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Leonardo the Viking

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (29)

leonardo-dicaprio-greensburg.jpg

Mel Gibson, who is slowly creeping back into the public consciousness after his off-the-field troubles, is set to return to the director’s chair for the first time since 2006’s brutally violent Apocalypto. Gibson — who has The Edge of Darkness out next month, and just completed filming on the Jodie Foster-directed The Beaver (think Lars and the Real Girl with a beaver puppet hand) — will direct Leonardo Dicaprio in a Viking film from a William Monahan script.

Monahan is the link between DiCaprio and Gibson here — he scripted both Body of Lies and The Departed for DiCaprio, and wrote the script for Gibson’s The Edge of Darkness.

There aren’t a lot of details about the Viking flick — it apparently “will be as unsparing as Gibson’s other period directing efforts” and filming is set to begin in the fall of 2010.

Personally, I don’t see DiCaprio in Viking attire. In fact, I’m not sure there’s ever been a decent viking film (Pathfinder was gloriously bloody, but a terrible film, otherwise). My impression about the vikings from Hollywood is that they like to decapitate folks, and DiCaprio is way too pretty to be taking off folks’ heads. Gibson, on the other hand — this is his wheelhouse, manly epic period pieces. And if I were a betting man, I’d gamble that the viking film has something to do with the pagan Vikings’ eventual conversion to Christianity in Scandinavia, if only because Gibson loves him some God, and Monahan has some experience with religious epics (Kingdom of Heaven).









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Comments

I know many people will disagree with this, but I still love The 13th Warrior (Banderas' accent and all) and hold it up as an example of a "good Viking movie."

I don't wanna know from a movie in which the Northmen are converted to Christianity. Their religion was far more interesting.

Posted by: Jerce at December 14, 2009 10:56 AM

I'm down with Vikings if they are sexy and run around in loincloths.

Posted by: Cindy at December 14, 2009 11:02 AM

Come on now- Eric The Viking!! Tim Robbins as a sensitive viking. What's not to love?

Posted by: chad at December 14, 2009 11:03 AM

Somebody's gonna be Thor tomorrow! Ahem thank you, thank you very little.

Posted by: Colostomy Baggins at December 14, 2009 11:07 AM

I second The 13th Warrior call. Kicked ass.

I hope DiCaprio doesn't plan on playing some wannabe ass-kicker. He tried that already with Gangs of New York. It didn't work. At all...in fact he sucked.

Posted by: D-Day at December 14, 2009 11:36 AM

When will Hollywood come to its senses and cast Alexander Skarsgard as a viking?! COME ON.

Posted by: figgy at December 14, 2009 12:09 PM

13th Warrior is the shiz.

And I do believe that if Antonio Banderas can make a viking movie work, then Leo definitely can (I hope).

Posted by: Colin at December 14, 2009 12:53 PM

The vikings converted when their king went Christian. He converted not for love of faith, but for love of trading relations with Christian monarchs and the chance to marry a hot Christian princess. If they're going to stick with history I can totally see DiCaprio as a pretty noble in a Viking-themed romance, especially if Kate Winslet is playing the feisty love interest. (Bonus points if the project is titled Titanic Two: Viking Bugaloo.)
Of course this being Gibson history is going to get shat all over and we'll be left with yet another homophobic-yet-strangely-homoerotic bloodbath featuring gory shirtless torture scenes.

Posted by: Inaras at December 14, 2009 12:57 PM

Alexander Skarsgard happens to be making quite a few Viking movies, figgy. With me actually. Unfortunately, we're having trouble finding sellers. If you know any one who may be interested in financing a small independent film, please let us know... We're putting together a less than Sunday-Comic friendly version of Hagar the Horrible.

Posted by: Kayanne at December 14, 2009 1:19 PM

Oh figgy, from your lips...

Posted by: Cindy at December 14, 2009 1:30 PM

Come now people, The Vikings (1958) starting Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis is a great viking movie. Sure it is older, but that only makes it better. As for modern viking movies, there I have no comment.

Posted by: Morgan LaFai at December 14, 2009 1:45 PM

Really, you guys liked the 13th Warrior movie with Banderas? That film caused Omar Sharif to retire from acting.

Even worse, I read the book (Eaters of the Dead) and the movie leaves out the secret of who the Wendol really are. Anyway, the whole story was just Chrichton rewritting Beowulf.

But hey, how about that Lee Majors film The Vikings from 1977? I mean, one of the vikings was black so they were equal opporunity barbarians. And after seeing Lee as a Viking with a southern drawl, you'll never need to see another Viking film again.

Posted by: anderbot at December 14, 2009 1:56 PM

The 13th Warrior is a guilty pleasure. It's got a few scenes of solid ass-kicking.

Including;

Sandwich punch to a horse's face.
Lots of decapitations.
"Can I give that ta me daughter?"
Solid "Last Stand" scene.

And yeah I read the book, and yeah it was better. I did miss parts as well.

The movie was not great, mediocre at best. But it didn't ramp up the stoopid like a Brett Ratner flic. Despite the plot failings it moved fairly quickly and maintained some semblance of believability.

Posted by: D-Day at December 14, 2009 2:04 PM

Leo DiCaprio is a wee frail little man-ling. While I usually go for that, he is NO viking. No.

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at December 14, 2009 2:13 PM

You better believe with Mel behind the camera, Leo will be storming the British Isles and spilling some serious ass Brit blood!

It's his thing.

Also, The Norseman with Lee Majors is considered one of the most craptacular films ever made, and parts were filmed just a few miles away my home, here in Florida.

Posted by: 1% Rule at December 14, 2009 3:52 PM

OH, the viking film with Lee Majors was called the Norseman? That's hilarious.

I just remember seeing it college one night on one of the local channels and staring in disbelief that such a thing could have been made.

At the time, I probably found it to be a great bad movie, but I was also pretty hammered at the time.

Posted by: anderbot at December 14, 2009 4:26 PM

Kayanne, you got me all excited and then...just...um. Jealous. You know.

Posted by: figgy at December 14, 2009 4:39 PM

DiCaprio? I can't with him. I have been trying to like him since Gilbert Grape and it just never took. He is probably a perfectly lovely human being, but he always seems like such a nozzle. I don't buy him as a Viking.

You know who would make an excellent Viking?

Statham.

Posted by: greer at December 14, 2009 7:40 PM

I enjoyed Beowulf and Grendel, the one with A. Saarsgaard's daddy.

Erik the Viking is about only worth it's opening scene.

If Monahan and Gibson can cut together a movie about a vicious troupe of Vikings with Dicaprio as a villain(the guy's been working out) like the group that aids Stellan in B & G or the coolest short-lived characters in Kingdom of Heaven, I just might have a new favorite movie. Maybe give it a rotten theme like the necessity of violence in a world very foreign to our own. I dug Apocalypto and don't hold a grude for finding out my favorite movie as kid growing up was a complete historical falsehood.

When was the last time the Northeast Passage was open?

Posted by: Jackseppelin at December 14, 2009 9:01 PM

I'm a huge fan of the 13th Warrior, it's a film that's full of great moments like those listed above, and these:

- "Lo there do I see my mother, my sisters, and brothers..."
- The viking woman brushes her hand past our hero's horse when they're on their way to battle.
- "Merciful father, I have squandered my days with plans of many things, this was not amongst them..."
- And then the images of Buliwyf after the final battle.

This is my most rewatched film and it's the only decent telling of the Boewulf legend I've seen.

If you like stories of men going bravely to their deaths, then this is a film for you.

Justin

Posted by: Justin at December 14, 2009 9:29 PM

RAAAAAAAH this comment thread got me pumped for the 13th Warrior. Thank God for BitSpirit...

Crazy Navy SEALS-esque Vikings holding off a few hundred psycho neanderthals, heads flying all over the place, going on a black op to kill some crazy snake bitch with heroic last stands-a-plenty, then waving their huge balls at the bad guys before their warrior king bites it, sitting upright with his eyes open MANGASM.

I'd take that pack of Vikings over the Fellowship any day. Especially Ecthgow (dude in all black), you know that guy had more kills than Rambo to the third power, but he wouldn't talk about it cause it wasn't his style.

I also watched Kingdom of Heaven again the other day, did you know that Edward Norton was the sickly King of Jerusalem? Man that movie had potential, too bad Legolas sucked the charisma out of it...

Posted by: D-Day at December 14, 2009 10:20 PM

It might work. Dicapprio was very good in Titanic, great in the Aviator, very good in the Departed, and very good in Blood Diamond,

not all Vikings were giant blondes btw,


The Vikings is very good though dated, same with The Long Ships with Richard Widmark, also dated, think remakes with 'modern' tastes........

13th Warrior is a great small film, and it ALL works, with many more heroic lines in it than the book.......... "Today was a GOOD DAY!"


And if Gibson directs it....... could be great, who knows? Apolcalypto was OK, Passion was a flop, though I may have to re-see it for a second judgment, Braveheart, was, well it was Braveheart and outrageously great.

Dicapprio was mistype cast in Gangs, or with a better director maybe? Or maybe better writing?

Posted by: dragonslayer2001 at December 15, 2009 4:11 PM

ooh, did anyone see "Outlander"? Vikings + Aliens= Win!

Posted by: cleverpeach at December 15, 2009 8:15 PM

I would be offended with DiCaprio cast as the main viking.Most viking films lack being historically accurate, Mel should put together a all Scandinavian cast with the correct weapons etc. and make it really awesome by truely taking us back into history as much as possible.

Posted by: linordgra at June 13, 2010 5:45 AM

Just because not all Vikings were giant blondes doesn't mean I dont want to see one staring in a Viking film. Most of them are giant blondes or red heads. :)
I want to see a giant blonde with huge rippling muscles swinging an axe around with cool chainmal glistening in the sun as he decapitates DiCaprio the mostly German Italian with hardley any effort. That would be accurate and would go down good with the popcorn..

Posted by: linordgra at June 13, 2010 5:50 AM

DeCaprio may or may not be a human being. He is most certainly not an actor, and most certainly not worthy of Mels talent. To DeCaprio, nice job saving your a... backing out of a film with Mel because you can't act. Mel will get better and recover from the demons he is facing. But DeCaprio, he could us a few demons or just a long time growing up. He is not ready to play with the big boys like Mel.

Posted by: Spinoza at July 29, 2010 4:01 PM

DeCaprio can act for sure, just came home from INception.. Was wondering why it reached the no 3 spot on imdb`s best movies ever that fast. Maybe gonna settle around top 20 eventually, but great plot and movie.

Since im a viking from the north myself i agree he dont match the viking warrior. Someone like Mads Mikkelsen would be better, or Viggo Mortensen.. both scandinavian origin as well. Since the movie language is gonna be old norse, then maybe some icelandic actors to fill ut up. They are the only nordic ppl still to speak the language of the vikings..

Posted by: Janek Ermel at July 29, 2010 6:16 PM

Call in Lawrence Dwyer. He's a better actor and better looking than Leo.

Posted by: HappyDays at July 29, 2010 6:51 PM

I'd rather call in Clive Owen. He's got what it takes to be Viking.

Posted by: Raymond at July 29, 2010 9:24 PM