Fellow Swedish artists Jonas Åkerlund and Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt are set to collaborate on a new Netflix miniseries called Clark. Åkerlund will direct while Åkerfeldt will provide the soundtrack for the six-part gangster story.
Between Åkerlund and Åkerfeldt, there’s some serious metal pedigree. Åkerlund, a former drummer for Bathory, recently helmed the black metal biopic Lords of Chaos, and has directed numerous music videos for bands like Metallica, U2, and others. As for Åkerfeldt, his prolific songwriting output in the bands Opeth and Bloodbath is more than a worthy resume, with Clark being his first music score project.
The miniseries is a six episode drama about Swedish criminal Clark Olofsson, who’s considered the country’s first celebrity “pop-gangster” and “has given rise to the concept of Stockholm syndrome, managed to escape prisons and committed robberies all over Europe.” It stars Bill Skarsgård (“Pennywise” in the recent It movies), and dialogue will be entirely in Swedish.
“Clark is the story about the most politically incorrect man, who lived the most politically incorrect life,” Åkerlund said in a press release. “These are the kinds of stories I always look for. It’s an ultra-violent, witty, emotional, real and surreal biography to put a face to the name Stockholm Syndrome, but it isn’t just about the Norrmalmstorg Robbery. It’s about his whole life and what made him who he is, the truth and lies of his incredible career. Bill Skarsgård is the perfect match for this and he will bring the Stockholm Syndrome to the role. And Netflix is the perfect platform, they are not just the biggest streaming service, they also have the boldness to tell this incredible story.”
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No release date has been given, but we assume that production for the series has begun. No further information is known about Åkerfeldt’s contribution. His work in Opeth is cinematic in its own right, ranging from death metal to chamber folk. Given the metal parallel between Åkerfeldt and Åkerlund, it’s possible the score to Clark might have some heavy elements. But softer, symphonic arrangements are also in Åkerfeldt’s wheelhouse.
Stay tuned for further updates as more information becomes available regarding the forthcoming series.
