When you think of Viking stories, there are a few hallmarks that must be included. Beards, for sure. Lots of blood and violence. And if you’re Robert Eggers, the writer-director of “The Northman,” there also needs to be a naked swordfight on a volcano.
Speaking to TotalFilm, Robert Eggers talked about the necessary ingredients he had to include when crafting the story of “The Northman.” The Viking film, judging by the trailer, does have the beards and the violence that you come to expect. But according to the filmmaker, that’s not all that had to be included to make a real Viking movie.
“When I first thought, ‘I want to make a Viking movie,’ I knew three things,” Eggers said. “I knew it needs to take place mostly in Iceland, it needs to have a revenge story, and it needs to have a naked swordfight on a volcano…”
As seen in the trailer for the film, “The Northman” star Alexander Skarsgård isn’t wearing much clothing. So, without the context, you have to assume the naked swordfight probably includes Skarsgård’s character. But who is he fighting and just how naked is naked? We’ll have to wait and see when the film hits theaters.
Joining Skarsgård in the cast are Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Dickie, and Ralph Ineson. “The Northman” is set to arrive in theaters on April 22.