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In War We're Tough and Able

By TK | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (21)

arthur-404_683230c.jpg

Arthurian legend is apparently going to be the new vampire. Just you wait, in a couple of years we’re going to be up to our balls in Excaliburs and round tables. Just last week in broke the exclusive news that Guy Ritchie would be directing a Warren Ellis-penned story of Excalibur. Not to be confused with the remake of the 1981 John Boorman film that Bryan Singer is attached to.

Now, there’s a third horse in the race. The LA Times is reporting that New Regency is developing Pendragon, which will be an origin tale of the Knights of the Round Table, using a younger cast. Whether this means it’ll simply be the story of their early years, or whether they’re going to Twilight-ify it and make it all angsty and teen-dreamy and, you know, shitty…. that remains to be seen.

The script for Pendragon was written by Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy, both relative newcomers, and will be directed by Sylvain White, whose filmography is… well, unusual. He’s directing the hitman ensemble The Losers, which comes out next month He’s also responsible for I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer and Stomp the Yard. Yeah, that’s an interesting trio of films to have on your resume.

I gotta say, among White, Ritchie, and Singer — I’m not holding much hope for White. But then, all signs point to this not really being aimed at my demographic.

Seriously though — do we really need any more films about King Arthur? It pretty much starts and ends here:









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Comments

The characters as teens?

Can't they just do a Merlin film? (As in, the tv-series.)

Posted by: Linda at March 8, 2010 11:16 AM

Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

Posted by: superasente at March 8, 2010 11:17 AM

Well played Superasente, well played!

Posted by: PaddyDog at March 8, 2010 11:19 AM

So Guy Ritchie is going to shit all over the Arthurian legend just like he did with the story of Sherlock Holmes. Why doesn't he just go all the way and turn the Jesus story into a caper movie about a docklands gang leader with his twelve thug followers and their feud against the rival Pharisee gang from the other side of the river.

Posted by: PaddyDog at March 8, 2010 11:22 AM

I unclog my nose in your direction, sons of a window dresser. So, you think you could outclever us French folks with your silly, knees-bent, running-about, advancing behavior? I wave my private parts at your aunties, you cheesy-leather, second-hand, electric donkey bottom biters.


Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time.

Posted by: BWeaves at March 8, 2010 11:35 AM

PaddyDog, Sherlock Holmes was clearly not about the story. It was about the abs.

I'm perfectly okay with them doing a shitty King Arthur movie as long as it's about the abs. But if it isn't (or if it stars Taylor Lautner), then I'm going to take my copy of T.H. White's The Sword in the Stone and go beat everyone involved in the "fad" over the head with it.

Posted by: esme at March 8, 2010 11:37 AM

I got it - baby Arthur! They could call it Pendwagon!

Posted by: mswas at March 8, 2010 11:42 AM

Auwthor Pendwagon and the Widdle Knights of the Wound Table.

Awesome.

Posted by: superasente at March 8, 2010 11:57 AM

Auwthor Pendwagon? So Michael Palin has signed up for this already?

Posted by: PaddyDog at March 8, 2010 12:06 PM

esme:

Nothing Guy Ritchie does is ever about the story. It's always a poor-man's version of The Krays in different settings. He's a one-trick pony and the trick is becoming very old.

I'll support you on the abs quest, but you know it would be very risky for those guys to go off a-knighting and a-jousting with their abs exposed. Unless Merlin is going to magic up some broad spectrum antibiotics out of the cauldron. But then, the folks in Avalon might be rather upset that the quotas aren't being filled. The whole thing will be a mess. You mark my words.

Posted by: PaddyDog at March 8, 2010 12:11 PM

I'm not that far removed from being a teen, but seriously, when does this youth movement end? It's a goddamn stain.

Posted by: Mick J at March 8, 2010 12:16 PM

Will any of them have the knights that say "Neek"?

Posted by: UncleJR at March 8, 2010 12:17 PM

"Neek"??????

I think someone missed an opportunity to use one of my favorite Britishism ever. . .the glorious "widdle" counterpart "ickle." It makes NO sense and that's why I love it.

Posted by: coveredinbees at March 8, 2010 12:21 PM

Yeah, they're def already doing Pendragon over at the BBC, and I'm pretty sure Bradley James is now permanently cast in my head as young Arthur. So they should leave that shit alone.

Posted by: Alice at March 8, 2010 1:48 PM

You have a land to quell before you can start all this hair pulling and jumping about.

Posted by: dammitjanet at March 8, 2010 1:54 PM

Pedragon sounds like an update of Young Guns (yeah, I'm old)--which was an excuse for Brat Packers to dress up as cowboys and shoot guns. This time around we will have actors from CW shows and those who outgrew Disney shows dressed up in aluminum chain armor waving swords (yet frequently take their shirts off to show their abs), saying "thou" and "thee" a lot. PASS.

Posted by: True_Blue at March 8, 2010 1:58 PM

superasente, I wuv you.

Posted by: mswas at March 8, 2010 3:14 PM

Maybe they can do that weird half ass computer animation like Beowulf, because nothing makes a pile of shit more awesome then digital effects.

Posted by: Robb at March 8, 2010 4:17 PM

Hey, I love Stomp the Yard. I just fast forward the dialog. The choreography is OSSOM.

And that video always reminds me (weminds me?) of this video. Hee!!

Posted by: Jelinas at March 8, 2010 5:03 PM

Rats, I was hoping you were going to tell me that Spamalot was coming to the big screen.

Posted by: meaux at March 8, 2010 5:33 PM

Oh Monty Python, you just keep getting better with time!

Posted by: Lola at March 9, 2010 1:44 AM