight. When John kills his family’s murderer, he unleashes the fury of notorious gang leader Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and soon the town he thought would support him begins to turn in fear of what Delarue may do. You can view the film’s first trailer below.

I would be excited for this film even without Mads’ involvement, but knowing he signed off on the script makes the whole affair a bit more exciting. Mikkelsen has made it a point to challenge himself throughout his career, and this role is no different. I don’t know if American audiences will be that interested in a western this year or next, but I most certainly cannot wait for this feature to arrive.

The Salvation has no release plan beyond Cannes at this point, but a later 2014 release is definitely not out of the question. Stay tuned.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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