After a hefty search among rising younger talents, director David Dobkin has finally locked in someone to play the man who will be King Arthur in Arthur & Lancelot. His choice? Kit Harington.
While some prior experience swinging a sword around wasn’t likely to be the final deciding factor, it surely didn’t hurt that Harington has been getting plenty of practice in his role as Jon Snow in HBO’s Game Of Thrones.
Harington will join Joel Kinnaman (who stars in the US remake of The Killing) in the tale of Arthur’s early days. Born a bastard (technically speaking; that's not a slur on his character) and raised by a humble, poor knight, Arthur slowly becomes the inspiring leader he will one day become. Lancelot, on the other hand, is of noble birth, but shot through with a rebellious spirit. Warner Bros. is hoping to get a more light-hearted, action-packed Sherlock Holmes-toned spin on the story, but promisingly has also offered the role of Merlin to Gary Oldman.
According to the Heat Vision blog, the rivalry over the heart of Guinevere will not truly come into play until any sequels. She’ll crop up, but briefly.
Dobkin is aiming to kick off shooting next March. Harington will be back in the next season of Thrones and also crop up in Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, which doesn’t yet have a solid UK release date.