David Farnor | On 28, Oct 2019

“King of England, are you scared?” That’s the sound of Robert Pattinson stealing the show in Netflix’s The King as a French prince, and he makes a welcome appearance in the final trailer for the historical drama, which rides on to Netflix this weekend.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s play, and written by Director David Michôd and star Joel Edgerton, the film sees Timothée Chalamet play Hal, wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne. He has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaos and war his father left behind, and the emotional strings of his past life — including his relationship with his closest friend and mentor, the ageing alcoholic knight, John Falstaff.

“With an excellent cast and enjoyably grubby action, this revision of Henry V is far from Shakespeare, but far from dull,” we wrote in our review from the Venice Film Festival, where the movie had its premiere. Now, following a short UK cinema release, The King arrives on Netflix worldwide on 1st November. For more on where to see The King in cinemas, click here – or read on for the trailer:

 

Trailer: Netflix’s The King set for October cinema release

27th August 2019

“Do you feel a sense of achievement?” “In what regard?” “In any regard.” That’s the sound of the young King Henry V coming to terms with the royal burden on his shoulders in Netflix’s The King.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s play, and written by Director David Michôd and star Joel Edgerton, the film sees Timothée Chalamet play Hal, wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne. He has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaos and war his father left behind, and the emotional strings of his past life — including his relationship with his closest friend and mentor, the ageing alcoholic knight, John Falstaff.
 
Chalamet is joined on screen by Edgerton, Sean Harris, Lily-Rose Depp, Robert Pattinson and Ben Mendelsohn. You can get a glimpse of that majestic cast in action in the first teaser trailer for the movie below. The film will be released in select UK cinemas on 11th October, before being available to stream worldwide on 1st November.

 

Timothée Chalamet is front and centre on poster for Netflix’s The King

21st August 2019

Netflix has unveiled the poster for its new original film, The King, and Timothée Chalamet is front and centre.

Inspired by Henry V, the movie stars the Call Me By Your Name actor as Hal, the wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne, who has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaos and war his father left behind, and the emotional strings of his past life — including his relationship with his closest friend and mentor, the ageing alcoholic knight, John Falstaff (Joel Edgerton).

Directed by David Michôd and co-written by Michôd and Edgerton, the film’s impressive ensemble cast includes Sean Harris, Ben Mendelsohn, Robert Pattinson and Lily-Rose Depp.

The movie will have its world premiere at Venice on 2nd September, following in the footsteps of Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma last year.

 

First look: Netflix’s The King to premiere at Venice 2019

25th July 2019

Netflix’s The King will have its world premiere at the 2019 Venice Film Festival.

Inspired by Henry V, the movie stars Timothée Chalamet as Hal, the wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne, who has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaos and war his father left behind, and the emotional strings of his past life — including his relationship with his closest friend and mentor, the ageing alcoholic knight, John Falstaff (Joel Edgerton).

Directed by David Michôd and co-written by Michôd and Edgerton, the film’s impressive ensemble cast includes Sean Harris, Ben Mendelsohn, Robert Pattinson and Lily-Rose Depp.
 
“Before Joel Edgerton and I embarked on a retelling of the story of Henry V, I never thought I’d find myself one day making a medieval movie,” says Michôd. “Swords and horses were never my thing. But the more we talked and the deeper I researched, the more excited I was by the idea of rendering the Middle Ages – its dirt, its brutality, its precariousness of life and death, its sheer other-worldliness – in a way that felt raw and human. I wanted the kind of medieval movie I might make – one devoid of the nationalist bombast normally associated with the story of Henry V and one that might illuminate the ways in which war can emerge from the swamp of power and paranoia, greed and hubris, fear and family.”

The movie will have its world premiere at Venice, following in the footsteps of Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma last year. Indeed, in 2018, Venice premieres six Netflix original films, including Sulla Mia Pelle and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. This year, The King leads a trio of Netflix titles, including The Laundromat by Stephen Soderbergh and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. The latter two will also screen at Toronto.

 

Game Of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman joins The King

4th June 2018

Game of Thrones Dean-Charles Chapman has joined the cast of Netflix’s The King.

The Shakespearean drama, which began production in the UK last week, has assembled one heck of a cast, with Timothee Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson, Sean Harris, Ben Mendelsohn and Lily-Rose Depp all in front of the camera. Directed by David Michôd’s (War Machine), the drama is based on the plays Henry The IV and Henry V, with Chalamet playing the young king, who learns what it means to rule, guided by his one true friend, Falstaff (Edgerton).

Pattinson will play The Dauphin, with Mendelsohn cast as Henry IV. Chapman, who is known as Tommen Baratheon in HBO’s fantasy epic, will play Thomas of Lancaster, King Henry IV’s son and Hal’s younger brother.

The film will premiere on Netflix next year.

 

Robert Pattinson and Ben Mendelsohn join Timothée Chalamet in Netflix’s The King

31st May 2018

Robert Pattinson and Ben Mendelsohn are the latest to join what is becoming a remarkable cast for Netflix’s new original film, The King.

Based on Shakespeare’s Henry the IV and V, the drama follows the young king, whose brother was killed in battle before his coronation. Crowned in the 1300s, the reluctant ruler finds himself leading the country when it is near a war with France and the empire is on the brink.

Chalamet will star as Henry, with Joel Edgerton co-starring as Falstaff, the one true friend to the young Hal, who guides him as he inherits the crown and learns what it means to be king.

Now, Netflix has confirmed that they will be joined by none other than Robert Pattinson and Ben Mendelsohn. Pattinson will play The Dauphin, with Mendelsohn cast as Henry IV. The cast will also include Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Macbeth) as William, Lily-Rose Depp (The Summoning, The Dancer) as Princess Catherine, Tom Glynn-Carney (Dunkirk) as Hotspur, and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (Leave No Trace) as Philippa.

The film is directed by David Michôd (War Machine, Animal Kingdom, The Rover), with Edgerton co-writing the script with Michôd.

Academy Award winning Plan B will produce along with Porchlight Films’ Liz Watts (who produced the Michôd-directed Animal Kingdom and The Rover), and Edgerton and Michôd.

The film starts shooting June 1 in the UK, ahead of a Netflix release in 2019.

 

Joel Edgerton joins Timothée Chalamet in Netflix’s The King

25th March 2018

Joel Edgerton will join Timothée Chalamet in Netflix’s The King.

The drama, produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B, follows the young Henry V, whose brother was killed in battle before his coronation. Crowned in the 1300s, the reluctant ruler finds himself leading the country when it is near a war with France and the empire is on the brink.

The film is directed by David Michôd, who burst onto the international stage with the excellent Animal Kingdom. Michôd is co-writing the film with Joel Edgerton, who starred in the 2010 gangster drama. The chameleonic actor’s versatility extends to behind the camera: he has previously written Jane Got a Gun, penned The Rover with Michôd, and written and directed The Gift. Now, Variety reports Edgerton is heading back in front of the camera for Michôd once more, signing on to co-star in The King.

Edgerton will play Falstaff, a character known to those familiar with Shakespeare’s Henry IV and Henry V, which form the basis of the movie. The one true friend to Chamalet’s young king, he will guide and advise the young, disgraced prince as he inherits the kingdom.

Edgerton, meanwhile, is no stranger to Netflix, fresh off his co-starring role in the streaming giant’s fantasy cop thriller, Bright. He will next be seen in Boy Erased, which he has also directed, and is already buzzed about as an awards contender for next year.

Production on The King is set to begin this June.

 

Timothée Chalamet to play The King in David Michôd Netflix film

9th February 2018

This year’s Oscar breakout star Timothée Chalamet is heading to Netflix for his next film.

Deadline reports that the star of Call Me By Your Name, which earned him an Academy Award nod for his tender coming-of-age performance opposite Armie Hammer, will play the title character in The King, a new drama about Henry V by David Michôd.

Written by the Animal Kingdom director and Joel Edgerton, it follows the young king, whose brother was killed in battle before his coronation. Crowned in the 1300s, the reluctant ruler finds himself leading the country when it is near a war with France and the empire is on the brink.

The film is produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B, with Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner also producing along with Edgerton and Michôd. Liz Watts, who produced Michôd’s Animal Kingdom and The Rover, is also producing.

The film marks a reunion for Netflix and Plan B, which previously collaborated for military satire War Machine. It also marks a reunion for Chalamet and Plan B, as the young actor is co-starring with Steve Carrell with the studio’s drama Beautiful Boy, a project set up at Amazon and directed by Felix Von Groeningen.

Production on Netflix’s The King will start in June.

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