'True Blood's' Alexander Skarsgard to star in 'Battleship'

'True Blood's' Alexander Skarsgard to star in 'Battleship'



Alexander Skarsgard is going from vampires to naval board games.

The “True Blood” star has signed to star opposite Taylor Kitsch in “Battleship,” Universal’s sci-fi tentpole adaptation of the Hasbro game.

Peter Berg (“Hancock”) is directing the action-adventure movie, which adds an “alien invasion” element to the screen story. The script, by Jon and Erich Hoeber, revolves around an international fleet coming together to battle a water-bound armada of otherworldly origin.

Skarsgard will play Kitsch’s brother, a straight and narrow naval officer whom Kitsch, a wildly spirited naval officer, idolizes.

The role marks Skarsgard’s first studio movie since impressing audiences with his turn as a vampire sheriff in HBO’s “True Blood.” Skarsgard has appeared in films in his native Sweden, making his first major English-language appearance in HBO’s “Generation Kill.”

His “Blood” role has proved watershed, with the actor regularly landing on lists for parts in major movies. Skarsgard screen-tested for the lead in Marvel’s “Thor,” going down to the wire for a role that went to Chris Hemsworth.

Repped by CAA and Principal Entertainment, Skarsgard will fit in Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia” before shooting “Battleship,” which begins shooting Aug. 30 in Hawaii for a June 18, 2012, release date. The actor also will appear in the upcoming remake of “Straw Dogs.”

Berg is producing “Battleship” with Film 44 partner Sarah Aubrey, Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir and Scott Stuber.

Jeffrey Kirschenbaum and Anikah McLaren are overseeing for Universal.