The Viking revenge film, The Northman starring euro-pop icon, Björk, will be released in 2022.
The undeniably creative Björk stars alongside Hollywood heavyweights such as Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Anya Taylor-Joy and Ethan Hawke in the Robert Eggers-directed epic based on the medieval Scandinavian legend.
The film, set to be released in theatres on April 8, 2022, will take viewers to 10th century Iceland to follow Amieth (Skarsgård), a Viking prince who seeks to avenge the death of his murdered father. Hawke and Kidman star as Amieth’s parents, King Horvendill and Queen Gudrun respectively.
Dafoe stars as Heimir the Fool while Björk plays The Slav Witch – yes, you read that right. Details of both actor’s roles (as well as Taylor-Joy’s) haven’t been revealed at this time.
As an added bonus, fans of Björk will be delighted to know that the singer’s daughter, Ísadóra Barney, will also have a role in the film.
The Northman and The Green Knight. This is the cinema I want always and forever.
— Ethan Robles (@Roblecop) May 11, 2021
The Northman is as Icelandic as its name suggests with Eggers co-writing the script with Sjón, an Icelandic poet and novelist who has also worked with Björk in the past on songs such as Jóga, Oceania and more.
While COVID-19 saw production postponed, the cast and crew were able to continue working in September 2020 and finish at the end of December that year.
When asked about filming during the pandemic, Kidman had this to say:
“When I went to Belfast, I was pretty scared. People were saying, ‘Oh my God, if you go, you’re going to get COVID.’ So I was really frightened, but at the same time, I had this sense of duty and I had this sense of ‘this is what I do.’ I’m a creative being who shows up and I put on as much protection as I could and so I did the production and we were all safe and I went, ‘OK, let’s go.’”
Amazing news I’m so excited for this film. I literally can’t wait to see this. Since seeing The Lighthouse Robert Eggers has become another favourite director of mine and can’t wait to see this. Still need to see the VVitch. Very excited for The Northman!! https://t.co/xhZwNp9ge6
— Po 🐼 (@roomtrot) May 15, 2021
The Northman is Eggers’s third film, with his previous two, The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019), being critically acclaimed.
While both films were fairly small productions, The Northman’s scale has forced Eggers to change his approach to filmmaking.
“The scale is so huge and there are so many more locations and things that I couldn’t do everything or know every prop myself. That’s been a challenge with the new movie,” Eggers said.
The Northman is being made in collaboration with Focus Features, while Universal Pictures International will premiere the film globally.
