The Kid Who Would Be King

Like Robin Hood, the legend of King Arthur is told and retold, and reinterpreted for each new generation.  In 2017, director Guy Ritchie showed us a rougher, grittier version of Arthur in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.  Februar 15, 2019 is the scheduled release date for The Kid Who Would Be King.

One day Alex Elliott is an ordinary twelve-year-old, whose biggest problems are schoolyard bullies and math homework.  Then he finds and removes a sword from a block of concrete.  Anyone who knows anything about Arthurian lore knows what that means.  Arthur’s life is about to get complicated.  Soon he is facing eldritch monsters sent by Morgana to take over the world, and attempting to raise and train an army.  Never a dull moment at Dungate Academy.

Legend says that when England faces dire danger,, Arthur will return to protect his kingdom.  Hence the title The Once and Future King for T. H. White’s classic novel.  It’s too early to tell if Alex is supposed to be the reincarnation of Arthur, like in Mike W. Barr’s Camelot 3000, or just someone taking Arthur’s place temporarily.  We’ll have to wait until 2019 to find out.

The Kid Who Would Be King was filmed on location in London and Cornwall.  It was written and directed by Joe Cornish, one of the scriptwriters for the MCU’s Ant-Man and the writer/director of Attack the Block (starring Jodie Whittaker, the 13trh Doctor) and John Boyega, (Finn in the most recent Star Wars movies and Bigwig in the new Watership Down.)  The movie features a promising cast.

Alex Elliott is played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis, the real life son of Andy Serkis, (Gollum in LOTR, Ulysses Klaue in Black Panther)  Sir Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard, Professor Xavier) shares the role of Merlin with Angus Imrie (Josh Archer in The Archers, Oswald in The Treasure Seekers).  Sir Patrick plays Merlin in his own form.  Imrie plays Merlin disguised as a teenager, so he can watch over Alex in conspicuously.  Alex’s mother is award-winning Irish actress Denise Gough.  The principal of Dungate Academy is played by Noma Dumezweni, who appeared in Doctor Who twice as Captain Erisa Magambo, UNIT and won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as Hermione Granger..  This is not the first time Sir Patrick has been in an Arthurian movie; in the 1981 film Excalibur he played Guinevere’s father.

Watch the video above, then tell us in the comments section below what you think of The Kid Who Would Be King.

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Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.