The actor-and-director was reported to be planning a Norse-themed epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and at the press conference for thriller the Edge Of Darkness he revealed more details.
Gibson said: "I think it's going to be [in] English - the English that would have been spoken back then - and Old Norse. Whatever the ninth century had to offer. I'm going to give you real.
"The very first idea I ever had about making a film was when I was 16 years old and I wanted to make a Viking movie. And I wanted to make it in Old Norse, which I was studying at the time. That was the first big, epic, wacky idea I ever had."
When asked about how the film will look, Gibson replied, "I want a Viking to scare you. I don’t want a Viking to say, “I’m going to die with a sword in my hand.” I don’t want to hear that. It pulls the rug out from under you. I want to see somebody who I have never seen before speaking low guttural German who scares the living shit out of me coming up to my house. What is that like? What would that have been like?"
The script is being developed by William Monahan, who wrote the screenplay for the Oscar-winning crime drama The Departed. Work is expected to begin in the autumn.
Gibson gave nothing away about the plot or location, but said of casting he wanted "somebody I've never seen before"
Gibson has produced and starred in several historical films, including Braveheart, which told the story of the medieval Scottish leader William Wallace. The film had several historical inaccuracies, but it went on to win five Oscars, including best picture, and took $200 million at the box office.
