Viking Ship Owners Claim ‘The Odyssey’ Filmmakers Left $ 6,000 Repair Bill Unpaid

Swedish owners of the Viking ship replica, which was featured in the Hollywood Movie ‘The Odyssey’, said that they feel ‘forgotten’ after the movie was made and released.

They alleged that the filmmakers returned the ship in a damaged condition and did not pay the bill of $6000 for repairing the vessel, adding that they were charging only for the material and not the labour involved in the work.

However, a spokesperson from Universal claimed that all invoices related to the ship were paid in full, including the repairs, and that the studio and production have contacted the association to clear the misunderstanding.

In almost 30 years at sea, the Viking longship, Glad av Gillberga, based on a wreck from around 1040 found in Denmark’s Roskilde fjord, sailed the North Sea, the Baltic and even to Canada; however, just after 6 months with Universal, it sustained a lot of damage to its stern and mast, the owners claimed.

Vikingaleden, a nonprofit in Värmland, western Sweden, said they invoiced Universal for the cost of materials needed for repairs but did not receive any payment.

“We are only charging for the material cost, not the labour,” said Peter Olausson, chair of the Vikingaleden association. “Of course Universal can afford this $6,000. We feel forgotten.”

He added that for Universal, the amount is small but for the 200-member association which manages the Viking Village Museum, it is significant.

The Christopher Nolan epic starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya has been a blockbuster, earning $264 million (£196 m) in its opening weekend alone. Yet, the association is waiting for its payment of a few thousand dollars, he said.

Peter Olausson also said that he is happy and proud that the ship was featured in the movie; however, he also felt the tinge of injustice after the filmmakers’ failure to cover the cost of damages to the ship.

The ship is back in action, but he has accused Universal of going back on their promise. He said that the agreement was that they would fix the ship and financially reimburse them.

The film is based on Homer’s ancient epic poem about the King of Ithaca, Odysseus, who takes on a 10-year sea journey home from the Trojan War.

The Glad av Gillberga was used as one of the escort ships in the flotilla, which are thought to have been similar to Nordic Viking ships.

The main ship, the Odysseus’s boat, was the Norwegian replica Draken Harald Hårfagre. Its captain, Björn Ahlander, described how life was when they were filming for 6 months around the Greek and Italian Islands with a 30-member crew.

In an interview, he said that the ship had to be rebuilt into an ancient Greek vessel, for which all the tents were removed as well as the modern onboard equipment.

They made an open deck and lived on it during the shooting of the movie, which made it quite tough but also a unique experience.