Michael Fassbender To Play "Cuchulain" In IRISH MYTHS

Michael Fassbender is to take the lead in a new project written by Ronan Bennett, whose credits include Public Enemies and The Hamburg Cell.

Fassbender will star as Cuchulain, the central hero of the Ulster Myth Cycle in the film (one of the four branches of Irish mythology), which has a working title Irish Myths.

Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn, Irish for "Culann's Hound", is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore. The son of the god Lug and Deichtine (sister of Conchobar mac Nessa), his childhood name was Sétanta. He gained his better-known name as a child after he killed Culann's fierce guard-dog in self-defence, and offered to take its place until a replacement could be reared. At the age of seventeen he defended Ulster single-handedly against the armies of queen Medb of Connacht in the epic Táin Bó Cúailnge ("Cattle Raid of Cooley"). It was prophesied that his great deeds would give him everlasting fame, but that his life would be a short one. This is the reason why he is compared to the Greek hero Achilles. He is known for his terrifying battle frenzy or ríastrad, (translated by Thomas Kinsella as "warp spasm", and by Ciaran Carson as "torque") in which he becomes an unrecognisable monster who knows neither friend nor foe. He fights from his chariot, driven by his loyal charioteer Láeg, and drawn by his horses, Liath Macha and Dub Sainglend. In more modern times, Cú Chulainn is often referred to as the "Hound of Ulster".