When Cuckoo was first announced in August 2021, John Malkovich signed on to play Herr König, the mysterious owner of the resort. Due to timing issues, Malkovich had to drop out, leaving writer-director Tilman Singer without an antagonist. Enter Dan Stevens.
In their initial conversation, Stevens blew Singer away with his German, the language spoken by the König.
“When I first talked to Dan, he introduced himself and said hello in perfect German, and I almost fell off my chair,” Singer told The Hollywood Reporter. “I then immediately apologized because I shy away from digging too deep. I knew how good he is, so I was already convinced about his acting. But then it really was about getting to know him and seeing if we speak the same language. And we did!”
Despite Stevens’ language proficiencies, Singer still couldn’t move past the age difference. Singer wrote König for an actor in his 60s. Stevens is only 41. However, Stevens explained how König only had to act like an old man, not be the age of one. Singer eventually saw the light.
“We previously had John Malkovich attached, and then he couldn’t do the movie anymore,” Singer explained. “So Dan convinced me — he didn’t have to try really hard — that this role doesn’t need to be a 60-plus-year-old man. He just has to be 60, metaphorically, or a symbolic grandfather, so to speak. So the only thing I really had to change was Herr König’s age description in the script.”
What to Expect in Cuckoo?
Neon’s official synopsis reads: “Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma. Something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.”
Besides Stevens, Cuckoo stars Hunter Schafer, Jessica Henwick, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Greta Fernández, and Mila Lieu.
Cuckoo is written and directed by Singer. Producers include Markus Halberschmidt, Josh Rosenbaum, Maria Tsigka, Ken Kao, and Thor Bradwell.
Cuckoo opens in theaters on August 9, 2024.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter)
