The upcoming Viking revenge movie we never knew we needed finally has a trailer! Courtesy of director Robert Eggers, the man responsible for some of the most fucked up films of the past decade — A24’s The Lighthouse and The Witch — the film, titled The Northman, is especially exciting given that it stars our goddess Björk as the Slav Witch. What’s more, after years of anticipation, the trailer just dropped.
The new trailer gives us a glimpse of the Icelandic musician in a feathered, Wiccan headdress eerily whispering fateful proverbs amongst the tense battles, fire pit rituals and stormy seas. She’s accompanied by other world-class talent: Nicole Kidman (wearing, of course, another iconic wig), Willem Dafoe, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Ethan Hawke. Alexander Skarsgård plays the film’s lead protagonist, a Viking prince named Amleth, and the trailer showcases his mission to avenge his father’s death and save his mother and the kingdom. But we all know who the real star is here, come on. Apologies, Alexander.
Premiering 8 April 2022, the Viking revenge saga is set in Iceland at the turn of the 10th century. Its screenplay was written by Eggers together with Icelandic writer Sjón, who has also collaborated with Björk on various tracks including ‘Cosmogony’, ‘Jóga’ and ‘Oceania’.
The maverick director has suggested that The Northman will be his most ambitious production to date. Despite the pause on filming, the film’s production team continued work on props, costumes, and more for the project over the summer of 2020.
“There’s a very small crew that is continuing to work on things,” Eggers told Film Independent at the time. “Armor makers are working on armor for the characters. Prosthetics are being made. I’m doing my work with the DP [Jarin Blaschke] and the storyboard artist. There are things that need to be happening. Our location manager is constantly checking in on the locations, some of which are just now semi-built sets.”
He continued: “The scale is so huge and there are so many more locations and things that I couldn’t do everything or know every prop myself. That’s been a challenge with the new movie.”
Nonetheless, following several lengthy production delays (courtesy of Miss Rona), it eventually came together, and the trailer promises visually breathtaking scenery and intricate native costuming that transport us to the bleak, icy Dark Ages. Mark your calendars!