Charlie Hunnam And Guy Ritchie Team Up For New Take On ‘King Arthur’

Charlie Hunnam stars in Guy Ritchie‘s forthcoming remake of King Arthur, which both men say is a departure from past adaptations of the story.

‘King Arthur’ Movie

In the many recreations of the story of King Arthur, the folklore hero of medieval England has been good and righteous, and therefore, according to Ritchie, a bland lead character.

“I think where the pitfall has often been is trying to make King Arthur bland and nice, and nice and bland,” Ritchie told Entertainment Weekly. “The two qualities make rather compatible bed companions. Unfortunately, they’re not interesting to watch. Luke Skywalker was always the most uninteresting character in Star Wars because he’s the good guy. Good guys are boring.”

Hunnam, who is best known for playing morally questionable motorcycle gang leader Jax Teller on Sons of Anarchy, agrees with Richie’s take. In this King Arthur, Hunnam will be playing a rougher version of the legendary leader, one who isn’t so wary of getting his hands dirty.

“He’s a little bit rough around the edges, but he’s basically a survivor. He’s a hustler,” Hunnam told EW. “He’s a street kid. There’s definitely a harder edge to him than people would imagine. It’s sort of classic Guy Ritchie stuff.”

In addition to the revised take on King Arthur, Ritchie’s movie will delve whole-heartedly into the folklore fantasy element of the story.

King Arthur hits theaters July 22, 2016.