Altered Innocence Buys Gothic Romance No Rest For The Wicked for North America
Altered Innocence has acquired all North American rights to No Rest For The Wicked, a queer gothic romance directed by Kasper Kalle, with a cinema release planned for 2027, according to Deadline. North American rights means control of release in the United States and Canada. A theatrical release means cinemas first.
The story is set in the Faroe Islands in 1862. Newcomer Egor Venned, described as a new screen face by ScreenDaily, plays Baldur, a young fisherman. Pilou Asbæk plays Helge, a Danish whaler. The supporting cast includes Sofia Nolsøe Mikkelsen, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Kjartan Hansen, as reported by Deadline.
Rasmus Birch wrote the screenplay. It was inspired by Manor, an 1885 short story by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs. That 19th-century source gives the film its period roots. Kalle directs from Birch's script.
The film world-premiered in Competition at the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival. A world premiere is the first public screening of a film. It screened as a Cheval Noir title, the festival's competition strand, according to ScreenDaily. Kalle won the Cheval Noir Award for Best Director, and Asbæk won the Cheval Noir Award for Best Actor, as reported by Deadline. The festival's top honour went to a different film, Nightborn, according to Variety.
Lars Bredo Rahbek produced the film for SF Studios. Outlier Projects and Truenorth served as co-producers, companies that share costs and production duties. Backing also came from the Danish Film Institute and the Faroese Film Institute, public bodies that help finance films.
Frank Jaffe, founder of Altered Innocence, negotiated the deal for the distributor. Hélène Espeisse negotiated for Charades, the sales company handling the title. Sales agents sell distribution rights territory by territory.
What makes this stand out is the mix. Gothic romance means a love story with a dark, windswept edge. Place that in an 1862 fishing community in the North Atlantic, far from usual city settings. For fans, this means patience. The film is headed for cinemas in 2027, with exact dates still to come.
