Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King is the film version of The Ring of the Nibelungs. It’s the story of a magic ring, once guarded by a fierce dragon, that is unleashed upon the world. Great armies mass to fight for the ring even as fearsome spirit creatures hunt for it. A simple commoner is revealed to be the heir to a forgotten kingdom, and his love for a distant and foreign queen threatens to destroy them both. Will the ring’s curse bring doom to the hero and his companions?
The plot may sound familiar. That’s because The Ring of the Nibelungs is regarded by many critics to be the inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” saga. Some Tolkien fans may downplay the connection, in part due to the dubious political connections of another Nibelungs fan, Richard Wagner. Wagner’s epic “Ring” opera, written in the mid-1870s, drew heavily from the story of the Nibelungs. However, most scholars concede that both men borrowed from common historical sources.
"The only thing that our story has in common with the Wagner opera is that we used some of the same material from the Volsung Saga," says director, Uli Edel. "This story is about 1,500 years old. It was passed down verbally from generation to generation over hundreds of years until it was written down in the 13th century. In the past hundred years, it has been retold in various ways, and in many different versions, but my story focuses on the relationship between Siegfried, the dragon-slayer, his tragic love for Brunhild, the powerful Queen of Iceland, and the lovesick Princess of Burgund, Kriemhild."
Following the massive international success of the film version of “The Lord of the Rings,” there was a surge of interest in bringing the Nibelungs story to the big screen. A well-written script and ambitious production plans led to an impressive $25-million budget, and attracted a cast including Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3, BloodRayne), Alicia Witt (Vanilla Sky, The Upside of Anger), Julian Sands (Warlock, Leaving Las Vegas) Max Von Sydow (The Exorcist, Minority Report) and German TV star Benno Fuermann. The Academy Award-winning visual effects team from Independence Day and Godzilla was responsible for the film’s stunning special effects.
