When all else fails, go back to the beginning: Warner Bros. is allegedly planning a six-part movie series centered on the King Arthur myth.
When the news broke that Guy Ritchie was developing yet another King Arthur movie, it surprised absolutely no one.
Considering that classic stories tend to be rebooted in waves (see Snow White, Spider-Man, Batman, etc.), Hollywood would hardly let the Arthurian legends lie after only two TV series, several musicals and operas, a Disney classic, a Monty Python comedy show, countless book adaptations, and 10 movies in the last 100 years (the most recent being the 2004 blockbuster starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley).
And let’s not forget Young Merlin, the adaptation of T.A. Barron’s novel which is currently being developed by Disney.
King Arthur is, after all, the grandfather of all modern literature. There are traces of Arthurian legends in almost every hero’s story today, so why not keep playing with the source material?
And one movie is clearly not enough. Guy Ritchie’s Knights of the Round Table, set to premiere on July 22, 2016, is allegedly the first of six movies exploring the classic tales.
Variety reports the studio’s plans for a new Arthurian franchise, which probably hinges on the box office success of the first movie.
In the same article, it was also revealed that Jude Law is circling the role of “the villain” in Round Table. Depending on the adaptation, this is likely Arthur’s arch nemesis Mordred, or the rival for Guinevere’s heart, Sir Lancelot.
Charlie Hunnam (pictured above) has already been cast as King Arthur, with Astrid Bergès-Frisbey playing Guinevere. Idris Elba was rumoured to play the role of Merlin, but sadly a deal could not be made.