The Once & Future King: Guy Ritchie's King Arthur bumped to 2017
According to legend, the inscription on King Arthur's tomb hailed him as "king once, and king to be", but it seems we'll have to wait even longer for his return, now that Guy Ritchie's take on the legendary ruler has been bumped to 2017.
Warner Bros. Pictures recently confirmed that Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur - the first in a planned six film franchise - will be moved from its original 22 July 2016 release date to a 17 February 2017 slot.
According to the studio, the rationale for doing so was to benefit from the winter holiday period (particularly in Western Europe, where the film is expected to fare best), however given the original release date was also during a school-free period, this statement doesn't quite add up.
A more likely reason for the reshuffle is the desire to avoid pitting King Arthur up against the Ghostbusters reboot, as well as to repeat the success of 2015 hit Kingsman: The Secret Service, which cleaned up in part due to the lack of competition from other blockbusters at this "off-peak" time of year.
Still, a delay like this often suggests real or perceived quality issues surrounding the production itself, and it remains to be seen if Ritchie's first ever fantasy outing - which stars Charlie Hunnam, Astrid Gerbes-Frisbey, Jude Law and Eric Bana - will conquer audiences or be slayed by them.
Source: Slashfilm
