Swedish Heavy Metal Star Johan Hegg from Amon Amarth Joins ‘Northmen’ Cast

Johan Hegg, frontman for Swedish heavy metal band Amon Amarth, has joined the cast of Claudio Fah’s film Northmen – A Viking Saga, playing the role of Viking warrior Valli. The casting is particularly apt as the Vikings and Norse mythology are the subject of most of Amon Amarth’s lyrics. The band released their ninth studio album — Deceiver Of The Gods — in June via Metal Blade Records. It landed at #19 on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 album charts and #3 on Germany’s top 100, making it Amon Amarth’s highest charting album to date.

“The mythology behind our Viking heritage is engrained in everything we do and it is awesome to have the opportunity to be part of Northmen – A Viking Saga,” said Hegg.

Ralph Dietrich, CEO of Switzerland’s Ascot Elite Entertainment Group, which is producing the film together with Jumping Horse Film of Germany and South Africa’s Two Oceans Production, said Hegg and Amon Amarth were “synonymous with the Viking experience” the filmmakers were looking to bring to life in Northmen.

Hegg joins an international cast on Northmen including True Blood star Ryan Kwanten, Britain’s Tom Hopper (Knights of Badassdom), Ed Skrein (Game of Thrones) and James Norton (Rush), German actor Ken Duken (Inglorious Basterds), Irish actress Charlie Murphy (Philomena) and Switzerland’s Anatole Taubman (The Tudors).

The plot of the film has a gang of Viking marauders, under the command of the young warrior Asbjorn (Hopper) setting out for a raid of the Britain Isles who are caught up in a storm and wreaked on the coast of Scotland. With the help of the enigmatic warrior monk Conall (Kwanten) they set off to their way through enemy territory to reach the safety of a Viking stronghold.

The action adventure is currently shooting on location in South Africa. The Salt Company is handling world sales, on Northmen with pre-sale deals already in place in for the U.K., France, Scandinavia, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Source: Hollywood Reporter