Guy Ritchie Assembling Round Table
Gathering the knights around that round table in “Excalibur.”
Variety confirms a report from Pajiba that Guy Ritchie will direct a new version of the King Arthur story. John Hodge is working on the script, along with Ritchie; the main source is Sir Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur,” which is pretty much always the main source for Arthurian stories. They are, however, supposedly, “reimagining” the legend. I have no idea what that means, other than that it will involve Ritchie’s typically headache inducing visual style.
There have been a number of attempts to tell the King Arthur story onscreen. None have been a slam dunk, but John Boorman’s 1981 “Excalibur” probably comes the closest (or “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” depending on your mood). That one doesn’t have big names in the lead (Nigel Terry and Cherie Lunghi played Arthur and Guinevere), but the supporting cast includes Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne and Liam Neeson. Not bad, huh?
Casting? Again, who knows? I’m sure Ritchie will throw us a curve. The obvious thing, though, is that whoever plays Arthur will have to be an action hero. There are no other kinds in Ritchie’s universe.
