'The Winter King' Trailer Offers a Brutal Reimagining of Arthurian Legend
Iain De Caestecker, Jordan Alexandra, and Emily John in "The Winter King"
(Photo: MGM+)
Generally, when we think of the legend of King Arthur, certain things come to mind: Handsome knights and ladies fair engaging in the delicate rituals of courtly love in the shining kingdom of Camelot, a boy pulling a sword from a stone to near-universal acclaim; all with a powerful wizard orchestrating all things to a good end in the background. It seems safe to say that's absolutely not the version of the Arthur myth will be getting from MGM+'s new drama, The Winter King, when it arrives later this summer. If the first trailer for the series is anything to go by, this will be a darker, grittier, and more grounded version of this tale than we've seen in some time.
Based on author Bernard Cromwell's popular Warlord Chronicles novels, the story of The Winter King is set in fifth-century Britain and aims to put a brutal, gritty spin on the legend of the once and future king. In this version of events warring tribes and regional factions are at each others' throats, Christianity had just begun to make inroads into the then-pagan countryside, superstition and fear were rampant, and there was no such thing as a country called England as we understand it today.
In this story, young Arthur Pendagron (Iain de Castecker) is the exiled bastard son of High King Uther (Eddie Marsan), who must face hard choices and brutal consequences as he grows into a warrior and the leader his people need. Merlin (Nathaniel Martello-White) is a druid leader and consummate politician, fanatically dedicated to his gods and determined to keep his people following the old ways. And Guinevere (Jordan Alexandra) is an ambitious and exiled princess with an agenda of her own.
Here's the synopsis
The Winter King is set in the fifth century, long before Britain was united, in a brutal land of warring factions and tribes, where lives were often fleeting. The series follows Arthur Pendragon as he evolves from outcast to legendary warrior and leader.
The series' ensemble cast also features Stuart Campbell (Rogue Heroes) as Derfel; Ellie James (I May Destroy You) as Nimue; Daniel Ings (I Hate Suzie) as Owain; Valene Kane (Gangs of London) as Morgan; Simon Merrells (Knightfall) as Gundleus; Steven Elder (A Spy Among Friends) as Bishop Bedwin; Andrew Gower (Outlander) as Sansum; Aneirin Hughes (Keeping Faith) as Gorfydd; Emily John (My Policeman) as Ceinwyn; Tatjana Nardone (Devils) as Ladwys; Ken Nwosu (Killing Eve) as Sagramor; and Billy Postlethwaite (The Great) as Cadwys.
Produced by Bad Wolf in association with One Big Picture and distributed by Sony Pictures Television, the ten-part series is adapted by Kate Brooke (A Discovery of Witches) and Ed Whitmore (Silent Witness), with Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders) as lead director.
The Winter King premieres Sunday, August 20, 2023, at 12:01 a.m. PT on MGM+ and 9 p.m. ET on its linear channel. The ten-episode series will follow a weekly release schedule, with the finale airing in October 2023.
