'Eurovision Song Contest: Story of Fire Saga': Release date, plot, cast and all you need to know about the Will Ferrell comedy
'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga' is an upcoming comedy based on the Eurovision Song Contest starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.
Since its inception in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has been held annually (with the exception of 2020, since the show was canceled on account of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic). The show's concept draws inspiration from the Sanremo Music Festival that has been held in Italy since 1951. On Eurovision, participants representing primarily European countries perform original songs submitted by participating countries, with votes from these countries being used to determine the winners, with past winners including the likes of ABBA and Celine Dion.
For 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga', Ferrell personally attended the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018 and interacted with contestants as well as the crew as part of his research, eventually announcing that he would star, co-write, and produce a film inspired by the show.
Read on to know more about when the movie drops, who else is in it, and where to watch it.
Release date
Initially scheduled for a May release to coincide with the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, the release of 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga' was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is now set to be released on Netflix on June 26, 2020.
Plot
The film follows Icelandic singers Lars Erickssong (Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir (Rachel McAdams) as they are given the chance to represent their country at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Cast
In addition to Ferrell and McAdams, 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga' stars Pierce Brosnan, Dan Stevens and Demi Lovato in supporting roles. Graham Norton also appears as himself and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson round out the cast.
Ferrell was last seen in 2019's 'The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part', reprising his role from the film's 2014 prequel 'The Lego Movie' alongside an all-star cast including Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Tiffany Haddish, Maya Rudolph, and more. McAdams returns to the big screen after a long absence, her last appearance being in the 2018 films 'Game Night', co-starring with Jason Bateman, and 'Disobedience', starring opposite Rachel Weisz.
Lovato is an interesting addition to this lineup. The artiste has been slowly making her way back into the entertainment industry following her overdose in 2018. She signed with manager Scooter Braun in 2019, and not long after, revealed she had joined the cast of 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga', marking her first acting role since she guest-starred in Glee back in 2013. She also made her return to television with a guest role on NBC's 'Will & Grace'.
Director
The film is directed by David Dobkin (known for his work on films like Clay Pigeons, Shanghai Knights, Wedding Crashers, and The Judge) and written by Andrew Steele and Will Ferrell. Ferrell also produced the film in collaboration with Jessica Elbaum and Chris Henchy.
Soundtrack
Given that it is based on a music show, 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga' will most likely feature quite an impressive soundtrack. Thus far the single 'Volcano Man' was released on May 15, featuring vocals from Ferrell himself as well as Swedish singer Molly Sandén, who handles McAdams' parts. The entire soundtrack will drop on June 26 to coincide with the film's release.
Trailer
There won’t be the actual Eurovision Song Contest this year because of the coronavirus pandemic — organizers were forced to cancel the annual global event back in March, so till then you can make do with this crackling comedy.
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