Could be good; could be bad. H-wood usually doesn't get it, so we must fear the worst.
Hollywood's never-ending quest for epic material has taken it back to "the first horror story" - Beowulf, the Old English poem of monster versus man.Two film versions of the eighth-century Saxon work are under way as studios rush to capitalise on the fascination with myth and legend exposed by the success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. J R R Tolkein, who wrote the Middle Earth series, cited Beowulf as one of his key influences.
Warner Bros is behind the movie Beowulf, which will be written by Matthew Sand, an art historian and former New York art dealer. Meanwhile, a rival project, Beowulf and Grendel, from a Canadian/British/Icelandic team, begins filming next month and stars the Scottish actor Gerard Butler.
Since one should never judge a book by its movie, read Beowulf for yourself in a fine verse translation by poet Seamus Heaney, published in a Norton Critical Edition that also includes J.R.R. Tolkien's famous essay "The Monster and the Critics."
Posted by Alan at July 19, 2004 06:22 AM