Alexander Payne Sets Cast for Danish-Language Comedy-Drama "Somewhere Out There"

Alexander Payne is crossing borders creatively, geographically, and linguistically.
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The two-time Oscar winner is heading to Europe for the first time with Somewhere Out There, a Danish-language comedy-drama that marks his third collaboration with Searchlight Pictures and his first feature shot outside the English language. With production set to begin next month, the film has now locked in its principal cast, signaling a bold new chapter for the celebrated filmmaker.

What’s Happening:

  • According to Deadline, Searchlight Pictures has announced the full cast for Somewhere Out There, a Danish comedy-drama from director Alexander Payne, starring Jacob Haugaard, Jacob Lohmann, Ole Sørensen, and Lane Lind, alongside previously announced Oscar nominee Renate Reinsve.
  • Set in a small provincial town in western Denmark, the film centers on longtime friends Lars (Haugaard) and Klaus (Sørensen), whose decades-long friendship fractures late in life. True to Payne’s signature storytelling style, the story blends humor and melancholy, using intimate character moments to explore aging, regret, and the fragile bonds that shape a lifetime.
  • The screenplay was written by acclaimed Norwegian author Erlend Loe, based on an idea by Åke Sandgren, and is being produced by Birgitte Skov for Scanbox Productions. Searchlight Pictures will handle global distribution outside of Nordic territories, where Scanbox will release the film.
  • Somewhere Out There represents several firsts for Payne: his first film directed in Europe, his first non-English-language feature, and a deeper dive into Nordic storytelling traditions. According to Payne, the experience has been creatively invigorating.
  • Jacob Haugaard, who stars as Lars, is a well-known Danish cultural figure. He rose to fame in cult comedy films The jut-nuts (Jydekompagniet, 1987) and The jut-nuts III (1989), and later became a household name through popular Squash commercials with longtime collaborator Finn Nørbygaard. In a twist worthy of a Payne film, Haugaard was elected to the Danish Parliament in 1994 after running on deliberately unorthodox campaign promises.
  • Opposite him, Ole Sørensen portrays Klaus. Sørensen is best known for The Sunfish (Klumpfisken, 2014) and his acclaimed work in Frelle Petersen’s regional dramas Forever (Resten af livet, 2022) and Home Sweet Home (Hjem kære hjem, 2025), bringing emotional gravity to the role of a man reckoning with loss and broken connection.
  • Jacob Lohmann plays Lars’s son, Benny. Lohmann’s recent work includes That Time of Year (2018), Shorta (2020), Fathers and Mothers (2022), the lead role in the series Oxen (2023–2025), and the upcoming Dynastiet Mærsk (2025).
  • Oscar nominee Renate Reinsve stars as Ingrid, Lars’s daughter-in-law. Reinsve won Best Actress at Cannes for Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World (2021) and recently earned both the European Actress Award and an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Sentimental Value (2025).
  • Rounding out the ensemble is Lane Lind as Astrid, Klaus’s widow. Lind’s extensive career spans decades, with credits including the iconic Danish series Matador (1980), as well as recent productions such as Carmen Curlers (2022–2025), Chorus Girls (Dansegarderoben, 2023), and Take Care (Løgnen, 2025).
  • Somewhere Out There is a co-production between Hummelfilm (Norway) and Nordic Drama Queens (Sweden), with backing from the Danish Film Institute, Western Danish Film Fund, Norwegian Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, DR, and SVT.
  • The project continues Payne’s long-standing relationship with Searchlight Pictures, which previously released his Academy Award-winning films Sideways and The Descendants, both of which earned Payne Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay.
  • With its richly textured ensemble, Nordic sensibility, and Payne’s unmistakable humanist touch, Somewhere Out There is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing international productions on the horizon.

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