Will Ferrell on his Eurovision movie for Netflix: "It's kind of a funny story..."

Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

(Image credit: Netflix)

The Covid-19 pandemic meant that the Eurovision Song Contest couldn't take place as planned in 2020. But for anyone still hungry for that fix of exuberant performance and OTT pop music that only Eurovision provides, there is something to look forward to this summer.

Musical comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga hits Netflix in June, and it follows singing duo Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams), who are given the opportunity to represent Iceland at the international competition. Imagine Blades of Glory with pop anthems...

It's directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) and co-written by Ferrell and Andrew Steele. "Well, it’s kind of a funny story,” says Will Ferrell, explaining how he first happened upon the Eurovision Song Contest, talking to our sister publication Total Film magazine in their new issue. You can see an exclusive still from Total Film, featuring Ferrell, McAdams and co-stars Dan Stevens and Melissanthi Mahut, below.

Are you a Total Film fan? Subscribe to the magazine now and get these exclusives – and more – sent directly to your door/device

“My wife has family in Sweden," Ferrell continues. "Our first trip there would have been the spring of ’99, and we were out in the countryside at their little summer cabin, and her cousin said [Swedish accent], ‘So, shall we sit down and watch Eurovision?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I guess. What’s that?’

"I watched mesmerised for the entire three hours. Ironically, that year a Swede won: Charlotte Nilsson. I was just blown away by the spectacle, the camp. Everything you guys [in the UK] are used to, we didn’t have anything like that, in America. I literally went, ‘That would make a great movie.’”

For much more from Ferrell, McAdams and Dobkin on Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, check out the new (Tenet) issue of Total Film magazine, which his shelves on May 29. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga launches on Netflix on 26 June.

You can preorder the Tenet issue of Total Film magazine here, to get it delivered directly to you door. If you never want to miss an issue of Total Film, you can subscribe starting with the Tenet issue (TF 299) via MyFavouriteMagazines. The issue will also be available in shops and from digital newsstands for your tablet from Friday, May 29.

Total Film's Tenet cover — (Image credit: Warner Bros/Total Film)

Matt Maytum is the former Editor of Total Film magazine. Over the past decade, Matt has worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.