There are so many bad puns to be made about pulling swords from stones, but I’m mature and a lady so I’m not going to make them. That said, if you heard a gasping inhalation from the internet yesterday, I guarantee you it was coming from anyone and everyone attracted to the male sex when Entertainment Weekly released the very first pictures of Sons of Anarchy and Pacific Rim star Charlie Hunnam in his next role as the once and future king, Arthur Pendragon.
A whole slew of actors have played King Arthur over the years, but Hunnam looks like he’ll be bringing a new angle to the regal role if these pictures are any indication. His Arthur is young and attractive with a glint in his eye as he cradles his famous sword Excalibur. There’s also something delightfully rough and tumble about his leather breaches and loose cotton top. This is not a royal who has been coddled or sheltered but a leader who has seen enough hard work to build up muscles and put callouses on his hands, at least I’m assuming. Look, if Charlie Hunnam wants to give me a closer look at his hands so I can confirm the callouses from all his hard work, I would NOT say no. Wait what was I talking about?
Anyways, Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur will star Hunnam in the title role, Astrid Gerbes-Frisbey as Guinevere, Eric Bana as Uther Pendragon, Djimon Hounsou as Sir Bedivere (a Merlin-like figure), and Jude Law as Vortigern, the film’s villain. The film is set to be released in 2016 with Guy Ritchie directing. I’m eager to see more first-look pictures and to get a real feel for this new King Arthur. The film sounds like it will combine a bit of Sword in the Stone, where Arthur doesn’t know his lineage until he takes Excalibur, and a bit of First Knight rebellion. It will be interesting to see the legendary king as a young man on film again, and I’ve read promise of monsters and magic in multiple places.
Until the movie hits theaters, I’ll just have to sit here and stare at Hunnam’s leather-clad self and wonder just how skilled he is with that sword. What a shame.
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IMAGES: EW
