There’s two Beowulf movies on the go at the moment, and the news from Coming Soon is that the Robert Zemeckis performance capture movie (not the one featured in the picture) is currently looking to a number of big names:
Columbia Pictures is in talks with Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Brendan Gleeson and Robin Wright Penn to star in director Robert Zemeckis’ Beowulf, reports Variety.
These are all good names to be associated with the project and would make for worthy additions. The story is based on the old English poem Beowulf who slays a monster and becomes King and has also been adapted to a live action movie starring Gerard Butler called Beowulf & Grendel.
Adapted from the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf, BEOWULF & GRENDEL is a medieval adventure that tells the blood-soaked tale of a Norse warrior’s battle against the great and murderous troll, Grendel…Out of allegiance to the King Hrothgar, the much respected Lord of the Danes, Beowulf leads a troop of warriors across the sea to rid a village of the marauding monster. The monster, Grendel, is not a creature of mythic powers, but one of flesh and blood – immense flesh and raging blood, driven by a vengeance from being wronged, while Beowulf, a victorious soldier in his own right, has become increasingly troubled by the hero-myth rising up around his exploits. Beowulf’s willingness to kill on behalf of Hrothgar wavers when it becomes clear that the King is more responsible for the troll’s rampages than was first apparent..His relationship with the mesmerizing witch, Selma, creates deeper confusion.
So whichever version you’re looking at, the story is much deeper than merely a story about killing a monster. There’s lot’s of material to work with, and the setting is ideal for a visual medium. It’ll be interesting to see how both movies turn out. Does anyone have an appetite for this kind of movie?
