'Beowulf' Premieres January 23 on Esquire

Beowulf premieres January 23 on Esquire.

Esquire embarks on a journey into its second original scripted series with the epic tale of "Beowulf," premiering Saturday, January 23rd at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Based on the legendary English poem over a thousand years old, Beowulf tells the story of a disillusioned and damaged hero. The 13-episode, one hour drama will chronicle Beowulf's return to his home Herot, to make peace with his past. Unwittingly in search of a cause to believe in and a community to fight for, Beowulf finds himself wrongly accused of murder and hunts down the true perpetrator to avenge the death of his fellow kinsmen. Beowulf becomes Herot's tough but unconventional hero, responsible for upholding the law and protecting the town from danger. The last of a dying breed, Beowulf is a man capable of shaping the world around him by his actions and force of will. While this may seem like a familiar tale, Beowulf unearths the full story of the complicated, driven man behind the lore.

The series stars Kieran Bew ("Da Vinci's Demons") as Beowulf; multi-award-winning actor William Hurt ("Damages") as Hrothgar; acclaimed actress Joanne Whalley ("Wolf Hall") as Rheda; Ed Speleers ("Downton Abbey") as Slean, Laura Donnelly ("Outlander") as Elvina and David Ajala ("Black Box") as Rate. "Beowulf" is produced by ITV Studios with Tim Haines and Katie Newman serving as Executive Producers along with James Dormer ("Strike Back"), who writes the series. It is distributed internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

Esquire Channel Orders 13-Episode 'Beowulf' To Air in 2016

Esquire Network continues its bold venture into original scripted programming and will bring the epic tale of “Beowulf” to the small screen in 2016. The inspiration for countless books, movies and comics worldwide, this grand and unparalleled rendition will bring 13 adventure-clad episodes illuminating the supernatural anecdote of Beowulf, a prodigious but troubled warrior who experiences love and loss yet shares a deep binding comradery with his fellow kinsmen. Reimagined for television, the series was filmed throughout England’s vast and breath-taking countryside to set the stage for the story’s fantastical land inhabited by heroes and beasts. “Beowulf” is produced by ITV Studios with Tim Haines and Katie Newman serving as Executive Producers along with James Dormer (STRIKE BACK), who writes the series. It is distributed internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

Matt Hanna, Executive Vice President of Development and Production for Esquire Network said, “‘Beowulf’ exemplifies our commitment to delivering well-produced, vivid and engaging programming to our audiences. We’re thrilled to bring an impressive assembly of artists and visionaries to our lineup when the series unveils later next year.”