Some movies come and go with relatively little turbulence. Others, like Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, struggle just to make it to theaters in the first place. The upcoming reboot of the King Arthur legend finished principal photography quite a while ago, but the project has seemingly taken forever to debut. Now that a set release date has been confirmed for May 12 of this year, Ritchie has primarily attributed the delay to the crowded movie market. The director explained:
The date kept shifting, I think, simply because of competition. We could have wrapped up a year, but since we didn't have to wrap up a year ago, you keep this visual effects things going on so that you can get the best out of them. But it's such a crowded market out there, trying to find a weekend that you stand half a chance in is tough. That's the only reason.
I have to admit, that's some refreshing honesty about a film's release from a director. Guy Ritchie's comments to EW highlight one of the most troublesome aspects of releasing a movie. It's all about picking the right weekend for a wide release. Open during the holidays, and a Star Wars movie will crush you. Open during the summer, and you will inevitably have to fend off at least three major superhero movies -- in addition to all of the other blockbusters. Legend of the Sword ultimately shifted its release date on three separate occasions, but ultimately it was decided that May 12 would work best.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is one of the few non-franchise action movies that has managed to keep us intrigued over the course of its long road to theaters. The film takes Guy Ritchie's very clear filmmaking sensibilities and puts them on display in an uncharacteristic medieval setting. It looks unlike anything that Ritchie has ever made before, and that's what makes it so enticing. If he's able to bring the same degree of energy and entertainment to King Arthur that he brought to Sherlock Holmes, then we may have a surprisingly big summer blockbuster on our hands -- provided they picked the right opening weekend.
It doesn't hurt that King Arthur: Legend of the Sword has assembled a rock star cast to tell its story. In addition to Charlie Hunnam as the titular hero, the film has also enlisted the acting talents of Jude Law (a frequent Guy Ritchie collaborator by now), Eric Bana, Aidan Gillen and Djimon Hounsou to round out its cast. We will have to wait and see what all of them bring to the (round) table this summer when the film finally debuts.
CinemaBlend will bring you any and all relevant details related to the upcoming release of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword as more information becomes available to us. The film is currently slated to hit theaters on May 12.
Check out a trailer for the upcoming King Arthur film on the next page!
