Having already played a Roman soldier in 2010's Centurion, man-of-the-moment Michael Fassbender wants to return to ancient times for a new movie based on the Irish mythological hero Cuchulainn.

The chariot-riding warrior - whose name is sometimes spelled Cu Chulainn and is sometimes written in English as Cuhullin, similar to how it is pronounced - was famed for his mighty deeds and terrifying battle rage.

The name has been referenced across popular culture including comics, books, sports, music, games and cartoons, while the hero's childhood moniker Setanta is used by a Dublin-based sports broadcaster.

Fassbender is developing the new film with Public Enemies scribe Ronan Bennett, who has been working on the project since last year, according to ScreenDaily. Both are based in Northern Ireland, where the legend is rooted.

The project has the working title Irish Myths. Fassbender is expected to star as the hero, but no director or other casting is in place.

Fassbender and Bennett have raised development finance for the film through their London-based production company Finn McCool Films.

在去年先后精彩演绎了“万磁王”、荣格以及性瘾者等令人印象深刻的角色之后，当红男星迈克尔·法斯宾德日前又将目光锁定在了一位传奇角色身上——他将与曾在《无耻混蛋》中合作过的编剧罗兰·本奈特共同打造一部讲述爱尔兰神话英雄库丘林（Cú Chulainn/Cúchulainn）的影片，而法斯宾德就将饰演这位爱尔兰最伟大英雄之一的传奇人物。

库丘林原名瑟坦达（Setanta）生活在公元7世纪左右的爱尔兰北部，因幼年自卫中杀死库兰（Culann）凶猛的看门犬而获名库丘林，他拥有半人半神的血统以及超人的格斗技能，年仅17岁时便单枪匹马击退了康诺特部落的Mebh女王大军。在预言里，他因伟大的英雄之举而获得了永恒的名望，因此也被人们拿来与希腊英雄阿喀琉斯 （Achilles）作比较。库丘林的英雄事迹被收录在公元8世纪的阿尔斯特史诗（Ulster Cycle）中，也被誉为“阿尔斯特猎犬”（Hound of Ulster）。

值得一提的是，此前法斯宾德曾在《300勇士》中饰演过浴血奋战的斯泰利奥斯（Stelios），所以虽然我们还无法得知此次他会把库丘林的哪些英雄传说搬上大银幕，但对于有着爱尔兰德国双重血统的他来说，与身为北爱尔兰人的本奈特合作自然水到渠成。

在经历了忙碌的2011年之后，34岁的法斯宾德的未来事业表依然排得满满当当，除了已经上映的《制胜一击》和即将亮相的《普罗米修斯》，他还将出演布莱丹·格里森执导的《双鸟泳河》，与老搭档史蒂夫·麦奎因三度合作的《黑奴十二年》，以及在《X战警：第一战》续集中重拾“万磁王”一角。