Bernard Cornwell is one of the world’s foremost authors of historical fiction, from his beloved Sharpe series about the Napoleonic Wars to The Saxon Stories, which Netflix adapted as The Last Kingdom.
But for my money, Cornwell’s best work has yet to be adapted: The Warlord Chronicles, about the life of King Arthur, an ancient king of the Britains who may or may not have existed around the fifth or sixth centuries; things get vague when you go back to when almost no one was writing anything down.
The Warlord Chronicles features lots of familiar characters from the Arthurian legend, including Lancelot, Guinevere, and Merlin, but Cornwell breaths new life into them by imagining what they might have been like if they were real people with lives, goals, friends and enemies. It’s a great series I recommend you read if you’re interested, and now MGM+ is turning it into a TV series. Watch the trailer for The Winter King below:
Check out new images from The Winter King
Honestly, the trailer looks a little bright and broad for me, but I’ll reserve judgment for when the show lands on MGM+, formerly Epix.
The Winter King, by the way, is the name of the first book in The Warlord Chronicles trilogy, not unlike how The Last Kingdom was the title of the first book in The Saxon Stories or Game of Thrones was the title of the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire.
The show stars Iain De Caestecker as Arthur and Stuart Campbell as Derfel, from whose perspective much of the story is told. Check out some images of other characters below:
Photo : Copyright © Simon Ridgway 2022 – www.simonridgway.com – pictures@simonridgway.com – 07973 442527 | Caption : 25.11.22 – The Winter King S1, Block 2 Day 40.
Sc.7/02 – EXT. CAER DOLFORWYN, COURTYARD : LANVAL complains about the food. ARTHUR asks DERFEL to make an ointment.
Here we have Matt Mella (Trigger Point) as Lanval, one of Arthur’s brothers in arms.
Photo : Copyright © Simon Ridgway 2022 – www.simonridgway.com – pictures@simonridgway.com – 07973 442527 | Caption : 31.10.22 – The Winter King S1. Block 2 Day 21.
Sc.8/32 – EXT. ISCAN BORDER HILL : ARTHUR looks down to CADWYS and his men in the valley below.
Arthur and his men prepare to enter a valley where a group of men are camped.
Photo : Copyright © Simon Ridgway 2022 – www.simonridgway.com – pictures@simonridgway.com – 07973 442527 | Caption : 28.10.22 – The Winter King S1. Block 2 Day 20.
Sc.6/25, 6/25A – EXT. COUNTRYSIDE : The retinue travel along a spear-straight roman road. The horses climb upwards. The countryside becomes craggier & more dramatic.
The Romans have left Britain by this point to deal with their collapsing empire, but the Roman roads still prove useful for travel.
Photo : Copyright © Simon Ridgway 2022 – www.simonridgway.com – pictures@simonridgway.com – 07973 442527 | Caption : 26.10.22 – The Winter King S1, Block 2 Day 18.
Sc.5/39pt1of2 – EXT. CAER CADARN : TRISTAN challenges OWAIN but ARTHUR will fight on his behalf.
Daniel Ings (I Hate Suzie, The Crown) is Owain, one of Arthur’s closest friends.
Photo : Copyright © Simon Ridgway 2022 – www.simonridgway.com – pictures@simonridgway.com – 07973 442527 | Caption : 19.08.22 – The Winter King S1, Block 1 Day 29.
Sc.3/45 – EXT. CAER CADARN, COURTYARD : DERFEL takes LUNETTE with him before they leave,
Olumide Olorunfemi (Venom: Let There Be Carnage) is Lunette, Derfel’s childhood friend.
The Winter King premieres on MGM+ on August 20!
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- Published on 07/11/2023 at 21:17 PM
- Last updated at 07/11/2023 at 21:39 PM
