Danish actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas will play the lead in The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first film in a planned four-feature crime franchise based on the so-called “Department Q” bestsellers by author Jussi Adler-Olsen, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Lie Kaas will play police detective Carl Morck. Together with his partner, Morck gets involved in a five-year-old cold case involving a missing woman. Their investigation leads them on a journey across Scandinavia, as they track down a psychopathic killer.

A box-office champ at home, where his credits include local blockbuster A Funny Man (2011), Lie Kaas is also a known commodity internationally, with supporting roles in features such as The Whistleblower (2010) and Angels and Demons (2009).

Mikkel Norgaard (Clown – The Movie) has signed on to direct The Keeper of Lost Causes from a script by Nikolaj Arcel, who penned the script to the original Swedish The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

TrustNordisk is pre-selling the film in Cannes and has already signed deals with NFP in Germany and Frenetic Films in Switzerland for all four titles in the “Department Q” franchise.