Leonardo DiCaprio Ready to play a Viking for Mel Gibson
Late last year we reported that Mel Gibson would be directing Leonardo DiCaprio in an untitled period drama set in the world of Viking culture. Since that news was revealed we haven't heard much about the project. Just recently during an interview with MTV did DiCaprio actually talked about the viking movie, and it sounds like he's excited about it.
I always wanted to do a Viking movie. I'm a big history buff, and I don't think there's been a really fantastic Viking movie ever made. Those were some of the most barbaric people ever in history
He then goes on to say say,
I'd love to see Mel Gibson's version of that. Because certainly with 'Apocalypto' and some of the other films he's made, he's been able to transport me back in time unlike very many filmmakers have been able to.
Gibson certainly does have a way of taking the audience to a place and time in a way we have never really seen before. Regardless of how crazy Gibson may seem, the guy is a fantastic filmmaker that knows how to make great movies. I'm very much looking forward to DiCaprio and Gibson eventually working together on this film, which is being written by Departed screenwriter William Monahan.
In an interview given at the beginning of the year, Gibson had this to say about his Viking film.
I'm working with Graham on a Viking movie. And the very first idea I ever had about making a film and my first thought about being a filmmaker was when I was 16 years old and I wanted to make a Viking movie. And I wanted to make it in Old Norse. Which I was studying at the time. And it was like...it's odd because at that age that's a stupidly ridiculous idea because how will I ever be a filmmaker? And that's just a dumb idea. It's just some kind of romantic pipe dream. But that was the first, big, epic wacky idea I ever had, was to show Viking real.
I think it's going to be English. The English that would have been spoken back then, and Old Norse. Whatever the 9th Century had to offer, I'm going to give you real.
What are your thoughts on Gibson and DiCaprio teaming up on a viking film?