After giving us our first official look at Idris Elba in The Dark Tower earlier this morning, EW is now peeling back the curtain on Guy Ritchie’s new take on the classic King Arthur tale, which stars Charlie Hunnam in the lead role.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, as it’s being called, is set to be a gritty re-imagining of the story, with Hunnam playing an Arthur who’s “a little more street than his forebears,” according to the actor:
“He’s a bit rough around the edges, but he’s basically a survivor,” Hunnam says. “There’s definitely a harder edge than people would imagine.”
Combined with what we’ve heard about Ritchie’s new take being bold, it definitely sounds like this is going to be a very different and more mature King Arthur, which we’re certainly intrigued by. The first two photos, which can be seen above and show off Hunnam and Jude Law as the villain Vortigern, don’t reveal a whole lot, but you definitely get an idea of what kind of tone and aesthetic the director is going for.
“I think where the pitfall has often been is trying to make King Arthur bland and nice, and nice and bland,” director Guy Ritchie previously told EW. “The two qualities make rather compatible bed companions. Unfortunately, they’re not interesting to watch. Luke Skywalker was always the most uninteresting character in Star Wars because he’s the good guy. Good guys are boring.”
As for Law’s villainous role, he’ll be playing the “tyrannical uncle” of Arthur, who murders his brother and dad, which of course sets Arthur out on a path of revenge. Not much else is known about what Ritchie has in store of if he plans to introduce any major changes to the story, but we’re fairly confident that the director will be able to present a compelling and engaging take on the tale.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword hits theatres on March 24th, 2017 and stars Hunnam and Law alongside Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey as Guinevere, Djimon Hounsou and Aidan Gillen.
