Russell Brand Trying To Be A Modern-Day Errol Flynn?

Russell Brand has built a career off playing pretty much one character, a British lothario who either has a drinking problem (Get Him to the Greek, the upcoming Arthur) or is recently on the wagon (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), and who very much resembles the famously formerly addicted Brand himself. The time for him to branch out was going to come eventually, but who would have though it would be an attempt to become a modern-day Errol Flynn?

According to Deadline, Brand is looking to play a very Flynn-esque hero in Hawkwood, an action comedy about real-life swashbuckler John Hawkwood, who "led various European armies during the Renaissance wars." I'd been under the impression that the Renaissance was a time of general peace and artistic development in Europe, but I suppose there's never really a moment when one section of planet Earth isn't beating up another.

Jared Stern is doing the script for Fox, and having done rewrite work on Brand's own Arthur, he's presumably very familiar with the stars capabilities as an actor. Some of the sheen definitely wore off on Brand after Get Him to the Greek with all the self-indulgent rock-star pitying that went on there, but he's still a guy I wouldn't mind seeing more of. If Arthur manages to be a hit the size of the original (which was nominated for four Oscars in 1981), we'll be seeing a lot more of Brand whether we like it or not, so at least he's moving away from the same lounge lizard persona.