Cu Chulainn will be portrayed as a brutal killer in the news "Lord of the Rings" style movie called "Hound".

The movie is set to start production next year with computer-generated imagery and special effects helping to tell the ancient tales. The tag line to the movie is already being quoted as "Born to Kill, Dying to Defend".

The movie will be directed by Paul Bolger, who worked on the cartoon "The Land Before Time", while the script is being written by, former Horslips front man, Barry Devlin.

So far the Irish Film Board has given the movie $37,327 and $62,497 has come from the Northern Ireland Screen. The movie is expected for release in 2013. Although filming is expected to take place in Ireland it is reported that the production team is already in talks with U.S. studios.

The film will capture all the violence and gore of the original fables. It will also include Cu Chulainn's defense of Ulster against Queen Medb's army and his three-day battle and murder of Ferdia, his foster brother and best friend.

Paul Bolger explained that Cu Chulainn was not a children's story book hero but a bloodthirsty warrior depicted by the Irish poet Thomas Kinsella. He was the Irish Achilles.

Cu Chulain's name (pronounced Ku Cullen) means "Hound of Culann". He got this name having slayed the vicious guard dog, having arrived at the house of the Ulster smith Culann.