Uther Pendragon isn’t a huge part of the King Arthur myth, but he is the one that sets the whole thing in motion. As played by Gabriel Byrne in John Boorman’s excellent EXCALIBUR, Uther dominates the first 20+ minutes of the film as Arthur’s conception and The Sword Of Power kick off the story of the future King of Camelot. So it’s not a surprise that Guy Ritchie and Warner Bros. want a big star to set their proposed six-film series off right. They apparently couldn’t get Liam Neeson (who would essentially be reprising his role from both GANGS OF NEW YORK and KINGDOM OF HEAVEN), so they’re going with another former cinematic assassin: Eric Bana.
Bana will no doubt head up the portion of the film he’s featured in (perhaps, once again, alongside Merlin?), as Uther would be long dead by the time Arthur grew up to look like Charlie Hunnam. I hope he gets something to work with: after seeing him underused in stuff like LONE SURVIVOR, HANNA, and STAR TREK, I’d love to see the man who impressed us in CHOPPER, TROY, and MUNICH to once-again kick some unholy ass on film.
Djimon Hounsou replaced Idris Elba as Bedivere, and Jude Law is still in talks to play the villain. We should know more about the film and its cast as it gears up to shoot later this year.
Who else is amused by the words “Plot details are being kept under wraps” regarding an adaptation of one of the most famous stories in western culture?
KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE impersonate Clark Gable on July 22, 2016.
