'The Northman' a scary, bloody adaptation of 'Hamlet', says Claes Bang

Actor Claes Bang is set to start working on Robert Eggers' next directorial, "The Northman" and he has described the film as a "scary and bloody" adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy "Hamlet".

Actor Claes Bang is set to start working on Robert Eggers' next directorial, "The Northman" and he has described the film as a "scary and bloody" adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy "Hamlet". The "Dracula" star will soon head to Belfast to start shooting for the Viking revenge saga. The production, which began in March, was suspended in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bang, 53, said he is basically playing the role of Claudius, the primary antagonist from the play. "The old saga of Hamlet is what Shakespeare found and turned into 'Hamlet'. "I am the evil brother that kills my half-brother and takes over his kingdom and steals his wife. I'm basically Claudius in 'Hamlet', he's just called something different here," the Danish actor told Collider.

Set in Iceland at the turn of the 10th century, the plot follows a Nordic prince on the quest to avenge his father's murder. Bang said though the big-budget project is another take on the famous English play, the film is more on the lines of a Greek drama. "The story is also a little bit different. It's not 'Hamlet'. This is more in the family of Greek drama, you could say. It's gonna be so f****** scary and bloody, and really heavy because they kill each other," he added.

"The Northman" will also feature Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor-Joy, Bill Skarsgard, and Willem Dafoe. The film is Eggers' follow-up project to his 2019 indie thriller "The Lighthouse", starring Dafoe and Robert Pattinson in the lead.