Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is returning to the fantasy genre. Her follow up to this year’s thriller Miss Bala is a live-action adaptation of Heathen, the Vault Comics series which mixes Norse mythology, Vikings, and queer heroism into one epic tale.
Per Deadline, the series focuses on Aydis, “a fierce Viking warrior who is scorned by her village for kissing another woman and then, after witnessing widespread injustice toward women, declares a one-woman feminist war on Odin himself”.
Natasha Alterici created the series, and sought to make something very different from the traditional world of Nose mythology that’s recently been popularised by the MCU. Female pirates, mermaids, and other magical beings are all a part of the comic series. Whether Hardwicke will bring them all on board the film adaptation is as yet unknown.
This feels like the perfect match between content and director. Hardwicke already helped propel one literary fantasy adaptation, why not another? She’s clearly experienced in navigating the adaptation process and the fantasy genre as a whole.
Hardwicke will direct from a script by Kelly Williamson, best known thus far for Tyler Perry‘s Alex Cross. Constantin Films, the studio behind Heathen, is reportedly keen to “keep momentum on the project going”, which likely indicates casting could happen pretty soon.
Asking Heathen to be the next Twilight might be a big ask, but Constantin have certainly hired the right director in hopes of giving it the best possible shot.
#Peace.Love.Heathen
