Hwaet a Movie - Episode 5 - Beowulf: Prince of the Geats (2007)

Hwæt a Movie returns with Beowulf: Prince of the Geats! Given how hard this one is to find, we’d be surprised if any of you have seen it.

Released in March 2007, shortly after SYFY's Grendel and ahead of Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf, this Scott Wegener-directed indie film dives into the epic tale with a unique take on the hero and his legendary battles. And while the film’s limited budget and production constraints might be apparent, its dedication to the original text shines through. Making the film more charming and admirable is the fact that the production team and actors all worked for free on this passion project. All proceeds from the sale of the DVDs for Beowulf: Prince of the Geats went to aid both the American and Norwegian Cancer Societies. Get a sense of the film by watching the trailer here.

The film stars both Jayshan Jackson and Damon Lynch III as the younger and older Beowulf. Wegener’s decision to depict Beowulf as the son of an adventuring African fisherman offers some interesting possibilities and an approach to the character that we haven’t seen yet. It’s also one of the few film adaptations to follow Beowulf home to Geatland after his time in Denmark.

As always, our episode includes an exhaustive summary of the film, a Q&A discussion, and our final ratings. How do these versions of Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel’s Mother stack up against those we’ve seen before? And how does this quirky, low-budget film score on its fidelity to the source material and its overall entertainment value?

As the length of the episode might suggest, we’ve got a lot to say about this one. This was a delightful film to unpack, and we hope you enjoy hearing about it as much as we enjoyed discussing it.

If you’re interested in reading more about Wegener’s decision to cast black actors to play Beowulf and the responses it prompted, check out the following articles and discussions:

Clark, David. "Race/Ethnicity and the Other in Beowulf". In Beowulf in Contemporary Culture, edited by David Clark, 31-50. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019.

Nokes, Richard Scott. "Beowulf: Prince of the Geats, Nazis, and Odinists". Old English Newsletter. 41, no. 3 (2008): 26–32.

Listen to our overview, watch the trailer (or find the film if you can), and let us know what you think on our social media:

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