The story of Beowulf is probably best known as That Super-Long Poem You Read Once in High School, but its influence on modern storytelling can’t be overstated. The epic is the original hero’s journey. It’s one of the oldest recorded adventures ever, and it’s inspired countless pillars of pop culture. We wouldn’t have Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, or even superheroes without Beowulf. Traces of the epic poem are everywhere, but adapting the story itself, for an audience around a thousand years removed from its context, is easier said than done.
Though there haven’t been many recent attempts, the 2000s were rife with efforts. Three unrelated films were released within five years, the most infamous being a gonzo CGI film directed by Robert Zemeckis. The 2007 movie’s surreal motion capture effects were a step up from the nightmare fuel of The Polar Express, and even 17 years later, its video game-like quality remains memorable. But Zemeckis and his screenwriters got a bit of flack for... well, everything else.
Efforts to expand on the original poem and sprinkle in some metatextual commentary ultimately fell flat, resulting in a weird hybrid between an earnest adaptation and a 300 copycat. Roger Ebert famously called Beowulf a “satire” of the epic tale, while NPR condemned it as “a fanboy fantasy that panders with demonic energy to the young male demographic.” The film is either forgotten, or not remembered well. After a decade and change, however, the world may be ready for a new take on Beowulf, one that instead focuses on the story’s most enduring villain.
The Jim Henson Company is officially developing an adaptation of Grendel. Based on John Gardner’s 1971 novel, Grendel is a retelling of Beowulf, following a cursed monster on his quest to destroy the Danish kingdom of Hart. In the original poem, Grendel attacks the realm every day for 12 years until Beowulf shows up to end his reign of terror. Gardner’s retelling focuses as much on the why as the how, drawing from the existential musings of philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre to create a modern portrait of a monster. It’s a classic in its own right, so it’ll be interesting to see how the story translates to a live-action film.
Jeff Bridges will star as the monster, lending his voice along with some motion capture performance. Dave Bautista is set to play opposite Bridges as Beowulf, while Bryan Cranston, Sam Elliot, Thomasin McKenzie, and Aidan Turner round out the cast. Per The Hollywood Reporter, writer-director Robert D. Krzykowski is drawing on nostalgic, “fantasy-driven” films, like Ridley Scott’s Legend, for Grendel.
“About a fourth or a fifth of the movie will be on stages,” the filmmaker said. “And then I’d like to use as many physical outdoor locations as possible, just because it’ll have that Terrence Malick texture [where] the camera is free and it’s with Grendel and it’s able to just live with him.”
But that doesn’t mean the film will be all introspection. Krzykowski also teased some “really bone-crunching action,” and “Hong Kong-style wire pulls” that will undoubtedly elevate Grendel’s fights. With a combination of creature effects, practical set design, and an impressive cast, the film will hopefully be a return to form in more ways than one.
