The first trailer for The Northman is out now, giving fans a glimpse at how the star-studded cast will look in the movie.
Described as an "epic, Viking revenge drama," set in 10th century Iceland, The Northman follows a prince who seeks revenge for his murdered father. Robert Eggers directs and co-wrote the movie with writer and musician Sjón. It's just the third film created by Eggers but his first two, The With and The Lighthouse, were met with great critical acclaim.
The Northman is currently scheduled for release in movie theaters on Friday April 22, 2022. In anticipation, here's a roundup of all the major stars set to star in the new historical epic.
Alexander Skarsgård as Amleth
Skarsgård plays a character pulled from Scandinavian legend, and said to be the inspiration for Shakespeare's Hamlet (the names do sound the same). The story of his legend is told in The Northman and is derived from old Icelandic literature.
The movie version, portrayed by Skarsgård appears to be grittier and more real, as we meet Amleth as a child, before he grows up and seeks shirtless revenge.
Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrún
Australian actress and Academy Award-winner Kidman joins the cast as Queen Gudrún. Her character appears to be the mother of Amleth, and the wife of King Arvandill. She's core to the plot as Amleth repeats that he needs to save his mother while avenging his father.
Claes Bang as Fjölnir
The movie's villain, Danish actor Bang plays Fjölnir who appears to murder Amleth's father. This seems to be the core revenge aspect of The Northman's plot as Amleth grows up and seeks to kill Fjölnir.
Anya Taylor-Joy as Olga
The Queen's Gambit star Taylor-Joy plays an ally of Amleth in the movie, if the trailer is anything to go by. Featured briefly in many set pieces, we appear to meet the character Olga as she's a fellow prisoner with Amleth, chained and marched across the rocky terrain.
Olga later explains that while Amleth's strength can break men's bones, her "cunning can break men's minds." Taylor-Joy previously worked with Egger on his first movie The Witcher.
Ethan Hawke as King Aurvandill
Presumably only featured in the first portion of The Northman, Hawke plays Amleth's father King Aurvandill who is killed by Fjölnir.
Aurvandill is another character taken from Norse and Germanic mythology.
Björk as the Seeress
Icelandic singer Björk is a regular collaborator with The Northman's co-writer Sjón so it's not a big surprise that she features here. Her character the Seeress is likely to be a prophet of some sort, with mystical or supernatural tendencies.
Willem Dafoe as Heimir the Fool
Dafoe also reunites with Egger after working with him on The Lighthouse in 2019. Heimir the Fool may be a small part within The Northman but he brings intensity to the role as he has a one-on-one talk with young prince Amleth.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
