Robert Eggers, Alexander Skarsgard Team for Viking Saga 'The Northman'

Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Bill Skarsgård and Willem Dafoe are being targeted for roles in the drama.

Robert Eggers, days away from the opening of The Lighthouse, is setting his sights on his next feature project.

Eggers is sticking to historical times with The Northman, a Viking drama that is being set up at New Regency.

Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Bill Skarsgård and Lighthouse star Willem Dafoe are in various stages of talks to star in the saga.

Lars Knudsen, who produced Eggers’ breakout The Witch, as well as Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar, is producing the project. Skarsgard is said to have approached Eggers with the initial idea for the story and will also be a producer.

Written by Eggers and Icelandic poet and novelist Sjón, Northman is described as a grounded story set in Iceland at the turn of the 10th century that centers on a Nordic prince who seeks revenge for the death of his father.

If talks progress and deals are made, Skarsgard would play the prince and Kidman would portray his mother.

While the broad strokes of the plot may sound simple, the movies that Eggers has made so far are not. Witch was a slow-burn supernatural horror story that, with its fastidious attention to detail right down to period dialogue, brought audiences to 1630s New England. Lighthouse, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and is set for an Oct. 18 release, has been praised for its intense mood as it tells the turn of the 20th century story of the relationship of two lighthouse keepers.

Alexander Skarsgård, who appeared on HBO's Big Little Lies, has Kong vs Godzilla as his next Hollywood tentpole and recently booked the plum part of Randall Flagg in CBS All-Access’ adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand. He is repped by CAA.

Kidman, who also appeared on Big Little Lies, portrays Gretchen Carlson opposite Charlize Theron in the upcoming awards-season contender Bombshell. She is repped by CAA and Media Talent Group.

Taylor-Joy recently wrapped a starring turn in Last Night in Soho for Edgar Wright and next stars in Working Title’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma. She is repped by CAA, Troika and Felker Toczek.