TwilightandRed Riding HooddirectorCatherine Hardwickewill return to the world of fantasy and action-adventure with a new project she’s recently signed on for. That project? A live-action adaptation of the Vault Comics seriesHeathen, which mixes Norse mythology, Vikings, and a dash of queer heroism into one epic story.
PerDeadline’s report, the Vault series “centers 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’s comic series takes a decidedly different approach to the world of Norse mythology than the one we know from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including lady pirates, mermaids, and other magical beings to help tell Aydis' tale. Thor may not show up in Hardwicke’sHeathen, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be bored if she sticks to the source material.
This is the kind of material seemingly ripe for Hardwicke to latch onto for her next venture. Having successfully adapted Stephenie Meyer’sTwilight,which dealt in vampire and werewolves rather than Norse gods and Vikings, Hardwicke understands how to navigate the adaptation process and translate fantasy and action elements onto the big screen. It also doesn’t hurt thatTwilightlaunched a multi-million dollar franchise; with the public interest in big action-adventure stories still present and accounted for, the same could happen withHeathen.
Hardwicke will direct from a script byKerry Williamson, known for her previous work onTyler Perry’sAlex Cross.Deadline’s report indicates Constantin Films, the studio behindHeathen, is keen to keep momentum on the project going, indicating casting could happen soon.
