Will adaptation of epic poem Beowulf be the new Game of Thrones? ITV set to turn 3,000 line Old English verse into 13-part drama full of 'epic fights and battles' 

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It runs to more than 3,000 lines of verse and is the longest epic poem in Old English.

Now, Beowulf - which documents the eponymous hero's battles with a monster and a dragon - will be made into a 13-part drama for ITV, the broadcaster has confirmed.

The cast is yet to be revealed, but the series - described as a ‘Western set in the Dark Ages of Britain's mythic past’ - will be filmed ‘amongst the breathtaking beauty of England's North East’.

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Computer animation: A film called Beowulf, inspired by the poem, was released in 2007 starring the likes of Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie

Links between the poem and Game of Thrones have previously been suggested, with character Jon Snow - played by actor Kit Harington in the HBO drama - compared to Beowulf himself.

In the new drama, the broadcaster has promised ‘epic fights, thrilling chases, raids, celebrations and battles’ - and it will be filmed from April next year in County Durham and Northumberland.

An ITV spokesman said: ‘Beowulf is a series about courage, greed, betrayal, revenge, loyalty, power, man versus wilderness and, of course, love. It is a series that explores the notion of good and evil, heroes and villains.

‘However, beyond these wider political undercurrents and inner personal turmoils are the excitement, danger and sense of adventure that any great Western has.’

Runs to more than 3,000 lines: Beowulf is one of the most famous works of Anglo-Saxon poetry, and its only known manuscript is held at the British Library in London, dating back about 1,000 years

The series is set in Shieldlands, a mythical area populated by both humans and fantasy creatures.

The first episode will see Beowulf return to Herot to pay his respects to a man who raised him. But Herot is then attacked by the monster Grendel, leading Beowulf to hunt it down.

The announcement comes after ITV unveiled a string of period dramas - such as The Frankenstein Chronicles, starring Sean Bean, and Jekyll & Hyde, set in 1930s London.

Beowulf writer and executive producer James Dormer said: ‘Hundreds of years ago our ancestors listened to the story of Beowulf because it was a great adventure story. It scared them, thrilled them, made them laugh and cry. 

'But they also listened because they recognised themselves and their fears in it. By holding a mirror up to them this story helped define them, and thus - us.

Hit series: Links between the poem and Game of Thrones (Sean Bean playing Eddard 'Ned' Stark, above) have previously been suggested

‘So it's incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to make it relevant again for a wide audience - to let them own it again, to let them see themselves in it.’

Beowulf is one of the most famous works of Anglo-Saxon poetry, and its only known manuscript is held at the British Library in London, dating back about 1,000 years.

A film called Beowulf, inspired by the poem, was released in 2007 starring the likes of Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie. 

Game of Thrones - starring Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey and Peter Dinklage among others - documents the dynastic struggles in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros for control of the Iron Throne.

And California-based medieval literature expert Brantley Bryant noted in April: 'Some of the most sensational, violent aspects of Game of Thrones are actually also present in medieval literature.'