02/09/2013 - American producer Barrie M Osborne and his scriptwriter and co-producer Susan Phillips scouting locations in Norway for a film project about Norwegian King Harald Hardråde

American producer Barrie M Osborne, whose credits include New Zealand director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), has visited Norway with his scriptwriter and co-producer Susan Phillips, to scout locations anddiscuss financingfor a film project about Norwegian King Harald Hardråde (1015-1066).

The Norwegian Film Commission, Norwegian regional film centre Filmkraft Rogaland and Innovasjon Norge – the government agency for innovation and development – accompanied Osborne and Phillips on their Norwegian tour, including to the regions of Sunnmøre, Nordfjord, Lysefjorden and the Viking village of Avaldsnes.

“What is important for us is that we can work in an unspoiled landscape,” said Osborne, who also explained to local press that “there is so much to tell about Harald that one film is not enough - we need a trilogy, with some of the same structure as Lord of the Rings, where the hero traveled through many countries and kingdoms.”

Considered the last of the great Viking warriors, Harald Sigurdsson Hardråde – the son of King Olaf II – fled Norway when it was conquered by the Danish King Canute in 1030; in 1045 he returned to become King. Allegedly he had a claim to the English throne, but when he invaded to settle it in 1066, he was killed in the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25. 

Osborne, who has more recently been the executive producer for Australian director Baz Luhrmann’s Cannes opener, The Great Gatsby with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead, also met with Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Trond Giske to talk about the project. Norway has currently no incentive scheme to attract international film and TV productions.