Grendel Getting Live-Action Adaptation With Jeff Bridges and Dave Bautista

The live-action monster movie Grendel has found its star. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Jim Henson Company’s Grendel has cast Jeff Bridges and Dave Bautista in the film. Bridges is set to play the titular monster Grendel while Guardians of the Galaxy alum Bautista will star as Beowulf. Bryan Cranston has also been cast as King Hrothgar, Thomasin McKenzie as Queen Wealhtheow, Aidan Turner as Unferth, and T Bone Burnett as the Shaper. Burnett will also provide original songs for the film.

Grendel is set to be directed by Robert D. Kryzkowski. Kryzkowski also adapted the screenplay for the film from John Gardner’s novel of the same name which follows the “tale of the legendary monster at the heart of the Beowulf epic poem who steps forth to tell his side of this riveting story.” Jim Henson’s Creature shop is set to handle the film’s design and practical creature work. Brian Henson and Vince Raisa will produce for The Jim Henson Company. Kryzkowski, Jay Glazer, Denis Beradi, and Jon D. Wagner will also produce. Bridges will executive produce along with John Sayles, Tamara Birkemoe, and Joe Jenkes of Ashland Hill Media Finance, which is financing the film.

“Grendel represents everything I love about the movies, John Gardner’s mad masterpiece cleverly tackles what it is to be human through the wild-eyed lens of a monster,” Kryzkowski said. “It’s an honor to work with such a remarkable group of storytellers, all of whom seek to bring something wonderful and unexpected to audiences now.”

Dave Bautista Next Appears in My Spy 2

While Grendel is in the works, fans can next see Bautista in the upcoming My Spy sequel, My Spy: The Eternal City. The movie will see Bautista reprise his role as spy “J.J.” alongside Sophie (played by Chloe Coleman) in the film coming to Amazon Prime Video July 18th.  In the film, “a now teenage Sophie convinces JJ to chaperone her school choir trip to Italy where they both unwittingly end up pawns in an international terrorist plot targeting CIA Chief, David Kim and his son, Collin — who also happens to be Sophie’s best friend. The STXfilms/Madison Wells Studio production will also have Nicola Correia-Damude (The Boys), Noah Dalton Danby (Titans) and Devere Rogers (Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.) reprising their roles, with Billy Barratt (Invasion) and Taeho K (Colony) coming aboard for new ones.”

 Anna Faris (Moms, Scary Movie), Flula Borg (The Suicide Squad) and Craig Robinson (Hot Tub Time Machine) have all been cast in the sequel.