Mortensen Eyes THE HORSECATCHER for Directorial Debut

Actor to step behind the camera for adaptation.

‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Eastern Promises’ star Viggo Mortensen has revealed that he is planning to make his feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Mari Sandoz’s book ‘The Horsecatcher.’

Published in 1957, the coming-of-age tale is set in the 1800s and centres on Elk, a Native American boy trying to find his place in his family and his tribe. Expected to become a great warrior and bring honour to his people, Elk is required to kill, but killing even an enemy sickens him.

Mortensen, who recently adapted the screenplay himself, tells The Guardian, “It’s a universal story – it speaks about peer pressure to be violent. You could transpose it to an inner city and have instead the pressure to take drugs.”