‘The Green Knight’ Trailer: Dev Patel, David Lowery Dazzle With Indie Fantasy Epic
Zack Sharf
The last time an Arthurian legend was brought to the big screen was Guy Ritchie’s 2017 megaflop “King Arthur,” starring Charlie Hunnam in the title role, but something tells us that the upcoming “Green Knight” won’t suffer a similar fate. An adaptation of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” the upcoming A24 release is the latest directorial effort from David Lowery, who has been on a critically-acclaimed streak thanks to films like “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” “Pete’s Dragon,” “A Ghost Story,” and “The Old Man & the Gun.”
“The Green Knight” is easily Lowery’s most ambitious effort to date, and the first trailer below teases the director has successfully pulled off a mood-heavy indie fantasy epic. “The Green Knight” stars Dev Patel as Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s reckless nephew, who embarks on a quest to confront and defeat the eponymous green-skinned stranger (viewers get a first look glimpse of the Green Knight in the final seconds of the trailer).
“The Green Knight” is one of two high-profile summer releases Patel is leading, following “The Personal History of David Copperfield” (in theaters May 8 from Searchlight Pictures). “The Green Knight” cast also includes Joel Edgerton, Barry Keoghan, Alicia Vikander, and “The Witch” duo Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie. Sean Harris, best known for playing the villain in the recent “Mission: Impossible” films, has the role of King Arthur.
“The Green Knight” marks a reunion between Lowery and A24. The indie studio was behind the release of “A Ghost Story,” which opened to critical raves in 2017 and grossed nearly $2 million on a $100,000 production budget. IndieWire named “A Ghost Story” the 52nd best film of the last decade, praising Lowery for his surprising and playful touch to such an existential and overwhelming narrative.
“The Green Knight” joins other A24 release set for 2020 including recent Sundance Film Festival world premieres “Zola” and Grand Jury Prize winner “Minari.” The studio is coming off big success stories like “The Farewell,” which won the Indie Spirit Award for Best Feature, and “Uncut Gems,” which is about to hit the $50 million mark at the domestic box office and is already the studio’s top U.S. grosser.
A24 will release “The Green Knight” in theaters May 29. Watch the official trailer for “The Green Knight” in the video below.
