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By Jamie Burton
Senior TV & Film Reporter (Interviews)
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"Betrayal, friendship, love and sacrifice" are all covered in The Winter King, the new TV adaptation of the classic novels The Warlord Chronicles.
The legend of King Arthur is retold from a different perspective in the new 10-part adaptation for MGM+, in a story that is based on Bernard Cornwell's popular book trilogy.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor Iain De Caestecker is tasked with playing the lead Arthur Pendragon (i.e. King Arthur), while Nathaniel Martello-White plays the mythical figure Merlin. Ahead of the show's launch on MGM+ on August 20, the show's executive producer Julie Gardner spoke exclusively to Newsweek about the challenges of adapting the "emotionally epic story" to the small screen.
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"We hope we've honored the spirit of the novel. That was hugely important to everyone involved," Gardner told Newsweek. "One of our primary ambitions was to realize the intimate, human relationships that have made the Arthurian legends an enduring narrative over generations whilst also reaching for the epic."
Cornwell's three novels for The Warlord Trilogy were released between 1995 and 1997, depicting Arthurian Britain in a post-Roman landscape with more war on the horizon. One of Cornwell's previous stories, The Last Kingdom (based on The Saxon Stories), was released to great acclaim on the BBC and Netflix, and he proved a great support with this new adaptation.
"Bernard Cornwell is a master storyteller; a master at historical fiction. In The Warlord Chronicles, Bernard not only dazzles in his worldbuilding but tells an intimate, emotionally epic story, full of the characters' ambitions, sacrifices, failures and triumph," Gardner said.
"He is an incredible cheerleader and support. He has a light touch when it comes to the adaptation of his work. He trusts the ambitions of his collaborators. It was a thrill to have him join our table read and greet the work with enthusiasm and support. His approval is very important to us all."
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The most successful book-to-series adaptation of a story involving swords and battles in the 21st century is Game of Thrones. Any show attempting the same will inevitably suffer from comparisons to HBO's series as a result, but Gardner thinks The Winter King is approaching with a different angle.
"Game of Thrones casts a long and great shadow. It's a series I adored. It's impossible to compete with the scale of that production. We're a much more intimate offering. I'd hope that we can sit alongside it, find our own path and tone, offer an audience an escape into a new world far from the stresses of daily life in 2023," Gardner said.
The source material of Cornwell's books will hopefully prove to be a solid foundation that The Winter King can build on. "Bernard is meticulous in his research and detail. But alongside that, he is a great storyteller. The Winter King has it all—betrayal, friendship, love, sacrifice," she said.
The Winter King features the likes of Stuart Campbell, Ellie James, Daniel Ings and Eddie Marsan, while De Caestecker and Martello-White take on the lead roles of Arthur and Merlin, respectively.
"Iain, cast as Arthur, brings a quiet confidence to the role. I think he has a morality and stillness that is compelling," Gardner said of her leading man. "Nathaniel, I'd worked with before. I love how grounded and centered he is in his work. We wanted to get away from traditional ideas of Merlin or the wizard—usually he's the white, bearded old man. In future seasons, I hope we can explore Merlin's physical side, see him as the pagan-warrior."
The Winter King launches on MGM+ on August 20 at 9/8c.
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