Originally posted by eXcentris
"this is a man unfazed by open-ended projects"

Director Von Trier works on a film project taking a 3 minute shot every year on different locations all over europe over a period of 33 years. The project started back in 1991, so its premiere is expected to be in the year 2024.

Originally posted by Richard Malloy
Also not boding well for a potential part 3 is the unfortunate death in 1998 of actor Ernst-Hugo Järegård, who played the deliciously evil Dr. Stig Helmer.

Still could be done...

Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom, the TV show set on the neurosurgical ward of a Copenhagen hospital which ran for two seasons in the 1990s, is to return for a third and final five-episode run that will shoot in 2021.

The cult show, which was released as a five-hour movie in some territories, had originally been planned to run for three seasons but never completed due in part to the deaths of key cast members Ernst-Hugo Järegård and Kirsten Rolffes. Producers Zentropa are keeping details under wraps but did say the new edition will be a mix of new and returning characters.

Von Trier has penned the script, again with Niels Vørsel, and will direct all five episodes under the title The Kingdom Exodus. Plot specifics are unknown but it is expected to explore unsolved stories of the hospital as well as reigniting old feuds between the Swedes and the Danes.

Louise Vesth is producing through Zentropa Entertainments and the show is a collaboration between Viaplay, DR and Zentropa with financial support from Film i Väst and Nordisk Film & TV Fond among others.

Alongside the release of the third season, which is planned for 2022 and will debut locally on streamer Viaplay, restored versions of the eight episodes from the first and second series will also be re-released. TrustNordisk is handling sales.

The original two seasons were remade by Stephen King into the 13-episode U.S. drama Kingdom Hospital in 2004.

This will be von Trier’s first step behind the camera since The House That Jack Built, which was released in 2018, and his first small screen endeavor since the early 2000s.

Here’s a cryptic statement from von Trier:

“Borders come in many forms; they may be lines drawn with rulers on white paper (often invisible to whoever chances to visit the actual geographical locations). The lines of the borders may be illustrative, if not to say quite fictitious and downright mean; they may be drawn in a soft, red color, practically invisible, and perhaps even as a dotted line, almost as if indicating an apology or even – shame.”

“Nevertheless, the lines hang there in inconceivable numbers, and together they constitute those ‘territories’ that the inhabitants are strong enough to defend. Entering and leaving often entail violence, for, of course, any visitor is expected to return after ending his or her business.

“On Earth, “the Machine that makes everything go round (all life, that is)” is dependent on the conflicts which the lines provoke, as if by design. Whether Exodus actually means “entering” or “leaving” depends on the angle from which the border is observed, but the word simply describes a large number of individuals crossing a pencil-drawn line together. Why?….. There is an imbalance between good and evil! The limit has been reached, at least at the Kingdom…. But I cannot testify that it will be easy and bloodless to pick the seven astral locks of the world simultaneously with doctor’s blood.”

Managing Director at TrustNordisk, Susan Wendt, added, “We are absolutely thrilled about this announcement and very proud to be representing the series The Kingdom Exodus by one of the great auteurs of our time. With this announcement, audiences all over the world can look forward to no less than five brand new episodes of The Kingdom, some of Lars von Trier’s most defining and beloved work. We have great faith in the project and truly believe that something unique will arise from within the walls of the Kingdom once again.”

Producer Louise Vesth added, “Zentropa is extremely proud to announce this great finale of The Kingdom. Hospitals, horror and humor with added Lars von Trier on top is just the perfect series addiction. With the five new episodes in The Kingdom Exodus, the series will have a total of 13 episodes.”

“The Kingdom Exodus,” the third and final instalment in Lars von Trier’s “The Kingdom” trilogy, has gotten its first teaser and poster.

The first glimpse at the final season comes as TrustNordisk, which is handling international sales, announces the trilogy has sold to September Films in Benelux and Aerofilms in Czech Republic and Slovakia. The three seasons have been restored and combined, totalling 13 episodes, and have already sold to territories including Germany, Austria, Spain, Japan and South Korea

The final season is set to launch on Viaplay this fall followed by a TV premiere on Danish broadcaster DR.

Produced by Zentropa, Viaplay and DR, “The Kingdom Exodus” sees protagonist Karen (played by Bodil Jørgensen) sleepwalking her way to the Kingdom’s main gate – the Kingdom being a haunted hospital in Copenhagen “where evil has taken roots and the medical science faces a daily struggle with itself.”

Von Trier has written script with Niels Vørsel. Zentropa’s Louise Vesth is producing alongside co-producers NENT Group and DR.

“The gate to the Kingdom has opened, and impatient souls can now have a first look into the supernatural and inexplicable world of The Kingdom, where the final battle between good and evil is about to begin,” reads the official logline.

David Dencik (“No Time to Die”) and Alexander Skarsgård (“Big Little Lies”) guest star in the series.

Lars Mikkelsen (“The Witcher”), Mikael Persbrandt (“Sex Education”), Nikolaj Lie Kaas (“Riders of Justice”) and Tuva Novotny (“Blindspot”) round out the cast.

“We are excited to be experiencing immense interest from buyers world-wide with several negotiations still going on and soon to be revealed,” said Susan Wendt, managing director of TrustNordisk. “The first footage surely underlines the uniqueness of the series that continue to intrigue the global market.”

MUBI

THE KINGDOM EXODUS, the final installment of Lars von Trier's cult classic series, premiering November 27. Plus – newly restored versions of the original 1990s seasons, THE KINGDOM I & II, streaming from November 13 & 20. All available in North America, UK, Ireland, Latin America, Turkey, and India.

Heavily influenced by the ghostly series THE KINGDOM, the sleepwalker Karen seeks answers to the unresolved questions of the series in order to save the hospital from doom. Sound asleep one night, Karen wanders into the darkness and inexplicably ends up in front of the hospital. The gate to the Kingdom is opening once more…