'Beowulf' TV drama coming to Syfy

You may have painfully struggled through the 3,182 alliterative long lines of Beowulf in English class. Or you may agree it's one of the most impressive Anglo-Saxon pieces to date. Either way, it's coming to a small screen near you, thanks to the Syfy channel. Deadline.com reports that Syfy will be adapting the Old English heroic epic poem. 

It has spurred creative offspring in the past. The late John Gardner's novel Grendel tells the story of the hero-versus-monster battle from the perspective of the monster, Grendel. More recently, the 2007 film Beowulf boasted a huge cast: Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright, Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover and Ray Winstone playing Beowulf (also the voice of Beowful in a videogame).

Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Cast Away) directed and English author Neil Gaiman wrote the screenplay. The Paramount Picture took in $82.2M at the box office and received mixed reviews. About half of the audience report liking it on Rotten Tomatoes. There was even a 1999 sci-fi film released prior. This leads to the question, how will Syfy differentiate itself and appeal to viewers with their Beowulf storyline?

For the TV drama, screenwriter/producer Matt Greenberg (Halloween H20: 20 Years Later; 1408)  will write and executive produce. Since the series is only in the development stages, there are no projected dates at the moment. Syfy's newest show lined up is currently Haunted Highway, where Jack Osbourne and Dana Workman and another duo investigate paranomal activity on American's backroads. From "reality TV" to orginal movies like the Sharknado sequel, Syfy's Beowulf drama series is sure to stand out.

Who would you like to see play Beowulf? Do you think the TV show has potential to become more popular than the film versions?