Robert Eggers' next film The Northman includes some insanely gruesome battle sequences and an unrecognizable Alexander Skarsgård, according to cast member Ralph Ineson. If Ineson's recent interview with NME is anything to go by, the amalgamation of Eggers’ unique sensibilities and rich Viking folklore will prove to be "a bit of a masterpiece."
After delivering revelatory horror with The Witch and The Lighthouse, Eggers looks to up the ante by bringing a Viking story to life, including the epic battles they tend to contain. Ineson talked to NME about watching early footage from the director’s third feature film, currently in post-production, praising the auteur for the project’s massive scale and imagery: “It’s an enormous movie, I saw a four-minute montage of some of the stuff they’d already shot and I was really blown away. The marriage of Rob Eggers’ imagination and Viking folklore… Jesus, man.”
Skarsgård leads the Viking story as Nordic prince Amleth, who Ineson teases has at least one moment of pure, monstrous rage that seems exactly what an Eggers film needs to include. On paper, it seems like a ridiculous moment, but knowing Eggers' knack for making beauty out of oddity, the scene will likely make audiences cringe in fear instead of irony.
“[There’s] a scene where he (Skarsgård) beats this guy in a battle; bends down and rips his throat out with his teeth, screams to the gods and he’s got his shirt off – and you think: ‘My god that’s not a bodybuilder doing a scene, that’s like a proper serious actor! He’s made himself look like some kind of monster for the part, the dedication’s incredible.”
The Northman revolves around a Viking revenge saga set in Iceland at the turn of the 10th century with a script from Eggers and Icelandic novelist Sjón. Skarsgård stars alongside Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrun in their first collaboration with Eggers, while the filmmaker reunites with Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) and Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse). The cast also features Ethan Hawke, Claes Bang and Björk in undisclosed roles.
The Northman wrapped principal photography in December last year but has no official release date. Focus Features is set to distribute domestically while Universal Pictures brings the film to audiences internationally.