viking-cleese

Leonardo DiCaprio is set to star in a viking movie Mel Gibson is directing from a script by Departed writer William Monahan.  Presumably DiCaprio will play the Viking who makes the other vikings row while his arms get flabby and he bangs models.

Graham King will produce with Gibson and Tim Headington in a co-production of King’s GK Films and Gibson’s Icon Prods. Shooting is expected to begin in fall 2010, meaning that if everything falls into place, it would be the next directing effort for Gibson.
There is no distributor at the moment, but Gibson and King often make their films outside the studio system and secure distribution later.
The principals confirmed the project but would not divulge many details. DiCaprio, who has long been fascinated by Viking culture, will play one in a storyline that will be as unsparing as Gibson’s other period directing efforts, “Braveheart,” “The Passion of the Christ” and “Apocalypto.” [Variety]

It’s been a long time since Braveheart, but if a Viking movie’s getting made, I’m glad it’s someone like Mel Gibson who’ll show them in all their raping, pillaging, murdering, Jew-hating* glory, and not Jerry Bruckheimer turning it into guys in horn helmets visit a haunted castle.  It’s also nice that there’s no studio attached, which is why no one mentioned 300 in the article.

VikingCaprio

*Artistic license