Robert Gustafsson and Gösta Ekman had a strong bond, both professionally as popular comedians, and as close friends. Ekman, who died in 2017, saw himself in many ways as Robert Gustafsson's father figure and they socialized privately.
We were a gang that used to gather and watch "Mello" and bet, says Robert Gustafsson and smiles at the memory.
Robert Gustafsson was particular about getting everything right if he was to accept playing "Sickan" in the new "Jönssonligan kommer tillbaka". So when the work began, it became almost a fine-tuning of the role interpretation.
First, I tried to do an imitation of Gösta. Then I toned it down to 1 on the scale and it didn't work. But then we turned it up to around 5 and then we found the right tone, explains Robert Gustafsson.
Fossil Theft
In the new film, Jönssonligan gathers to steal a valuable dinosaur skeleton from the Natural History Museum in Stockholm. A certain director Wall-Enberg (Johan Rabaeus) is willing to buy it.
Robert Gustafsson says that he is very particular about the film both retaining its heritage from the characters who made the films in the 80s, but also feeling modern for a younger audience.
It's an update, but still keeps the soul, says Jonas Karlsson, who plays Vanheden in the new film.
Together with the screenwriters, he has spent a lot of time thinking about how Vanheden would behave in the 2020s and trying to find contemporary markers. Like Vanheden working as a black market dealer in the film.
Brunnberg's Criticism
Ulf Brunnberg, who played Vanheden in the original films, says he is critical of the new film and tried to stop it last autumn.
Jonas Karlsson partly agrees with him.
As I understand it, he means that you shouldn't just keep making remakes all the time, and I agree with him. It's clear you shouldn't just stick to old things.
But at the same time, he defends the right to make the new film. All good drama is remade all the time.
I think it's been very fun to lovingly take care of this. As someone who comes from the theater world, I can feel that we've been doing this my whole life. "Romeo and Julia" is remade all the time.
"Jönssonligan kommer tillbaka" has its cinema premiere on December 6.
With the new "Jönssonligan kommer tillbaka", Jönssonligan is made in a fourth version.
+ After "Varning för Jönssonligan" (1981), seven more films were made, but Gösta Ekman dropped out after five performances as Charles Ingvar "Sickan" Jönsson. Peter Haber, Stellan Skarsgård, and Johan Ulveson took over as gang leaders in the remaining three films.
+ In 2015, "Jönssonligan – den perfekta stöten" was released with Simon J Berger as Charles Ingvar Jönsson.
+ In 2020, "Se upp för Jönssonligan" premiered on the streaming service C More with Henrik Dorsin in the lead role. Due to the pandemic, the film never made it to the cinema.
In addition, four films have been made about Lilla Jönssonligan.
The Swedish Jönssonligan is based on the Danish films about Olsen-banden, which premiered as early as 1968.
