Faced with insurmountable odds, we learned in Monty Python And The Holy Grail, brave Sir Robin ran away. Likewise, Guy Ritchie's Knights Of The Round Table: King Arthur has just sounded the retreat from next year's crowded summer season. It'll now open in February, 2017, rather than next July, where it would have faced stiff competition from Star Trek Beyond and Ice Age: Collision Course.
That new date places it in Presidents Day weekend in the States, with studio Warner Bros. hoping to capitalise on the childrens' school holidays. Warners have also taken note of the success of Kingsman: The Secret Service in February this year, while Deadline point out that Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films played well in similarly wintry slots. King Arthur's new date pits him against Bad Boys 3 and Maze Runner finale The Death Cure though, so it's still not entirely plain sailing.
Charlie Hunnam stars in Ritchie's film as the titular head of the Round Table, with Astrid Bergès-Frisbey his Guinevere. Eric Bana is Arthur’s father, Uther Pendragon, while Jude Law is the villainous Vortigern and Djimon Hounsou is Sir Bedivere, one of Uther’s old comrades who takes Arthur under his wing.
And the plot? Joby Harold has written a script that finds a young Arthur as a streetwise type running the back alleys of Londonium, unaware of his royal destiny. Until, that is, he somehow grasps hold of the sword Excalibur, and finds himself challenged by its power. He joins forces with the resistance, meets Guinevere and has to learn to master the sword while battling his demons as well as the tyrannical Vortigern. Can he avenge his murdered parents and claim his rightful place on the throne? If the film is a success, Harold and Ritchie have plans for a six-film franchise spun from the stories of Arthur and co.
With Aidan Gillen and Mikael Persbrandt also aboard, Knights Of The Round Table: King Arthur, as we said, will now open in the US on February 17, 2017.