Netflix’s ‘Against the Ice’ Film: Everything You Need to Know

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's passion project Against the Ice will premiere on Netflix in March 2022.

Tigran Asatryan What's on Netflix Avatar

AgainstTheIce CAST by LiljaJonsdottir 1 2

Against The Ice cast – Picture: Netflix

Netflix’s Against the Ice is an upcoming survival drama film created by and starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones), who wrote the script with writer Joe Derrick. The film was helmed by Danish director Peter Flinth who directed such productions as Arn and Nobel’s Last Will. Against the Ice will arrive on Netflix in March 2022.

Against the Ice is a passion project for Emmy nominee Coster-Waldau and is produced by production company Ill Kippers, which was formed by Coster-Waldau and the aforementioned scribe Joe Derrick and ex-PR guru Jeffrey Chassen. The film is also being produced by Baltasar Kornakur and his RVK Studios, the company behind the Netflix original series Katla.

Coster-Waldau offered his comments about working on this film to Deadline:

Against The Ice has been a passion project for me from the very beginning. It combines a lot of themes that excite me: adventure, Greenland, companionship, loyalty and love. It is an intense exploration of two men, two opposites, trapped in an epic dangerous setting.”

When will Against the Ice be released on Netflix?

Recently Netflix announced its lineup of original movies coming in 2022, the announcement revealed that Against the Ice will premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022.

against the ice netflix movie poster


What’s the plot of Against the Ice?

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Ejnar Mikkelsen in 1907 and his book Two Against the Ice, published posthumously in 2003

Netflix’s Against the Ice is an adaptation of Two Against the Ice, a posthumously published book by Danish polar explorer and writer Ejnar Mikkelsen. It will tell the story of Mikkelsen’s expedition into Greenland in 1909. Here’s the official story synopsis from Deadline:

In 1909, Denmark’s Alabama Expedition led by Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) was attempting to disprove the United States’ claim to North-Eastern Greenland, a claim that was rooted in the idea that Greenland was broken up into two different pieces of land. Leaving their crew behind with the ship, Mikkelsen sleds across the ice with his inexperienced crew member, Iver Iversen (Joe Cole).

The two men succeed in finding the proof that Greenland is one island, but returning to the ship takes longer and is much harder than expected. Battling extreme hunger, fatigue, and a polar bear attack, they finally arrive to find their ship crushed in the ice and the camp abandoned.

Lead produced Baltasar Kornakur praised the story in a recent statement:

“It was an honor when David Kosse asked me to join the team of Against The Ice and take the helm as the lead producer. The true story of Mikkelsen and Iversen grabbed my attention from the get go.”


Who is cast in Against the Ice?

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From left: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Joe Cole, Charles Dance, and Heida Reed

The main stars of Netflix’s Against the Ice are Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Joe Cole who plays Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen and Iver Iversen respectively. Coster-Waldau is most well known for his portrayal of Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones while Cole is known for his roles in Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror, and Gangs of London.

Joining them will be Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, The Crown) making Against the Ice an on-screen father-and-son reunion between Dance and Coster-Waldau since Dance portrayed Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones. Rounding up the known cast is Heida Reed, known for her roles in Poldark and Dan Dare.


What’s the production status of Against the Ice and where was it filmed?

Filming for Against the Ice took place in 2020 in Greenland and Iceland is already completed. Currently, the film is in post-production. Here are a few stunning filming locations from Joe Cole’s Instagram:

Are you looking forward to watching Against The Ice on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Tigran is our resident previews writer. He works on collecting everything known about upcoming Netflix Original projects and also is editor-in-chief of Redanian Intelligence. Resides in France.