Guy Ritchie has been among one of the prolific filmmakers of the current generation. The British filmmaker is known for his trademark style of combining quirky characters and witty dialogues. He has primarily focused on crime films and characters who are grounded in reality. His films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000), his two Sherlock Holmes films (2009-2011), and The Gentlemen (2019) are all in the ballpark of what one would expect from a Guy Ritchie film.
One film that stands out in his filmography is his 2017 film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. The film is a fantasy action-adventure film, something that Ritchie had never done up till that point in his career. Hence, it was natural for Ritchie to find it a challenge to move out of his comfort zone and try something different in adapting a medieval legend for the contemporary era.
Guy Ritchie Went into an Existential Crisis While Making King Arthur
In an interview with Good Morning America (via ABC News), director Guy Ritchie talked about the insurmountable pressure and the challenge of adapting a celebrated medieval legend like King Arthur for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Moving away from his usual style of films and working on a new genre that he had never done before was quite the challenge for Ritchie, one that made him think he had made the worst mistake of his life. He told GMA,
“I had a two week existential crisis, where I’m convinced I’ve made the worst mistake in the world. And then the phoenix of confidence rises out of the ashes. And then gradually you find your momentum the film finds its own way.”
Actor Charlie Hunnam who portrays King Arthur in the film also spoke about how he convinced Ritchie into signing him for the role.
“I heard the guy was doing King Arthur and I promptly threw my name in the hat. And Guy threw it back out. I jumped on a plane and showed up on his doorstep and said, ‘Let’s have a cup of tea’. By the end of that cup of tea, I think he decided he quite liked me, so he let me audition and I finally got the job. So it was a happy tale in the end.”
Being a huge fan of Ritchie’s previous works, Hunnam fought hard for the role. Ritchie saw his genuine interest and passion and therefore signed him for the role of King Arthur.
What is King Arthur: Legend of the Sword About?
The film directed by Guy Ritchie is a contemporary re-imagining of the medieval legend King Arthur and the various trials and tribulations throughout his life. Its official synopsis from the Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki reads,
“The young Arthur runs the back passages of Londinium with his crew, not knowing his royal lineage until he draws the sword Excalibur from the stone. Instantly confronted by the sword’s influence, Arthur is forced to decide where to become involved with his power. Throwing in with the Resistance and an enigmatic young woman named Guinevere, he must learn to master the sword, face down his demons and unite the people to defeat the tyrant Vortigern — who murdered his parents and stole his crown — and become king”
Charlie Hunnam leads the film as King Arthur alongside Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Mikael Persbrandt, Jude Law, Eric Bana, and Annabelle Wallis. The film received negative reviews when it was released in 2017 grossing only $148 million against its $175 million production budget.
Guy Ritchie’s Recent and Upcoming Works
Recently, Guy Ritchie has been on a reunion spree with the previous leading men of his films. He reunited with Jason Statham for two films including 2021’s Wrath of Man and 2023’s Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. He worked with Jake Gyllenhaal in the underrated 2023 action thriller Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant.
He is set to reunite with Henry Cavill after The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015) for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The film will also star Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, and Henry Golding. He has also announced another action film in which he will bring together Cavill, Gyllenhaal, and González.
Source: ABC News
