We reported that Ritchie was working on a King Arthur film separate from Bryan Singer’s Excalibur remake, and that both projects were at Warner Bros. Warren Ellis (Red) was working on a script for Ritchie. Now it looks like it’s getting a rewrite, courtesy of John Hodge (Trainspotting).
Hodge’s draft will be influenced by Sir Thomas Malory’s ‘Le Morte D’Arthur’, which was published in 1485. [Variety]
‘Le Morte D’Arthur’ is both a compilation of French and English Arthurian tales, as well as including material from Malory himself, which includes key characters and stories (e.g. Merlin and ‘the sword in the stone’ respectively) well-known to modern audiences.
There have not been many high-profile takes on the Arthurian legend. That said, only 6 years have passed since Antoine Fuqua’s King Arthur was released to middling reviews and less-than-amazing box office totals. With a legend so ripe for telling, a big-screen outing which can do it justice is long overdue. Another mediocre plod around the English countryside is not.
Are you excited for another King Arthur film?