King Arthur has been a subject explored numerous times by Hollywood. Everything from Disney's Sword in the Stone to the cult classic Excalibur. The most recent manifestation was 2004's King Arthur starring Clive Owen.* Well if "Deadline" is to be believed, Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot, and the rest may soon grace the screen once again.
The website reports that director Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Sherlock Holmes) is in talks with producer Akiva Goldsman to direct a new film based on the English legend. The film will be based off a script by Joby Harold. The plan is to tell the King Arthur fable over a period of six planned films. Pretty ambitious. Little is known about the film other than it will have "fantasy elements." Really? Didn't see that coming with a magical sword and a wizard involved and all that.
While a six film series may sound a little too audacious, the Arthurian legend is a long story encompassing decades and multiple plots and characters. Starz recently took a shot at the tale with the televison show CAMELOT but it was canceled after one season.
I'm a fan of the legend as it is the basis for many of our modern day fantasy tales. Without T.H. White's The Once and Future King it's unlikely the world enjoys Game of Thrones or The Lord of the Rings. The success or failure of this franchise all depends on how well the first film does. But hiring Guy Ritchie is at least a step in the right direction.
*Fuqua's 2004 film is severely underrated. If you haven't checked it out it's worth a watch.
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