Blast back in time to the Viking age with the upcoming release of the epic film, The Northman. With a plot that follows the likes of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Northman movie will put audiences on a lengthy medieval quest.
Here is everything to know about the new release.
What is The Northman About?
Directed by Robert Eggers, the movie is a retelling of the Scandinavian legend of Prince Amleth. After Prince Amleth’s uncle kills his father and kidnaps his mother, the prince grows up to be a Viking and seeks to avenge his father’s death.
This synopsis might sound similar to Hamlet, and that’s because Shakespeare based his famous character and world-renown play on this folktale. The Northman welcomes audiences into the legendary story that started it all.
The Northman Movie Cast
Alexander Skarsgård stars as the film’s protagonist, Prince Amleth. Known for his role as blood-sucking vampire Eric Northman in the HBO series True Blood, Alexander credits the show for inspiring the movie. Season 3 of True Blood establishes Eric Northman’s backstory as a Viking king seeking revenge before his vampire transformation. “I loved it so much,” he tells Entertainment Weekly. “There was something coming out where I was starting to feel like, ‘How amazing would it be to tell a Viking story on a bigger canvas, on a more epic scale — not just [with] a two-day flashback but actually have a whole Viking journey?'”
The rest of the cast includes Nicole Kidman as Amleth’s mother Queen Gudrún, Claes Bang as Amleth’s uncle Fjölnir, Ethan Hawke as Amleth’s father King Aurvandill, Anya Taylor-Joy as a sorceress Olga, Björk as prophet Seeress, and Willam Defoe as Heimer the Fool.
View this post on Instagram
Reactions to The Northman
While the film is yet to hit theaters, critics are sharing their varied reactions. NME’s Alex Flood calls it a “Gladiator meets Hamlet meets Star Wars.” Collider describes it as a captivating story of kindness, love, and unshakable hatred.” Audiences should expect a lot of violence and gore from this story.
Even Twitter users are sharing their excitement for the upcoming movie,
People saying The Northman contains bloody violence, hard to stomach scenes and an unhinged Nicole Kidman performance. pic.twitter.com/xmvrM82Im2
— Danielle (@danielleloucamp) April 9, 2022
Me explaining to my therapist how The Northman isn’t based on Hamlet but the legend that Hamlet is based on and – pic.twitter.com/4CpvETNMgQ
— wes makes movies sometimes (@wes_andre97) April 15, 2022
Just completed the most exciting part of my week. Booked my ticket to see The Northman pic.twitter.com/1agnM7M5pe
— Dale Harris (@DaleHarris90) April 15, 2022
Whether you can stomach bloodshed or not, The Northman looks to provide a memorable look into the meanings of honor and family.
The Northman Fortnite Video Game
Film production and distribution company Focus Features announced that they will release a video game inspired by the movie called Vengeance: Inspired by The Northman. The game will collab with hit online platform Fortnite to provide 20 hours of Viking content for users. Fortnite players can enter a code, and they will be transported into the world of The Northman.
Focus Features hopes this partnership will bring more buzz to the film, and that movie fans who play the game will go to see it when it hits theaters.
The Northman 2022 Release Date
The Northman hits theaters on April 22, 2022. Before then, you can check out the trailer below.
Looking for movies out now? Take a look at the newest releases currently playing in theaters.
