Russell Brand to play swashbuckling rogue

Russell Brand is set to play a real-life swordsman in the action comedy Hawkwood, a project he plans to also produce for 20th Century Fox.

The news comes from Deadline, who describe John Hawkwood as “a morally challenged but gifted swordsman … paid to lead various European armies during the Renaissance wars.”

Jared Stern, who has worked in the Disney story department and currently has several films in development, will write the screenplay.

Brand is currently filming the remake of Arthur in New York City. He will next be seen in Julie Taymor‘s adaptation of The Tempest.

Discuss: Can Brand escape the shadow of Aldous Snow (and by extension, the shadow of himself)? I say, yes.