Set against the coming of Christianity, this is the story of the last hero: in 507, a monstrous troll wrecks havoc in the mead hall of the Danish king, Hrothgar. He offers rewards for the death of Grendel, so Beowulf, a great and boastful Geat warrior, arrives with his thanes. Beowulf sets aside his armor and awaits the monster; a fierce battle ensues that leads to Beowolf's entering the watery lair of Grendel's mother, where a devil's bargain awaits. Beowulf returns to Herot, the castle, and becomes king. Jump ahead many years, and the sins of the father are visited upon Beowulf and his kingdom. The hero must face his weakness and be heroic once again. Is the age of demons over?

Set against the coming of Christianity, this is the story of the last hero: in 507, a monstrous troll wrecks havoc in the mead hall of the Danish king, Hrothgar. He offers rewards for the death of Grendel, so Beowulf, a great and boastful Geat warrior, arrives with his thanes. Beowulf sets aside his armor and awaits the monster; a fierce battle ensues that leads to Beowolf's entering the watery lair of Grendel's mother, where a devil's bargain awaits. Beowulf returns to Herot, the castle, and becomes king. Jump ahead many years, and the sins of the father are visited upon Beowulf and his kingdom. The hero must face his weakness and be heroic once again. Is the age of demons over?

Screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary began writing the script in May 1997.

Paramount Pictures hired Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County, California, to produce a walk-through maze based on the new "Beowulf" movie for its 35th Annual Halloween Haunt, held every October at the theme park. Sony Pictures
The Grudge 2 (2006) was the only previous maze produced at the Haunt by a major movie studio.

According Ray Winstone, he and his fellow cast spent days filming in blue...

Screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary began writing the script in May 1997.

Paramount Pictures hired Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County, California, to produce a walk-through maze based on the new "Beowulf" movie for its 35th Annual Halloween Haunt, held every October at the theme park. Sony Pictures
The Grudge 2 (2006) was the only previous maze produced at the Haunt by a major movie studio.

According Ray Winstone, he and his fellow cast spent days filming in blue skintight suit, "showing up all your lumps and bumps in all the wrong places. Which can be hard when you're standing in front of Angelina Jolie, who looks stunning in hers."

According to visual effects supervisor Jerome Chen, close to 300 cameras were used, compared with 64 to 72 for
The Polar Express (2004).

In some areas, release prints were delivered to theaters with the fake titles 'Epic' or 'Sally'.

Most of the time when Grendel is talking in the movie, he is not speaking in Modern English but in Old English, the language in which the original poem was written, which in sound resembles modern Swedish. Interestingly, he never speaks in the original poem. He only sings a song of sorrow (which most people take to be a wail) when Beowulf rips off his arm.

Roger Avary had originally intended to direct. Robert Zemeckis' friend and partner Steve Bing, who produced
The Polar Express (2004), purchased the script for $2 million so Zemeckis could direct

The name "Beowulf" is a kenning of the Anglo-Saxon words for "Bear." A kenning is a phrase that is substituted for the usual name of a person or thing. It is typically comprised of two terms, with the first word added to the second in a way that conveys a meaning neither word has alone. Therefore "Beowulf" comes from "Bee-Wolf," meaning "Bear."

Model Rachel Bernstein (uncredited) was the body double for Angelina Jolie in the film's nude scenes.

Crispin Glover's first project with director Robert Zemeckis since
Back to the Future (1985).