Mel Gibson’s Berserker: Real and Visceral

VikingThree years ago I wrote about an untitled Viking project developed by Mel Gibson. Since then many sad things happened; Mr. Gibson’s personal life has been widely discussed in the news. Many talked about his pariah status in the Hollywood. The Beaver was not successful. His other recent project, Get the Gringo, went straight to DVD. The Inception star Leonardo DiCaprio refused to work with the Viking project. The Departed screenwriter William Monahan who was supposed to write for it, as it seems, refused to do so as well.
However, the project is still alive. Mr. Gibson will not give up simply because this Viking project has been his dream since he was 16. At that age he first thought about being a filmmaker and it was a Viking movie that he wanted to make. He wanted to make it in Old Norse, which he studied at the time.
Earlier this year Randall Wallace who wrote for the Braveheart was reported to turn in a second draft for this new epic period movie. No horned helmets. No running around like the ’50s (Kirk Douglas and Tony Kurtis style). It will be something real and visceral.
Two last directorial projects by Mr. Gibson, The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto, included English subtitles because the characters spoke the historic languages of the time. This will be the case with the Viking movie, Berserker, too. It will probably include Old English as well, spoken by the Anglo-Saxons.
In 2008, a year before the initial announcement of the Viking project, Mr. Gibson visited Iceland with his two sons. The event was widely reported by the Icelandic media. The filmmaker visited Borgarfjörður and other areas of historical significance. As it was later suggested, the trip might have been the location scouting for the movie. This year Mr. Gibson visited Dublin and scouted locations in Ireland. He spoke to fish farmers and had lunch in Clifden at the Abbeyglen Hotel.
I doubt anyone in the Hollywood or elsewhere could make a Viking movie better than Mel Gibson could. It is a great project. I hope it will be historically accurate and real; but not the way Nicolas Winding Refn’s Valhalla Rising was. It was a failure. They spoiled it all.
Until this day, The 13th Warrior has been the only Viking movie that could be counted as comparatively historical (even though full of blatant mistakes) and entertaining. Now something much greater awaits us. Let’s be patient. Berserker cannot disappoint us. It will not.

Photo courtesy Steve & Jemma Copley. Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 2.0 Generic Licence.

14 comments… add one
  • Gemma Lacey

    Knowing this to be a possibility of Mel Gibson directing a viking film project excited me. I’m an actress and deep into, “body sculpting”. I’m a red head 6′ and l am preparing an updated portfolio
    Along with photos of my figure, along with head shots. I am hoping to even the odds in my favor to get an audition for Mel Gibson’s project as a shield maiden. I do hope Mel Gibson makes this film.

  • Sunny Singh

    I actually enjoyed Valhalla Rising. I understand it’s not for everyone and there are parts that I don’t fully understand but I thoughy it was a good movie.

    • Viking Rune

      It’s an interesting movie.

  • jo

    Is This movie still being made?

    • Viking Rune

      No, it is not, as far as I know.

  • Reapereffect

    Mel had done some great movies I will not count him out he’s just got a lot of bad publicity, he does not show his religous ideals in all his movies, but given the time line it would be great to see as the Christians of the time were rather fanatic about their views. Looks forward to it.

    • Viking Rune

      I think it would be a great movie.

  • Traveling Texn

    If this actually gets off the ground I bet it will be entertaining as hell! Unfortunately as stated above, it will be a Gibson movie, and I’m betting there will be plenty of instances where historical accuracy is sacrificed for his own extreme religious views and aesthetic/entertainment value.

    • Viking Rune

      In The History’s Vikings TV series accuracy seems to be sacrificed a lot.

  • Joyce

    It would be a great movie subject done right. Too bad it would be Gibson.

    • Viking Rune

      Hello Joyce. I think Mr. Gibson would film a great period drama.

    • Frank

      Gibson would do it amazing. Just because you don’t like him personally you shouldn’t bash his film making. Strange times we live in.

  • Clayton McDaniel

    Leonardo DiCaprio as a viking? I just could not see that. Glad he said no.

    • Viking Rune

      Hello Clayton. DiCaprio did rather well in The Revenant. I think I can see him as a Viking.

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