The Big Picture

  • Jeff Bridges stars in Grendel, a life-action fantasy film based on John Gardner's novel.
  • Dave Bautista also stars as Beowulf, Grendel's human foe.
  • Grendel will feature practical special-effects creatures from The Jim Henson Company.

Jeff Bridges is set to play one of English literature's most famous monsters in Grendel. He will face off against Dave Bautista's Beowulf in the new life-action fantasy film, which will feature practical special-effects creatures from the Jim Henson Company. Deadline reports that the film will be shopped at the Cannes Film Festival later this month.

Grendel is an adaptation of the 1971 John Gardner novel of the same name, which retells the Old English epic poem Beowulf from the perspective of its villain, the monster Grendel. It will also star Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as King Hrothgar, Sam Elliott (The Big Lebowski) as the Dragon, Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho) as Queen Wealhtheow, and Aidan Turner (Poldark) as Unferth. The film is slated to be written and directed by Robert D. Krzykowski, who directed Elliott and Turner in 2018's The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot. Says Krzykowski: "John Gardner’s mad masterpiece cleverly tackles what it is to be human through the wild-eyed lens of a monster. It’s an honor to work with such a remarkable group of storytellers, all of whom seek to bring something wonderful and unexpected to audiences now." Gardner's novel was previously adapted into the 1981 Australian animated feature Grendel Grendel Grendel, which starred Peter Ustinov as the voice of the titular monster.

What is 'Beowulf'?

Written by an unknown author before the year 1000 BCE, Beowulf is one of the most significant works in the English language. It tells the story of the warrior Beowulf, who came to the aid of Danish king Hrothgar to battle the monstrous Grendel. After defeating Grendel, Beowulf must contend with Grendel's mother, and eventually returns to his homeland to become the king himself, before falling in battle with a dragon. It is a cornerstone of English literature, and was an enormous influence on J.R.R. Tolkien, whose own translation of the poem was published posthumously in 2014. It has been adapted for the screen many times, including as the Antonio Banderas thriller The 13th Warrior; the Robert Zemeckis animated film Beowulf, which starred Ray Winstone as Beowulf, Crispin Glover as Grendel, and Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother; and the Jim Caviezel science fiction film Outlander.; and the 2016 ITV adaptation Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, starring Kieran Bew.

Brian Henson and Vince Raisa will produce Grendel for The Jim Henson Company, along with Krzykowski, Jay Glazer, Dennis Berardi, and Jon D. Wagner. Bridges will executive produce with John Sayles, Tamara Birkemoe, and Joe Jenckes of Ashland Hill Media Finance, which will finance the movie. T Bone Burnett will score the film.

Grendel is set to be shopped at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival; no release date has yet been set. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.