First there's the Gerard Butler epic "Beowulf & Grendel" scheduled for sometime this year, then there's the Robert Zemeckis-produced version aiming for sometime in 2007, now its been revealed a third take on the classic 4th century Danish poem is getting a go although this one is a little different than the others.
Entitled "Beowulf: Prince of the Geats", this adaptation of the original poem commences shooting this summer in Norway, South Africa, and the midwest with four-time Emmy Award winning filmmaker Scott Wegener at the helm. Newcomer Jeff Carpenter stars in the title role and national Shakespearean actor Joe Sofranko as Hunferth.
Why South Africa? Well Wegener says "Beo scholars believe that while we know that Beowulf's father married into the Geat royal tribe, he wasn't a Geat. There is no documentation to support where he may have come from." As a result it seems, this version "presents him as an African explorer in search of the Edge of the World, who settles into viking society and fathers Beowulf as a man caught between two cultures, striving to prove himself time and again".
"Beowulf: Prince of the Geats" is being executed as a $1 million fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. All cast and crew are volunteering their time and talent, all goods and services, including the construction of Heorot on the shores of the Hardanger fjord, Norway are being donated. More details are at the official site.
