Mikael Håfström

Mikael Håfström (birthname: Jan Mikael Håfström) is one of a handful of Swedish-born filmmakers who have also worked in a sustained way in Hollywood, but who began his career as an assistant director and director in Swedish television from 1987 to 1992. Håfström launched his feature film directing career with the spy thriller, Vendetta (1995), from Svensk Filmindustri, and then Håfström wrote and directed the domestic tale, Days Like This (2001), which won two Guldbagge Awards.

Håfström co-wrote the script for the Swedish cop comedy, Kopps (2003), directed by Josef Fares and starring Fares Fares, and which sold its remake rights to Adam Sandler, though an English-language remake has never been made. Håfström’s first hit Swedish movie was Evil (2003), directed and co-written by Håfström, starring Andreas Wilson and grossing a strong $12.5 million worldwide for Columbia TriStar.

Mikael Håfström’s second Swedish directorial feature (which he also co-wrote) was the slasher movie, Drowning Ghost (2004), notable for being the feature debut of actor Rebecca Ferguson. Håfström made his English-language directing debut with the UK/US crime thriller that was The Weinstein Company’s first U.S. release, Derailed (2005), starring Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel, Giancarlo Esposito, David Morrissey, RZA, and Xzibit, earning a good $57.5 million.

Håfström continued with Weinstein Company as director of 1408 (2007), based on Stephen King’s short story of the same title, starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, and Tony Shalhoub, and proving to be Håfström’s first true box-office hit with a return of $133 million. Håfström’s third consecutive movie with the Weinstein Company and second consecutive with star Cusack was the political thriller, Shanghai (2010), written by Hossein Amini and produced by Mike Medavoy, and co-starring Gong Li, Chow Yun-fat, and Ken Watanabe, but which lost money with a poor $15 million gross.

Mikael Håfström directed the eclectic cast of Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds, and Rutger Hauer in the exorcist horror movie, The Rite (2011), delivering a profitable return for Warner Bros. with a $97 million global gross. Håfström became the director of the first movie to co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, Escape Plan (2013), co-starring Jim Caviezel, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Vinnie Jones, Vincent D’Onofrio, Amy Ryan, and Sam Neill, and earning over $137 million for Lionsgate and launching the Escape film series.

Håfström returned to Sweden to direct the judicial drama, The Perfect Patient (2019), also titled Quick, starring Jonas Karlsson and David Dencik, and then Håfström returned to the U.S. to direct Netflix’s cyberpunk action movie, Outside the Wire (2021), starring Anthony Mackie and Damon Idris.

Håfström directed his first historical movie as he returned once again to Sweden for Viaplay Studios/Nordisk Film’s 1520-set Stockholm Bloodbath (2023), shot in English and co-starring Claes Bang, Emily Beecham, and Sophie Cookson, and then Håfström again returned Stateside as director of the sci-fi space thriller, Slingshot (2024), starring Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne, Beecham, and David Morrissey, and released by Bleecker Street.