‘Tis the season for release date changes, it seems. Fresh off Sony reshuffling Baywatch (May 26) and Daniel Espinosa’s sci-fi thriller Life (March 24), Warner Bros. has now pushed medieval reboot King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword into the midst of summer blockbuster season: May 12, 2017.
Guy Ritchie’s fantasy epic hasn’t had much luck in the release date department. Despite being in the can for more than a year – Warner had once earmarked the film for July 22, 2016 – Legend of the Sword was initially bumped back to February of 2017, before later being delayed again to March. Now, the studio has settled on the new, and surely final, release date of May 12, 2017, where the Charlie Hunnam-fronted actioner will be sandwiched between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Alien: Covenant, after the latter was brought forward from its original August date.
King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword isn’t the only film to be affected by Warner’s reshuffling – Annabelle 2, David F. Sandberg’s (Lights Out) horror sequel, has now been shifted to August 11, 2017, where it will open opposite Edgar Wright’s star-studded Baby Driver. It had once been slated to drop in mid-May, which was admittedly an unusual corridor for a horror film of Annabelle 2‘s nature.
Circling back to Legend of the Sword, Guy Ritchie’s adventure has been pitched as Lord Of The Rings meets Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels. An unusual mix, but after striking box office gold with his Sherlock Holmes franchise, it’s fair to say that Ritchie and Co. deserve the benefit of the doubt, even if Warner Bros. was essentially playing hot potato with the film’s release date.
Also starring Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Jude Law and Eric Bana, King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword will now roar into theaters on May 12, 2017.