Dev Patel steps into Arthurian legend in this epic trailer for The Green Knight

John Boorman’s 1981 Arthurian epic, Excalibur, is a timeless classic and one of my most favourite films ever. To this day, the scene of King Arthur and his knights riding to battle through flowering orchards, set to Carl Orff’s virtuoso operatic masterpiece “O Fortuna”, still gives me goosebumps. I mention this so that you know the level praise I’m aiming for when I say that I’m getting a very strong Excalibur vibe from this first trailer for The Green Knight.

Based on a 14th-century poem from an unknown poet – of which only one copy remains – the upcoming film tells the mythical tale of King Arthur’s nephew, Sir Gawain, and his quest to defeat a gigantic green-skinned knight. And while that sounds like your typical children’s story fodder, what writer/director David Lowery (Ghost Story, The Old Man and The Gun) has cooked up here seems anything but. Dev Patel stars as Gawain in this absolutely sumptuous and gorgeous fantasy epic that is most definitely not going for an all-ages family-friendly approach. Instead, this looks like a fever dream take on Arthurian myth, full of bold visuals and dark violence and I’m totally there for it! Check out the trailer below.

An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, THE GREEN KNIGHT tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers in what becomes a deeper journey to define his character and prove his worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom by facing the ultimate challenger. From visionary filmmaker David Lowery comes a fresh and bold spin on a classic tale from the knights of the round table.

A24 has rapidly become the go-to production studio for filmmakers looking to step out of the mainstream and instead let their creative juices flow to dark and often shocking places. They’ve already given us the likes of Ex Machina, Under the Skin, Room, The VVitch, The Green Room, Swiss Army Man, Moonlight, The Disaster Artist, Hereditary and more. They’ve had a seriously impressive run of critical acclaim and awards gold, and I won’t be surprised if Lowery (whose incredible A Ghost Story was also released by A24) keeps up that streak with this film.

The Green Knight also stars Joel Edgerton, Alicia Vikander, and Sean Harris. It is scheduled for release on 29 May 2020. Until then we will keep rewatching this trailer and ogling this incredible poster.