Back in 2009, Mel Gibson had a project lined that he wanted to direct. It was called Berserker and was written by William Monahan. Set to be a Viking epic, Gibson had brought DiCaprio on board to star and things were all set for a Fall 2010 shoot. Fast forward a few laters and obviously, the whole thing fell through, likely due to the problems surrounding Gibson’s personal life. To make up for it though, DiCaprio now has his eye on another Viking film, titled King Harald.
Deadline is the one breaking the news and they’re telling us that Warner Bros. has picked up the film as a potential vehicle for DiCaprio, who will be producing through his production company, Appian Way. We don’t know much about this one just yet but Mark L. Smith penned the script, which tells the story of an 11th century Viking King named Harald Hardrada, “who ruled for decades, was exiled to Russia, but returned home to Norway a hero.”
Not that I know very much about Vikings but from what I’ve read, Hardrada is widely considered to be “the last great Viking king,” and his death brought “an end to the Viking age.” Sounds like a pretty interesting figure and I can definitely see this turning into a great film, especially if DiCaprio takes the lead role, which he is likely to do.
It’s early days for King Harald but it certainly sounds promising and it’s definitely a project that we’ll be keeping our eye on. The world could sure use a few more great Viking films.
Tell us, what do you think of King Harald? Do you want to see Leonardo DiCaprio star in a Viking film? Let us know in the comments below.
