It’s been over a year since we got our first trailer for The Green Knight, A24’s medieval romp through Arthurian lore. It was one of the first movies to be delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and A24 wisely stuck to their guns, refusing to release it on digital. That looks like a smart move because WOW, LOOK AT THIS TRAILER. Talking foxes. Giant babies. Scary Groot. Dev Patel with a sword! This is one we gotta see on the big screen.
The whole thing is being handled by rising talent David Lowery, the guy behind A Ghost Story and The Old Man With the Gun. By the looks of the trailer, it’ll hew close to the actual poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” the 14-century tale that inspired the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and Simon Armitage. In the story, King Arthur’s youngest knight and chivalrous nephew Sir Gawain gets wrapped up in a deadly oath with a mysterious “Green Knight,” and must keep his word and defend his honor if he wants his seat kept warm at the Round Table.
Movies inspired by Arthur don’t tend to do all that great, the most recent example being Guy Ritchie’s snoozefest King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. But most of those movies have attempted to update the legends into modern action blockbusters. Lowery’s appears to be staying true to the magical, folkloric roots of the stories, which promises a far more interesting time. Can’t wait.
This is the movie people were talking about when they said they miss the movies and now, we can finally go back and watch it in a real theater (as long as you’re vaxxed, of course) on July 30, when this absolutely amazing-looking movie will drop.
