Ötzi the Iceman Is the Star of a New Action Movie

Scientists know a lot about what Ötzi the Iceman was like the day he died 5300 years ago. He had been 40 to 50 years old, he was wearing an outfit of furs and hides, and he had just eaten a meal of venison when he was shot in the back with an arrow and killed. Though the details surrounding earlier parts of his life remain mysterious, that hasn’t stopped filmmakers from bringing the Iceman’s hypothetical story to the big screen, according to Discover.

The new film, titled Der Mann Aus Dem Eis or Iceman, follows Ötzi’s life as it might have played out in the Copper Age. It takes place in the Alps, where Ötzi’s preserved body was discovered in a melting glacier by hikers in 1991. German director Felix Randau pulled some details for the movie from the evidence Ötzi left behind, including his bear-skin hat, goat-leather leggings, copper ax, and dozens of tattoos. For parts of the story and character that needed to be filled in, Randau collaborated with researchers at Italy's South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology to make them believable.

In the movie, Ötzi (whose name has been changed to Kelab) stalks the enemy tribe responsible for killing his family. The characters speak a made-up language inspired by Raethic, a language native to the region in Roman and pre-Roman eras. The crew even shot on location in the South Tyrolean Alps, near where Ötzi was uncovered, to achieve an authentic look.

Based on this theme of historical accuracy, you can probably guess how Iceman ends. The title character is hit by an arrow and dies alone in the snowy mountains. Even Ötzi's iconic final resting position, with his left arm extended across his body, has been recreated in the film.

Der Mann Aus Dem Eis hit theaters in Germany last month, and will receive a multi-platform release in the U.S. next spring.