Just yesterday, we brought you the first set photo from Guy Ritchie’s medieval epic Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur, which found star Charlie Hunnam posing opposite the director on the first day of production. Now, Warner Bros. has unsheathed a synopsis for the pic, which will serve to launch a franchise of six blockbuster films, all to be spun out of Arthurian lore.
According to the studio, which does not mention the official title of the film despite it being previously referred to as Knights of the Roundtable, Ritchie’s take will unfurl thusly:
The bold new story introduces a streetwise young Arthur who runs the back alleys of Londonium with his gang, unaware of the life he was born for until he grasps hold of the sword Excalibur—and with it, his future. Instantly challenged by the power of Excalibur, Arthur is forced to make some hard choices. Throwing in with the Resistance and a mysterious young woman named Guinevere, he must learn to master the sword, face down his demons and unite the people to defeat the tyrant Vortigern, who stole his crown and murdered his parents, and become King.
In addition to Hunnam as Arthur, Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur has cast Astrid Bergès-Frisbey (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) as Guinevere, Jude Law as the villainous Vortigern, Eric Bana as Arthur’s father Uther Pendragon, Djimon Hounsou as Resistance leader Bedivere, and Game of Thrones actor Aidan Gillen, aka Littlefinger, as Goosefat Bill (nope, not a joke, the guy’s name is Goosefat).
Joby Harold, who made the 2007 thriller Awake, executive-produced Edge of Tomorrow and is producing a currently untitled I Am Legend follow-up, penned the script for Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur, which will see Richie reunited with his Man from U.N.C.L.E. cinematographer John Mathieson (Gladiator, Robin Hood).
Guy Ritchie is one of the most inimitable British filmmakers working today, and his gritty British crime capers Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch give us an idea of what to expect from this Arthurian epic – which is to say, that it’s going to be absolutely amazing.
Knights Of The Roundtable: King Arthur is currently set to open on July 22, 2016. Join us in counting down the days.