Actor and former wrestler Dave Bautista was last seen in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two as Glossu Rabban. The actor has come a long way from his WWE days and has branched out into various roles in acclaimed films such as the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Blade Runner 2049, Knock at the Cabin, and Glass Onion.
The actor will be seen next in Robert D. Krzykowski’s fantasy epic Grendel, which sees the actor play the popular character Beowulf. A retelling of the epic poem Beowulf, the film is adapted from a novel by John Gardner. It explores the story of Grendel, a monster whom Beowulf hunts. The film also stars Jeff Bridges, Bryan Cranston, Sam Elliott, Thomasin McKenzie, and more.
Dave Bautista Joins The Cast Of The Epic Fantasy Grendel
The epic poem Beowulf has been regarded as one of the most important pieces of literature from the Anglo-Saxon period. Though the author of the poem is unknown, the work has been hailed to be an epic and follows the story of a warrior named Beowulf who travels to Denmark to slay a monster known as Grendel, who has wreaked havoc in the kingdom.
The poem had been adapted once by Robert Zemeckis and was depicted through motion-capture animation, much like his Polar Express. The film starred Ray Winston, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright, and Angelina Jolie. Jolie played the antagonist, ‘the Mother’, who is the mother of Grendel.
Deadline reported that actor Dave Bautista had joined the cast of Grendel, set to be written and directed by Robert D. Krzykowski. The film also starred Jeff Bridges as the titular Grendel and Bautista playing the role of Beowulf. Krzykowski mentioned his excitement about working on the film in a statement to Deadline. He said,
“Grendel represents everything I love about the movies. 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.”
The film was reportedly based on the novel of the same name by John Gardner, which was based on the epic poem.
Fans Are Ecstatic About The Cast Of Grendel
Apart from Dave Bautista and Jeff Bridges, Grendel seems to have a packed star cast which includes Bryan Cranston, Sam Elliott, Thomasin McKenzie, and Aidan Turner. The film has the potential to be a great fantasy epic due to its impressive star cast and interesting perspective on the popular Anglo-Saxon poem (via Deadline).
In the poem Beowulf, Grendel is a monster who is a cursed descendant of the Biblical Cain. Unable to tolerate the sounds of celebration in the mead hall of the kingdom of Heorot, the monster begins to attack the soldiers and warriors in the hall, consuming them in the process. Grendel attacks the hall for twelve years, prompting the king to send for Beowulf.
Fans seem to be ecstatic about the concept of the film and its impressive star cast. Many took to social media to express their excitement. Some even campaigned for Angelina Jolie to reprise her role as the Mother from Robert Zemeckis’ Beowulf.
Are we going to have Angelina Jolie back? That's all I want to know. pic.twitter.com/kvF8lOIGfv
— OurMovieGuide (@OurMovieGuide) May 10, 2024
Grendel was the victim BTW
— joey. (@ncjoeye44) May 10, 2024
Jeff Bridges and Sam Elliott in the same movie? I am sold
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) May 11, 2024
Batista keeps getting wins bro, we love to see it
— Tynan McDonald (@FandomAnxiety) May 10, 2024
Dang, a Dave Bautista, Cranston, Elliott three headed Beowulf is gonna be nuts!!
— Nick Smithsonian (@DollaBillzFalln) May 10, 2024
Anything with Dave Bautista gets me seated
— Sam (@samk0006) May 10, 2024
The film will also reportedly feature the voice of T Bone Burnett, who is set to compose original songs for the film.
Beowulf is streaming on Paramount Plus.
