Certainly, movie versions of Beowulf have been done before. But, in general, past movie versions have been rather bad. I am hoping quality will triumph with this fall's movie release of Beowulf.
Beowulf, of course, is one of the oldest pieces of literature in the English language, and one of the noblest and heroic stories in the world. Beowulf, the young hero of the Geats, battles the monster Grendel, who is terrorizing Heorot in Denmark. After defeating Grendel, Beowulf then must fight Grendel's mother. Beowulf then becomes King, when he is called upon to fight a terrible dragon. He kills the dragon, but is mortally wounded, and is then buried in a barrow.
The upcoming movie version will be released on November 16, 2007, in conventional theatres AND in 3D! Even better---the script was written by Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman.
Roger Avary is a well-known director, producer, and screenwriter, especially known for Pulp Fiction.
Neil Gaiman, of course, is the very talented author of, among other works, The Sandman
The film has a strong cast, with Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother, Anthony Hopkins as King Hrothgar, Ray Winstone as Beowulf, along with John Malkovich, Brendan Gleeson, Dominic Keating, Alison Lohman, and Robin Wright Penn. Initial reviews from screenings at Comic-Con 2007 and other viewings have been very positive. I still haven't understood quite how Angelina Jolie was cast as Grendel's mother, but I guess we will all see how well that decision worked in November. Anyway, Neil says he was blown away after seeing portions of the actual film, and that the newest film making techniques were used to produce one of the oldest stories in the English language.
You can see trailers, author interviews, and a plot summary on the movieweb site, and you will soon be able to collect Beowulf action figures.
It only takes one look around at the state of the world today to see that we are in dire need of heroes in our society. Strength, courage, honor, and noble deeds have been missing from the news for quite a while now. The time is right for Beowulf to return. Let's hope Roger and Neil do him justice.