John Boorman’s 1981 ‘Excalibur’, a film that launched the careers of many actors including Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, Ciaran Hinds, Helen Mirren and Patrick Stewart, is set for a remake by Warner Brothers and producer/director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns).
Industry reports say the film film, is likely to be produced by Irish resident Boorman as he shares the remake rights with WB. ‘Excalibur’ follows the epic story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Whilst the project is still in the initial stages of development Legendary Pictures are linked to the project, if this deal materialises Alex Garcia, an executive at Legendary and Bryan Singer's former partner at Bad Hat, would oversee.
The movie, that was originally filmed in Co. Kerry, Tipperary and Wicklow including locitions such as Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry and Roundwood, tells the well-known myth, of the young man who draws the sword Excalibur from a stone, is mentored by Merlin, establishes Camelot, loses his wife, Guenevere, to his best friend, Lancelot, and engages in the quest for the Holy Grail.
In 2004 Disney/Touchstone released a version of the tale, ‘King Arthur’ (also filmed in Ireland), starring Clive Owen, for which Keira Knightly won Best International Actress Audience Award and which also, won an IFTA for Debbie Corcoran and Ailbhe Lemass in the Best Hair/Make Up Category.
