Ethan Hawke And Willem Dafoe Look The Viking Part In New Images From The Northman
Robert Eggers, the acclaimed director behind surreal and spooky horror dramas such as "The Witch" and "The Lighthouse," is returning later this year with "The Northman," a revenge opus that chronicles one Nordic Viking prince's descent into violence at the turn of the 10th century.
Co-written by Eggers and Icelandic poet and novelist Sjón Birgir Sigurdsson, known mononymous as Sjón, "The Northman" will continue Eggers' trend of telling stories set in bygone eras with as much historical accuracy and attention to detail as possible (via Film School Rejects). While the movie might mark the director's first foray into a non-horror territory (though the genre of "The Lighthouse" is debated), the trailer depicts enough eerie moments to suggest that Eggers hasn't completely abandoned his roots.
"The Northman" also arguably boasts the most star-studded and impressive ensemble of any Eggers movie to date. The upcoming film will reunite him with Willem Dafoe and Anya Taylor-Joy, whom he worked with on "The Lighthouse" and "The Witch," respectively. Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie, who played Taylor-Joy's parents in "The Witch," will also reteam with the director for the violent tale. Rounding off the cast are Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Alexander Skarsgård, and Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk, the latter of whom plays a witch.
We have to wait until April 22 until "The Northman" hits theaters. In the meantime, Total Film (per GamesRadar) recently released some new stills of Hawke, Skarsgård, and Dafoe in action to get viewers excited.
New stills from The Northman show the cast in character
"The Northman" will tap into Nordic history to adapt the story of the real-life figure Amleth (via British Library), the aforementioned vengeance-fueled Viking prince who's out to slay the men who kill his old man. Alexander Skarsgård plays the adult Amleth in "The Northman," and the first of the newly-released images for Total Film shows the "True Blood" star wielding a sword and presenting himself as believably intense and aggressive.
Ethan Hawke will play Amleth's father, King Aurvandil, in the movie. The trailer and plot summary basically confirm that the character is destined for a doomed and grisly fate. However, the latest image of Hawke in his period get-up exudes power, class, and strong leadership. He's also very much alive, but viewers should brace themselves for an unhappy ending for his character.
In the final still, Willem Dafoe's Heimir the Fool is shown with his arms outstretched and looking somewhat mischievous. While speaking to IndieWire, Dafoe described his character as a "court figure" by day who gets up to "nefarious" things at night. The latest image of the actor as Heimir most definitely gives off that impression.