"Da Vinci's Demons" actor Kieran Bew has been cast to play the lead role of "Beowulf" in ITV’s epic re-imagining of the iconic Old English poem following the exploits of the titular warrior as he battles a fearsome monster during Britain’s Dark Ages, according to Deadline.
Kieran will star alongside William Hurt and Joanne Whalley in the new series created by James Dormer ("Strike Back"), Tim Haines ("Primeval") and Katie Newman. The 13 part series is produced by ITV Studios and set in the mythical Shieldlands, a place of spectacle and danger populated by both humans and fantastical creatures. Dormer will write and exec produce.
"Downton Abby" actor Ed Speleers and David Ajala ("Black Box") have also been cast along with Ian Puleston- Davies, Ellora Torchia, Gisli Orn Gardarsson, Susan Aderin, Kirsty Oswald, Laura Donnelly, Edward Hogg, Alex Price, Jack Rowan and Itoya Osagiede.
Beowulf, considered one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature, had a big-screen adaptation with Robert Zemeckis’ 2007 motion capture film and, earlier, was given a sci-fi reimagining with the 1999 Christopher Lambert-starrer BEOWULF.