New Beowulf and The Last Kingdom TV Dramas

The story of Beowulf is now to be told for a new generation, as ITV announces an “epic” new 13-part period drama. The Old English poem, which stretches to more than 3,000 lines of verse, is to be adapted into a “re-imagined” television telling of the story, featuring “mythical” lands and “fantastical” creatures. Programme-makers promise the plot will feature “courage, greed, betrayal, revenge, loyalty, power, man versus wilderness and, of course, love”, in scenes that will bring the Anglo-Saxon poem to life for the Game of Thrones generation. Fans of the hit HBO show Game of Thrones have already drawn parallels between the stories online, with the popularity of George R R Martin’s bloodthirsty television adaptation sparking a renewed interest in historical fantasy drama. The ITV show, which will begin filming in April, comes after the BBC announced it too would be screening a Saxon era drama, entitled The Last Kingdom, in the new year.