The Vikings are coming! No, not the History Channel original series, but a feature film from the producers of In A Better World (2011 Oscar winner for best foreign language film), Kon-Tiki (a nominee this past year in the same category), and the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which propelled Prometheus star Noomi Rapace onto the international stage. The film, entitled The Long Ships, is based on a popular novel by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson and follows the adventures of Red Orm, a 10th century Viking in pre-Christian Scandinavia.
Though here is no news yet on a U.S. release – the film is still early in pre-production – The Long Ships figures to benefit from the successes of its predecessors. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, of course, spawned a David Fincher-helmed English-language remake after success at SXSW and a limited theatrical release. In A Better Place played at Sundance, and also saw a limited release after its Oscar success, with Kon-Tiki hitting theaters last month.
As the imprint of Swedish cinema continues to grow on Hollywood, it will be interesting to see if casting for the likes of The Long Ships continues to come from native sources or international ones. The language in which the film is shot will certainly have an effect; all of the movie mentioned above were made in Swedish. That said, with the novel The Long Ships already translated into more than 23 language, the draw of international fame – not to mention financing – could potentially push The Long Ships further into foreign waters.
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