King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Prophecy Trailer (2017)

Special trailer for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, titled the "Prophecy Trailer", provides never before seen footage from the film focusing on the fantastical elements.

When the child Arthur’s father is murdered, Vortigern (Jude Law), Arthur’s uncle, seizes the crown. Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy…whether he likes it or not.

It turns out that this King Arthur tale was almost more akin to King Jon Snow. How so you ask? Well, the production first tried to come together with David Dobkin on board to direct. Entirely different vision than Guy Ritchie, of course, but it gets extra GOT-ie when you have Kit Harington in line to play the role of the title character. The story was meant to go another direction than what we see above, with emphasis on Lancelot. In Ritchie's story, the character doesn't seem to exist. Maybe too soon, where we can expect him to show up in sequels.

If you remember, Lancelot was nearly an antagonist in Excalibur. So who to play the fallen knight? None other than Joel Kennaman. Though both actors are common faces today, back then they were considered nobodies. Therefore there wasn't a studio willing to pick up the tale's budget.

To solve the issue, Colin Farrell was cast as King Arthur with the idea of having the tale be more about the relationship of Arthur and Merlin. And who to play Merlin? Gary Oldman of all people. I can't imagine how he would have looked, but do love Oldman. Obviously, this version wasn't made either.

The first trailer for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword hinted that the film might have a couple fantastical elements. Hinted. With each trailer going forward, more and more of the film's fantasy came to the surface. The latest trailer, aka "Prophecy", at least feels like it is trying to dial back the fantasy during the first half, only to push never before seen fantastical sequences by the ending.

It's Guy Ritchie, so no matter what I'm seeing this movie. Does the fact that the film is beginning to feel more Dungeons and Dragons rather than a realistic medieval tale bother me? Not at all. As long as the story is good -- and we get a few Excalibur nods -- I'm good.

While I am hoping to hear Carl Orff's musical sequence during the film's running time as a pure tribute back to some source material, I was amused to discover that the trailer music used here seems to borrow from another Guy Ritchie property. Watch the trailer for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and pay attention to the duh-duh-duh ending it has. While they didn't use the exact track, it is very similar. Agreed?