Check out some images from the upcoming motion-capture flick Beowulf, due November, November 16, 2007.
(Source: www.aintitcool.com)
UPDATE: Paramount asked AICN to remove the Beowulf pictures from their site, so unfortunately you no longer know what the $%#@ I'm talking about. However, you can still see the sweet shot of Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mom up above [Paramount didn't ask us to take it down, did they? ;)]
I must admit, I'm semi-jazzed about the upcoming Beowulf movie. First off, the ever-excellent Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Anansi Boys) is handling the adaptation, along with Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, Silent Hill), so the script should be rockin'. Director Roger Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future) is a more iffy proposition: I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt because everything else looks so cool.
However, Roger's the guy responsible for the look of the flick, using the same motion capture technology that he showcased in 2004's The Polar Express and this year's Monster House.
Which brings us to the concept art now on display, thanks to the boys at Ain't It Cool News. You can check out some images of Heorot, Hrothgar's castle, a flying dragon, a Viking funeral and some very life-like portraits of Alison Lohman (as Ursula) and the always lovely Robin Wright-Penn (Buttercup's future self AKA Queen Wealhtheow).
Unfortunately, there are no shots of Crispin Glover as Grendel. I'm sure Beowulf's producers are keeping those images tightly under wraps until the movie hits theatres on November 16.
What's definitely *not* under wraps (pun so intended) is several concept images of the ever-photogenic Angelina Jolie, who portrays Grendel's mother. Not sure what the reasoning is behind showing gold paint sliding off Ms. Jolie's body is . . . Oh, right! Any excuse to put in artistically-necessary nudity! How could I miss that?
You can tell the artist(s) had a really good time drawing these, and don't get me started on what I think is a water nymph showing off her . . . assets.
I wonder how they ever got these images away from the artists? I have a feeling that the phrase "from my cold, dead hands" came into it somewere. Not to mention the word . . . okay, I think I'll stop right here.
You can check out the mildly NSFW Beowulf art over here.
