Scottish actor Gerard Butler has signed to play the lead in the Canada/U.K./Iceland co-production Beowulf & Grendel, reports Variety. Butler starred in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Timeline, and stars in the upcoming Phantom of the Opera.
Part fable, part horror story, Beowulf & Grendel, directed by Sturla Gunnarsson, is an adaptation of the epic poem “Beowulf,” about a Norse warrior’s battle against Grendel the murderous troll. The poem is said to have inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to write “The Lord of the Rings.”
The epic medieval adventure will shoot in Iceland for 10 weeks beginning in August. The setting includes real glaciers, a fake 6th-century village and a replica of a Viking ship.