Alexander Skarsgard has put his Nordic good looks to use, playing a 1000-year-old viking vampire in HBO’s True Blood, and now he’s set to star in a viking adventure pic for Warner Bros. Variety reports that the handsome Swedish actor will play the lead role in The Vanguard, a possible tentpole project for the studio.
Scribe Chris Boal has successfully pitched two new films to Warner Bros., sold through Atlas Entertainment. Both pics will be wide in scope; one is a sweeping tale of Julius Ceasar, and the other this viking-themed epic that Skarsgard will not only star in, but also produce.
Warner Bros. no doubt wants to strengthen its connections with Skarsgard’s rising star, as he is hot off critically acclaimed projects like Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia, and upcoming remake of the thriller Straw Dogs. He also will play a role in game-to-film adaptation Battleship.
The story in The Vanguard (working title) follows two viking brothers who have been banished to North America, and their struggles to return to their native land. While much of the plot and story details are being kept under wraps, the film will apparently be somewhere between Braveheart and Gladiator.
I can’t think of a better actor to play a viking than Skarsgard. It’s in his blood, literally, and the tall blond Adonis looks the part in just about every way. From what I’ve seen of him in True Blood, he’s not too shabby in the acting department either. Plus I loved The 13th Warrior, which is a great viking pic starring Antonio Banderas and Vladimir Kulich.
All things point to positive for this one, wouldn’t you say?
