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Alexander Skarsgård cuts a bloody and brutal figure as a Viking on a quest for revenge in the trailer for The Northman. Coming from The Witch and The Lighthouse director Robert Eggers, The Northman is being called an epic revenge thriller, and the first footage certainly lives up to that tantalizing description, teasing all the mud, blood, sweat, and tears you would expect from a Viking tale told with Eggers’ unique vision.
The Northman certainly looks to be bringing the same evocative, ominous, atmospheric, and often terrifying elements that Eggers has demonstrated an affinity for with the likes of The Witch and The Lighthouse. In fact, this epic saga is likely to go even further down the psychologically thrilling rabbit hole, with the filmmaker describing it as “by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done and by far the most ambitious.”
Set at the turn of the 10th century in Iceland, The Northman centers on a Viking named Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), who witnesses the murder of his father, King Aurvandil, at the hands of his uncle, Fjolnir. With his mother, Queen Gudrun, now captured, Amleth flees his native land, but not before declaring his revenge on those who have wronged him. Directed by Robert Eggers, who has co-written the screenplay with Icelandic poet and novelist Sjón, The Northman features an all-star cast that includes the likes of Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrun, Ethan Hawke as King Horvendill, Willem Dafoe as Heimir the Fool, Björk as the Slav Witch, and Claes Bang as Fjölnir alongside Alexander Skarsgård. The Northman also sees director Robert Eggers reunite with The Witch star Anya Taylor-Joy, who has previously teased Eggers’ innovation.
Along with the release of the epic, haunting trailer, Eggers has also offered some insight into his approach to this Viking venture of vengeance, comparing The Northman to both Hamlet and Disney’s The Lion King. “It’s basically the story of Hamlet or The Lion King, which was originally an old Norse story where the Hamlet character was called Amleth. We’ve told it in our own way,” Eggers said in a conversation with EW. “It is a Viking saga with magic and swords and mysticism and all the stuff that you’d want from that.”
With regards to his leading man, Eggers heaped praise on the physical dedication shown by Skarsgård, who, judging by the footage, has clearly put in the time and effort needed to bring this burly warrior to life. “Alex totally transformed his body,” Eggers continued. “He’s bigger than he is in Tarzan, and that’s no small feat. He completely became this character. When he first had to do that kind berserker transformation scene” — the actor’s raging, bloody sequence glimpsed in the trailer — “everything fell into place. To my taste and understanding, he is like a saga hero. There are moments where his rage is as powerful as anything I can think of in cinema. I’m not trying to toot my horn, but it’s intense. I feel ridiculous saying something like that, but it is intense.”
The Northman is scheduled to be released on April 22, 2022, by Focus Features.
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