Kit Harington is the once and future king in “Arthur and Lancelot” opposite Joel Kinnaman

by Linda Ge |

Looks like perseverance has paid off for “Game of Thrones” actor Kit Harington. After emerging as a front-runner and testing for David Dobkin’s “Arthur and Lancelot” only to watch his scene partner Joel Kinnaman land the role of Lancelot, and then asked to re-test for the role of Arthur against more competitors, Variety reports Harington is Arthur after all. A schedule is now being hammered out for the actor to do both the film and the second season of “Game of Thrones”, which is currently filming.

Dobkin’s vision for the film remains vague with no plot details revealed, though he has said: “You know Arthur’s superpower is compassion and vision. I will tell you this, the whole thing is wrapped around the birth of democracy as a concept and it’s positing Arthur as the first man to say all men are created equal.” Variety updates that despite Dobkin’s tendencies towards comedy in the past (he directed “The Wedding Crashers” and “The Change-Up”), “Arthur and Lancelot” will be a “Braveheart”-style action epic. Let’s hope it doesn’t stray too close to that other “Braveheart”-style adaptation of Arthurian legend, “King Arthur.”

Harington, who beat out the likes of Sam Claflin, Luke Evans and Toby Kebbell for the role of Arthur, is back at work on season 2 of HBO’s monstrous hit “Game of Thrones”, after not landing another high profile role, that of Jared in Andrew Niccol’s adaptation of “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer’s “The Host.”

“Arthur and Lancelot” will begin filming in early 2012 and already has a March 15, 2013 release date.

Up and Comers

Alexandra Roach lines up Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina” and “Girls Night Out” opposite Dakota Fanning

Up and Comers

by Linda Ge | Tags: alexandra roach, anna karenina, casting, girl's night out, interviews, private peaceful, the iron lady, trap for cinderella

One name that’s still flying somewhat under the radar but that everyone should be keeping an eye on is Alexandra Roach. The 24 year old Welsh actress graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts only last year, but has already been cast in five feature films, some of which involve extremely high profile and well respected talent both in front of and behind the camera.

The Guardian reports Roach has joined the cast and is currently shooting Joe Wright’s new adaptation of “Anna Karenina”, starring Keira Knightley and Aaron Johnson, and has also landed the role of Princess Elizabeth opposite Dakota Fanning as Princess Margaret in “Girls Night Out”, about the young royals who were let out of the Palace to celebrate the end of WWII.

But first, Roach will be seen as the young Margaret Thatcher in Phyllida Lloyd’s “The Iron Lady”, a biopic of the former Prime Minister who will be played in her adult years by none other than Meryl Streep. Roach’s scenes won’t be a quick flashback either. She will play Thatcher from her teen years all the way into her thirties. “I’m mostly responsible for the storyline for Margaret Roberts, the Grantham girl that worked in the shop, got into Oxford and studied chemistry, and met Denis,” Roach tells The Guardian. “I’m the grounding to get people to understand why she was the woman we all know.” Joining her in Thatcher’s earlier years is “Game of Thrones” actor Harry Lloyd, who plays the younger Denis Thatcher. Jim Broadbent plays him opposite Streep.

In addition to such starmaking high profile roles, Roach also stays rooted in British independent filmmaking. She has completed work on “Trap for Cinderella”, a psychological thriller written and directed by Iain Softley, and also on “Private Peaceful”, the WWI drama directed by Pat O’Connor and adapted from the novel by the author of “War Horse.”

 

Kit Harington’s competition for “Arthur and Lancelot” include “Game of Thrones” co-star and Luke Evans

Up and Comers

by Linda Ge | Tags: arthur and lancelot, casting, game of thrones, immortals, kit harington, luke evans, richard madden, rumors, the east, toby kebbell, wrath of the titans

Kit Harington is still in the game! After the not-so-promising development of Joel Kinnaman being the only one cast in “Arthur and Lancelot” after he tested with the “Game of Thrones” star in London, THR reports Harington could still have a shot. Kinnaman is in negotiations for Lancelot and will be doing chemistry tests with potential Arthurs, including Harington – again. Joining in the competition this time around are Harington’s “Thrones” co-star Richard Madden and fellow British actors Luke Evans and Toby Kebbell.

Director David Dobkin’s vision for the new adaptation of the Camelot legend remains vague with no plot details revealed, though he did tell The Playlist over the summer, “I pulled the legend apart. I only kept a few things. I kept certain characters, I recreated the entire launch of the legend and why it starts the way that it starts, I don’t want to give away too much but it’s always had a flaw. I pulled the flaws out, I reinvented the characters as grounded characters. I took a much more realistic and grounded approach towards everybody, you know why would this character be this way and why would this character be that way? You know Arthur’s superpower is compassion and vision. I will tell you this, the whole thing is wrapped around the birth of democracy as a concept and it’s positing Arthur as the first man to say all men are created equal.”

There’s no way of telling whether Harington has an edge over the others just joining the fray. He is also in contention for another high profile film, Andrew Niccol’s “The Host”, based on the novel by “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer and starring Soairse Ronan. Harington’s “Thrones” co-star Madden was recently named a Star of Tomorrow by UK’s Screen International, and is currently shooting miniseries “Birdsong” opposite Eddie Redmayne and Clemence Poesy.

 Evans is one of Britain’s biggest rising stars, often shortlisted for high profile projects including “The Bourne Legacy” and “The Great Gatsby.” He’ll next be seen in Tarsem Singh’s “Immortals.” Kebbell will be seen in a different Greek gods epic, “Wrath of the Titans” opposite Sam Worthington and recently joined the cast of “The East”, co-written by and starring Brit Marling.