The Northman - What We Know So Far

The straightforward yet ominous synopsis of "The Northman" calls it "an epic revenge thriller that explores how far a Viking prince will go to seek justice for his murdered father." Co-produced by Mark Huffam, Focus Features, New Regency, and "Hereditary" and "Midsommer" veteran Lars Knudsen, the script is based on an idea purportedly pitched to Eggers by Skarsgård (via The Hollywood Reporter), who'll play the avenging prince. 

Set in Iceland at the turn of the 10th century, "The Northman" promises to marry Eggers' distinct blend of paradoxically dreamlike historical realism with the intensity and drama for which Icelandic sagas are so known and revered. "It's a huge movie," Dafoe told IndieWire, adding that, like most of Eggers' movies, "The level of research and detail is there, but on a much bigger scale... the sets are fantastic." 

In a November 2020 interview with Collider, Anya Taylor-Joy called the film "a real Robert Eggers movie," joking that she often told her fellow crew members and co-stars during the filming of it that, "You're gonna be cold, you're never gonna be comfortable, and it's gonna be amazing." In that same interview, the actor beamed at the notion that making a Robert Eggers film is "now a thing" because the duo wasn't convinced while making "The Witch" that anyone would ever see it. "Every moment on set I'm proud," she said, before teasing that she thinks "The Northman" will give the world "something it genuinely hasn't seen before."

In other words, it sounds like "The Northman" will give audiences a very good reason to grab their closest horns of mead and shout, "Skål!"