Polish up your finest suit of armor and ready Excalibur, as it looks like another epic taking place in the Dark Ages is in the works. Only this time with someone at the helm that may inspire a fair amount of excitement. Hot off the heels of directing The Old Man & The Gun, David Lowery is setting his sites to work with A24 on another big film. Deadline has the scoop that the critically acclaimed director who make A Ghost Story with the studio is looking to tackle the tale of Sir Gawain in an epic entitled Green Knight.
Should your knowledge of stories surrounding Arthurian legends prove to be a bit rusty, here’s a refresher. Based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the tale follows King Arthur and his knights as they’re enjoying a New Year’s Day feast. Suddenly, a knight clad entirely in green barges in and proclaims a challenge. He offers to anyone brave enough to strike him with one blow, using a giant axe. In return the striker must grant the Green Knight opportunity to do the same, only a year later. Arthur accepts the challenge, being King of Camelot. As he does, Gawain steps up, to test his courage and prove intelligence to his liege. With one strike he beheads the Green Knight, who then picks up his head and reiterates the rules of the challenge. The story then gets twisty and turny, as Gawain travels the countryside, towards that fateful day.
Lowery isn’t unfamiliar with dabbling in the fantastical. In 2016 he remade Pete’s Dragon which proved to be a critical and box office success. If anyone is capable in adapting the text, he would be a great choice. Lowery has a way of captivating the audience, whatever the material may be. Hitting upon both deep issues and rousing set pieces. Doesn’t hurt that his work also often brings a tear to viewers eyes. Working with such a large canvas, as Green Knight is likely to provide, while being backed by A24, makes this seem to be a slam dunk.
Are you all excited to see one of the most famous Arthurian legends on the big screen? Have you ever seen the 1984 adaptation Sword of the Valiant with Sean Connery? Do you think we’re overdue for a return to the days of sword & sorcery epics? Sound of below with your thoughts. We’ll be interested to see how quickly this one gets fast tracked, as David Lowery also has the live-action updating of Peter Pan on his plate. Either way, it’s great to see this talented director continually get a chance to take on big projects.
