Cast the King Arthur Movie
When it comes to King Arthur movies, Hollywood seems to have developed a sudden obsession. According to reports, there are currently three big-screen adaptations being planned for the legendary king of the Britons. While some may never see the light of day, it’s enough to drive sword-wielding fanboys to distraction.
In this installment of the Casting Couch, you’ll be challenged to cast the King Arthur movie. Whether you’re going for a more traditional version or a teen-oriented tale, your goal is to find the right combination of looks, talent, and starpower.
But before we get to that, let’s examine the King Arthur film projects currently in development:
- Guy Ritchie is now attached to direct a King Arthur film for Warner Bros. The script was originally supposed to be by Warren Ellis, but it looks as though Ritchie will now be writing it alongside John Hodge. It’s said to be one of those dreaded “re-imaginings,” which leaves a lot of wiggle room when it comes to plot and characterization. But it is supposed to draw heavily from Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’ Arthur, so that’s always good news. I’m just glad that the Madonna phase is over for Ritichie, meaning we won’t have to see her cast as an oddly masculine-looking Guinevere.
- Bryan Singer is attached to direct a remake of the classic 1981 John Boorman film, Excalibur. As long as Mordred doesn’t shank Arthur with a piece of kryptonite, I’ll be happy.
- Finally there’s director Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard and The Losers) and the possibility that he’ll helm Pendragon. Based on a script by Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman, this project is supposed to act as an origin story for Arthur and his knights. If it performs well, expect a franchise to follow.
Now let’s take a look at the characters for our King Arthur movie:
- King Arthur – King of the Britons and the wielder of the mystical sword Excalibur.
- Guinevere – The wife of King Arthur. She has an affair with Sir Lancelot, and this betrayal causes the fall of Camelot. Spends the last years of her life in a convent.
- Sir Lancelot – The greatest and most trusted of the Knights of the Round Table. He has an affair with Guinevere, and this leads to the downfall of the kingdom and the death of Arthur. The father of Sir Galahad.
- Merlin – A wise wizard who helps Arthur become king. He is eventually imprisoned by The Lady of the Lake.
- Sir Galahad – The illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and a Knight of the Round Table. Galahad was admired for his purity and heroism. Along with others, he finds the Holy Grail. Declared by King Arthur as his “most perfect knight.”
- Mordred – The illegitimate son of King Arthur. A treacherous figure who tries to overthrow Camelot, he is killed in battle with his father (but not before mortally wounding him).
- Sir Gawain – Nephew to King Arthur and one of the Knights of the Round Table. A brash warrior who defends women and the poor. Famous for his adventures in the tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
- Morgan le Fay – An evil sorceress and the half-sister of King Arthur. Modern film adaptations often depict her as being in league with Mordred and imprisoning Merlin.
- Sir Bedivere – A Knight of the Round Table, Bedivere is an excellent warrior despite being one-handed. When Arthur is taken to the isleof Avalon following his battle with Mordred, it is Bedivere who returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake.
- The Lady of the Lake – A mystical being who gives Arthur his enchanted sword and raises Sir Lancelot. When Arthur is mortally wounded in battle, she takes the dying king to the land of Avalon.
And, no, these guys aren’t included…
And in case you’re having trouble thinking of ideas, here are a few casts from previous films about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
King Arthur (2004)
- Arthur – Clive Owen
- Guinevere – Keira Knightley
- Lancelot – Ioan Gruffudd
- Tristan – Mads Mikkelsen
- Gawain – Joel Edgerton
- Galahad – Hugh Dancy
- Merlin – Stephen Dillane
Excalibur (1981)
- King Arthur – Nigel Terry
- Morgana Le Fay – Helen Mirren
- Merlin – Nicol Williamson
- Lancelot – Nicholas Clay
- Guenevere – Cherie Lunghi
- Gawain – Liam Neeson
- Mordred – Robert Addie
First Knight (1995)
- King Arthur – Sean Connery
- Lancelot – Richard Gere
- Guinevere – Julia Ormond
Now it’s time for my official selections for the King Arthur movie. Share your own picks in our comments section.
Daniel Craig as King Arthur – Craig has an awfully rugged face to be 42, but that’s perfect for a king with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s more than capable of handling the action scenes, and he looks in period costume.
Olivia Wilde as Guinevere– The queen consort of Arthur needs to be young and hot, so who better than Scottish hottie Olivia Wilde? She’s even more lovely as a brunette, but I always picture Guinevere as a blonde. Besides, you need someone who’s hot enough to cause the ultimate downfall of Camelot, and Wilde more than fits the bill.
Clive Owen as Sir Lancelot – While I realize that Owen has already played King Arthur, I still think he’d make a better Lancelot. Why? Owen is fantastic as a sword-wielding badass, and he just looks like the type of guy who could steal your woman.
Billy Connolly as Merlin – While he’s better known for being a comic, Billy Connolly has turned in a number of solid dramatic performances over the years (Mrs. Brown, for example). Plus, he looks fantastic with long hair and a white beard.
Zac Efron as Sir Galahad– Galahad is supposed to be the son of Sir Lancelot, so we need someone from the younger generation. Galahad is also supposed to be a paragon of chastity, so you need someone who looks like they’d be constantly tempted by lusty medieval wenches. Efron is that guy.
Chris Pine as Mordred – Yes, he’s Captain Kirk, but anyone who watched Carriers knows that Pine can also play a convincing asshole. Since Mordred’s hand guides the blow that takes Arthur out of the world, a world-class jerk is what’s required.
Colin Farrell as Sir Gawain– A brash warrior who protects women and the poor, Farrell has all the necessary charm and physical abilities to pull off this role. And it doesn’t get any more brash.
Kate Beckinsale as Morgan le Fay – I rest my case.
Sean Bean as Sir Bedivere – How about giving Sean Bean a heroic role where he doesn’t die? That would be novel.
Emma Watson as The Lady of the Lake– Since she’s an ageless being, I figured I’d go borderline jailbait with The Lady of the Lake. At the moment, nobody embodies that quality more than Miss Hermione Grainger.
This entry was posted on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 6:17 pm and is filed under Casting Couch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
10 Responses to “Cast the King Arthur Movie”
Personally, King Arthur (2004) will probably be my favourite out of all the Arthur movies. I am excited to see what happens with this one though.
I think that most of the choices put in in the post are pretty good. I personally would not cast Zac Efron, Chris Pine or Kate Beckinsdale.
Arthur-Daniel Craig.
Guenivere-Definitely Olivia Wilde.
Merlin-Billy Connoly would be great for this role. I think that Christopher Lee would also do a well in this part.
Lancelot-Hmm. Maybe Ryan Reynolds…
Galahad-Garrett Hedlund or Jake Gyllenhaal. He needs to be innocent and act innocent. Hence these two.
Mordred-I’m not quite sure who yet… he needs to look innocent. He shouldn’t be a brute. I think he should be more brains than brawn.
Morgan Le Fay-Helena Bonham Carter.
Gawain- I love the idea of Colin Ferrel as Gawain! He needs to have this role! (But I also think that Sam Worthington, Andy Whitefield, or Gerard Butler would do a good Gawain.)
Lady of the Lake-Emma Watson is a decent choice. But Gemma Arterton would do more justice to that role.
Oh yeah… and Sean Bean would be a great Bedivere! 🙂
Thanks for the thoughts, Emma. You’ve got some great selections. Let’s hope Hollywood takes your advice!
I’m thrilled to find this site because I was having this very discussion with a co~worker. We think it’s high time Hollywood give us a film worthy of the Arthurian Legend.
I nominate Josh Hartnett as Lancelot
Amanda Seyfried as Guinevere
The legend of Arthur is also part truth, as new discoveries are proving.
I would provide a cast without Lancelot, and though he became the most famous knight in Arthur’s court, he is only a French invention to compete with Sir Gawain, and have one of their own invading English history.
There are better stories than the one produced by Mallory, stories based in the Mabinogion of Celtic lore. Stories like, for example, those of Mary Stewart.
It’s a pity that Camelot has come down history as the setting for Lancelot and Guinevere’s adultery.
Why then did Arthur gave the name to the legend???
ABSOLUTELY NOT THIS OLD GUY FOR KING ARTHUR!!!!!!!!!! HE NEEDS TO BE YOUNG, BLONDE AND HOT!!!!! or at a minimum, blonde. *cough cough* BRADLEY JAMES, ANYBODY???? DO YOU PPL WATCH MERLIN ON BBC???????? like the guy’s perfect, he does a fantastic job, I’m writing an Arthurian novel that has been solely inspired by his performance…without plagiarizing. 🙂 Anyway, this would give hima chance to have a cute blonde leading lady, sorry but the guinevere they picked doesn’t really fit the part. The guy who plays her brother is great, but her…not so much. so yeah…BRADLEY JAMES FOR ARTHUR!!!!!!!! WOOT WOOT!!!
BTW everyone but Arthur’s great…sorry, I got sidetracked 🙂
I like all your choices! Good job! Especially for Arthur’s “true” lady.
Ballard Andy White
Ben Stiller as King Arthur – He’s old enough now, and it would be a brave choice. If you couldn’t get him for the role, either Jim Carrey or Nicholas Cage could pull it off.
Christine Taylor as Guinevere – She’s beautiful and a love affair between her an Ben Stiller is believable. And an affair with Lancelot is believable too. Liv Tyler would be a fine 2nd choice.
Owen Wilson as Sir Lancelot – This one’s obvious.
Bill Murray as Merlin – Again, an obvious choice. If he’s unwilling to do it, Larry David would make an excellent second choice.
Seth Rogen as Sir Galahad – This would help Rogen break out of his “bad boy” image. If he’s not available, you might consider casting Jon Heder.
Michael Emerson as Mordred – One might argue that he’s not young enough for the role. Nay, verily, I say unto thee!
John Krasinski as Sir Gawain – Again, the obvious choice.
Michelle Pfeiffer as Morgan le Fay – Totally hot and totally believable as a sorceress. If she’s not available, how about Virginia Madsen?
Nathan Baesel as Sir Bedivere – How could you even think about casting anyone else in this role? Nathan Baesel IS Bedivere!
Cate Blanchett as The Lady of the Lake – Didn’t you see the Lord of the Rings?
And of course, you left out Uther Pendragon. I have the perfect actor for that role too–Rip Torn.