One down, one to go. Just over a week after it was revealed “Game of Thrones” and “The Killing” stars Kit Harington and Joel Kinnaman (respectively) were the frontrunners for “Arthur & Lancelot.” One part has been locked down.
Rising star Kinnaman will play Lancelot in the upcoming fantasy from “Wedding Crashers” and “The Change-Up” director David Dobkin. And yes, it’s a bit of a change of pace. Exact details are slim on the big budget picture, priced around $90 million, but the film will take the classic figures of history and legend and rework them into a contemporary re-imagining. The two actors screentested a couple of weeks ago in London, and Kinnaman thus far has emerged with a contract in hand, and another big film to add to his growing Hollywood resume.
Kinnaman first came to the attention of folks on his side of the pond with his starring role in “Snabba Cash” by director Daniel Espinosa (who also received a career boost, helming the forthcoming “Safe House” with Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington). The picture caused a bidding war and is headed for a Hollywood redo — and is also already getting a Swedish language sequel — but Kinnaman hasn’t stopped working since. He leads AMC‘s “The Killing” and you’ll be seeing his face this winter in the alien invasion flick “The Darkest Hour” and David Fincher‘s coal black “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.” He met with Steven Soderbergh earlier this year for a possible co-starring role in “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” but that sounds like it may not be happening now. Still it’s a good indication that he’s on some very big radars. Next year he’s a got small part in the aforementioned “Safe House” and the indie flick “Lola Versus.” Not bad. But this is definitely his biggest career move yet, a swing at tentpole territory and it’ll interesting to see who he gets paired up with.
Shooting on “Arthur & Lancelot” takes place in 2012 with a March 15, 2013 release already slated. [THR]