Hot Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is to star in Erich Hortnagl's Norwegian psychological thriller A Cry In The Woods (Den som frykter ulven).

Mikkelsen will play a Danish police detective investigating a horrific murder in a small Norwegian town, which turns out to have a personal significance to him.

Mikkelsen is not only one of Denmark's most popular actors, he also has a growing fan base in Norway thanks to the Emmy-winning police TV series Unit One.

His big-screen performances include Flickering Lights, Shake It All About, Open Hearts and the highly anticipated new film The Green Butchers, which opens March 21. He has had smaller English-speaking parts in Ole Bornedal's I Am Dina and Lone Scherfig's Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself.

Torleif Hauge produces the $3m A Cry In The Woods for Paradox Production with Denmark's Angel Production and Sweden's Migma Film co-producing. Backers include the Norwegian Film Fund, TV2/Norway, TV2/Denmark and distributor Scanbox, which has taken Scandinavian rights.