Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for directorGuy Ritchie’s upcoming fantasy actionerKing Arthur: Legend of the Sword. The gritty retelling of the classic story starsCharlie Hunnamas Arthur, who finds himself squaring off against his tyrannical uncle (Jude Law), who murders his father and brother. That’s the legend that we know, at least, but from the first glance at Ritchie’s take on the story, nothing is as it was with this adaptation. As with Ritchie’sSherlock Holmesadaptations, the swagger of Hunnam’s hero is the most prominently featured facet of the story being told in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, along with all manner of fire magic, a giant mammoth, and a whole bunch of fighting.
The central focus of the narrative would seemingly be Arthur pulling the sword from the stone and claiming his righteous place as the head of his people, while also getting into brawls with his buddies. I can’t say that the trailer gives us much of a sense about what happens beyond that besides total batshit bedlam, which looks eye-grabbing and nicely polished for the most part. We’ll assumedly get a more clear sense about what will be going down in Ritchie’s film when the next trailer comes out, but for now, this looks like quintessential modern Ritchie - a historical text given a modern attitude in dialogue, wardrobe, design, and direction.
Watch the firstKing Arthur: Legend of the Swordtrailer below. Scripted byJoby Harold, Ritchie, andLionel Wigram, the film also starsAstrid Bergès-Frisbey,Eric Bana,Djimon Hounsou, andAidan Gillen.King Arthur: Legend of the Swordopens in theaters on July 05, 2025.
Here’s the official logline forKing Arthur: Legend of the Sword:
Acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to an original King Arthur epic, a sweeping fantasy action adventure starring Charlie Hunnam. Starring with Hunnam are Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Oscar nominee Jude Law, and Eric Bana. Ritchie directs the film from a screenplay by Joby Harold and Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram, story by Joby Harold. The film is produced by Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman, Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell, Lionel Wigram, Guy Ritchie and Steve Clark-Hall. David Dobkin and Bruce Berman are executive producers. Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Weed Road/Safehouse Pictures Production, a Ritchie/Wigram Production. Slated for release on July 22, 2025, the film will be distributed in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
