Oscar winning-Danish filmmaker Bille August is directing the adaptation of Karen Blixen’s novel Ehrengard for Netflix.
The novel is placed in the fictional and fantastical kingdom of Babenhausen, where a scheming and villainous Grand Duchess hires a love expert, Cazotte, to help find an heir. While looking for the future Princess, he trains the timid and demure Prince in the art of lovemaking, seduction and temptation.
Soon, an heir is born out of wedlock, and the royal family takes shelter in the Rosenbad Castle. Snitches within the Royal family threaten to topple everything upon the discovery. Amidst all the chaos, the love expert discovers that he is not a voice of authority and finds himself falling in love with the maid of honour, Ehrengard.
The project has been developed over a decade by JJ Film and Jacob Jorgensen and is based on Anders August’s script.
The director is thrilled to helm the project. “Ehrengard being realized as a Netflix film is a grand opportunity – and I’m really looking forward to introducing this fascinating story of seduction and desire to a global audience.”
Commenting about Queen Margrethe II’s exquisite sets, he added: “The Queen has created the most fantastic decoupages for the occasion, and they will be the dominant feature of the film’s overall scenographic expression.
“‘Fantastic’ (in the most literal sense) is our starting point for the film; we wish to use humour and elegance to create a devil-may-care, burlesque, fabulous and autonomous visual universe.”
