Who’s tough enough to not only battle with Jax Teller, but to do so while decked out in the finest period garb? Sadly, we’re not referring to a Sons Of Anarchy/Game Of Thrones spinoff, but instead, we’re talking about Guy Ritchie’s Knights Of The Roundtable: King Arthur. With Sons leading man Charlie Hunnam fixed for the titular role of King Arthur, the quest has now begun to locate him a suitable adversary. Which, according to Variety, may be none other than Jude Law.
Ritchie and Law have previously worked together on the director’s Sherlock Holmes franchise, which saddled Law in the witty sidekick category as Dr. Watson. For the medieval reboot, it’s looking like Law will be honing in on his darker side as he’s being sought to play the leading villain. There’s no word on who specifically that baddie will be, but if he’s a big enough hit with fans, he may return for future instalments.
The overall plan put forth by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow, who are co-financing the pic, is for the movie to start a new franchise. Yes – Warner Bros. just can’t get enough of the repeat business game, as the King Arthur legend is such an appealing property that their projections see it spanning a whopping six movies! However, the fate of the series is expected to hinge on the box office success of the first flick.
Based on a script by Joby Harold, the film will be a re-telling of the Arthurian legend, which was last dusted off for Antoine Fuqua’s 2004 take, King Arthur. If Keira Knightley’s warrior version of Guinevere veered too far from the truth, then hopefully Astrid Berges-Frisbey will be up to the task, as she’ll be taking on the role for Ritchie. Currently finishing up casting, Ritchie is finalizing details over who’ll be playing Arthur’s best friend – a role Idris Elba was originally in line to play.
Knights Of The Roundtable: King Arthur will hit theatres on July 22nd, 2016. Until then, we’ll keep you posted on any new casting developments as soon they surface.