As much as I liked Chris Hemsworth as Thor, I had to wonder what might have been if Alexander Skarsgard had nabbed the role. He was born to play a Viking warrior, and one of the most enjoyable forays True Blood took last season was into Eric Northman’s lusty Viking longhouse.
He’s finally getting his chance to sail for distant shores on the big screen, as Variety reports he’s signed onto a Warner Bros Viking flick called The Vanguard. Penned by Chris Boal, the story follows two Viking brothers who are exiled to North America. They decide the untamed West isn’t to their liking, and decide to make their way home to Sweden. Other details are being kept under wraps, but comparisons to Braveheart and Gladiator are being thrown around.
I’m excited. There just hasn’t been a Viking movie that really does justice to my raping and pillaging ancestors. We haven’t gotten our Gladiator (though we did get our arthouse flick in Valhalla Rising, and that’s something the Spartans and Romans can’t claim) and it’s about time we did.
Skoal, Skarsgard! Do us proud, and the world might just forget about Abba.