Universal Pictures has just revealed that it has acquired Vikingr, to be directed by Baltasar Kormakur (The Deep, 2 Guns). Kormakur wrote the story and the script, along with Olafur Egill Egilsson.
The project is based on the classic tales deriving from the legendary Icelandic Sagas, which document larger than life heroes, adventures and battles of early Nordic settlers, as well as daily life in the Viking age.
Producers on the project include Kormakur under his RVK Studios banner, Marc Platt Productions’ Marc Platt and Adam Siegel, Working Titles Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner and Nathalie Marciano.
Universal and Kormakur have a long running relationship, going back to Kormarkur’s breakthrough picture Contraband, which grossed $91 million worldwide on a $25 million budget. It was based on Kormakurs Icelandic movie Reykjavik-Rotterdam.
Kormakur’s latest, Everest, will star Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Jake Gyllenhaal, Martin Henderson, Emily Watson, Michael Kelly, Thomas M. Wright, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright and Keira Knightley and hits the big screen September 18, 2015.