Jeremy Strong Leads Magnus von Horn’s English-Language Debut “The Passenger”

Jeremy Strong is cast as Otto Silbermann in “The Passenger,” a historical escape thriller directed by Magnus von Horn. FilmNation Entertainment acquired worldwide rights (excluding German-speaking territories and Poland) and will co-finance the film while launching sales at Cannes. Production is by Port au Prince Films (Jan Krueger, Rosh Khodabakhsh) and Lava Films (Mariusz Wlodarski), with Martina Valentina Baumgartner as executive producer. The script, written with Aleko Gotscheff, adapts Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz’s 1938 novel, a former Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller translated into over 30 languages.

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“The Passenger” follows Otto Silbermann’s flight from Berlin after the November 1938 Kristallnacht pogroms. Boschwitz wrote the novel as a 23-year-old refugee, depicting a four-day journey in which Silbermann tries to preserve his wealth while Germany closes in. The adaptation dramatizes the moment before a society recognises change, linking the 1938 crisis to contemporary concerns about history repeating itself.

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Von Horn described the film as an exploration of the instant before the world admits change, tying 1938 events to today’s headlines. FilmNation’s Alice Laffillé praised von Horn’s ability to blend contemporary themes with historical narrative, noting the importance of his English-language debut. The producers called the story “gripping and vital” and said it can unite international voices.

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No dissenting commentary or criticism appears in the reported sources.

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• “I keep being struck by how history repeats itself. Boschwitz wrote ‘The Passenger’ as a 23-year-old refugee in 1938, he didn’t have the luxury of hindsight, and neither does Otto Silbermann, who moves through Germany over four days believing the next train, the next acquaintance, the next bank counter will return him to the life he knew,” — Magnus von Horn, Director

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• “I want to make a film about that exact moment, the moment before someone admits the world has changed. I see it everywhere now: in headlines, in negotiations, in the rooms of people I love. We are extraordinary at staying.” — Magnus von Horn, Director

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• “Magnus’ work on ‘The Girl with the Needle’ was remarkable — he is a true auteur filmmaker with an extraordinary ability to weave contemporary themes into historical narratives, and the FilmNation team is thrilled to bring his English-language debut to audiences around the world.” — Alice Laffillé, Vice President of Sales, FilmNation

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• “We’re thrilled to partner with Magnus, Jeremy Strong, and FilmNation on bringing this gripping and vital story to the screen, uniting international voices in a film with true global reach,” — Jan Krueger, Rosh Khodabakhsh, and Mariusz Wlodarski, Producers

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FilmNation will showcase “The Passenger” to buyers at Cannes, seeking theatrical and streaming partners. Distribution plans remain pending for territories outside the German-speaking region and Poland.

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