A few tidbits emerge about one of spring’s most anticipated films, Robert Eggers’ The Northman: more details here.
With two searingly good films behind him in the form of 2015’s The Witch and 2020’s The Lighthouse, interest in Robert Egger’s next directorial project was always going to be elevated. That project, The Northman – a tenth century Viking revenge drama – wrapped production back in December 2020 and is now set for an April release. We also got to see a stunningly-good trailer recently, so this one is flying high on our radar.
The film takes place in Iceland in the early middle ages, and was co-written by Eggers alongside Icelandic novelist, Sjón Sigurdsson. Little else is known about the project so far, as details have been kept securely under wraps, but Eggers has briefly surfaced alongside star, Alexander Skarsgard, to drop a detail or two.
Whilst speaking to Total Film, Eggers said that “I knew it needs to take place mostly in Iceland, it needs to have a revenge story, and it needs to have a naked swordfight on a volcano.”
With that reveal, you can sign us up right here and right now.
Skarsgard would also add that “physically and mentally the most difficult job I’ve ever had… the days were really long and hard, and we were out in the mud, and up on these mountain tops with the wind and the cold.”
Despite the punishing conditions, there is no shortage of talent wishing to collaborate with Eggers following the impact of his previous two films. Along with Skarsgard, Anya Taylor-Joy returns to work with the director, as does Willem Dafoe, whilst Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Claes Bang, Kate Dickie, Ralph Ineson and singer-songwriter Bjork are in the ensemble.
The film will be released by Focus Features in the US with Universal handling distribution in the UK and internationally. Can we say too: fair play to Total Film for putting the movie as its cover film. That’s a bold and brilliant thing to do.
The Northman is set to release on April 15th and here’s that trailer again, just in case you missed it.
—
Thank you for visiting! If you’d like to support our attempts to make a non-clickbaity movie website:
Follow Film Stories on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.
Buy our Film Stories and Film Stories Junior print magazines here.
Become a Patron here.
