‘Riders of Justice’ Stars Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas Reteam for ‘Back to Reality’

Anders Thomas Jensen is getting the Riders of Justice team back together.

For his new dark comedy, tentatively titled Back to Reality, writer-director Jensen has tapped his Riders of Justice stars Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas to headline. The duo is joined by a Danish who’s who of acting talent, including Lars Brygmann, Sofie Grabol, Bodil Jorgensen, Soren Malling and Nicolas Bro. Shooting began in Funen, Denmark, on Aug. 19.

Back to Reality is described as a drama/crime comedy mashup involving a bank robbery and two very different brothers, Anker and Manfred (Mikkelsen and Kaas, respectively). When Anker is released from jail he wants to recover the money he stole from his heist, but the only one who knows where the loot is buried is his brother Manfred, who is suffering from personal disassociation due to childhood trauma and his protective alter ego who has no recollection of the money or its hiding spot. Hoping to unlock Manfred’s memory, the brothers travel to their childhood home and start digging, physically and psychologically.

In addition to his work as a director, including Men And Chicken (2015), Adam’s Apples (2005) and The Green Butchers (2003), Jensen is a prolific screenwriter, with writing credits on Susanne Bier’s 2010 Oscar winner In a Better World and Nikolaj Arcel’s period epic The Promised Land (2023).

Riders of Justice was a Danish box office hit and sold to more than 50 territories internationally. Back to Reality has already pre-sold widely, including to German-speaking Europe (Neue Visionen and Splendid) and Benelux (September Film). Lionsgate optioned the English-language adaptation rights for the film, with Jensen and Nikolaj Arcel to write the English-language script.

Zentropa is producing the new film with TrustNordisk handling world sales. Back to Reality is set for an Autumn 2025 release in Denmark.