Joseph Fiennes and Eva Green cast in Camelot TV series

Starz is readying Camelot to debut in the first half of 2011 and they've now cast the major parts: Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, Eva Green as Morgana, Jamie Campbell Bower as Arthur, and Tamsin Egerton as Guinevere.

 

I cant watch that; it bares little resemblance to the Arthurian Cycles

 

Eva Green as Morgana? Sold.

And why does it matter how faithful it is some earlier version? It's all just folklore anyway, and there have dozens of variations already.

 

@Uncle Rogi I don't get that comment and personally I'm excited about this. I haven't been able to get behind "Merlin" and hopefully this "Camelot" will be like that abandoned proposed HBO Arthurian series that Hanks and Speilberg were planning on producing. This should be fun. Eva Green as Morgana makes a lot of sense (I thought she could be playing Gwen) not sure who the actress is who IS playing Gwen though. Joseph Finnes as Merlin is interesting. The actor who is playing Arthur, his name seems familiar to me. I wonder who will be playing Lancelot.

 

Is this going to be anything like Starz's other costume drama and we'll get a lot of naked Eva Green?

 

Joseph Fiennes as Merlin? We're talking the perpetually dull and irritable guy who was Mark Benford on FlashForward? Good grief. Okay, maybe having to do an American accent impeded his work, but it's hard to see him being that much better with his own accent. I would certainly never have pegged him as Merlin.

Tamsin Egerton doesn't have too many credits: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0989182/ However, she did play "Young Morgaine" in The Mists of Avalon, for what it's worth.

Jamie Campbell Bower was Anthony in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd, and Number 11-12 in the AMC remake of The Prisoner. He's also playing Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He's pretty young, only 22. I guess that explains Fiennes as Merlin. Like the current Merlin series, they're apparently going for an "Early Years" approach.

 

It'll have to be pretty damn good to live up to The Mists of Avalon.

 

Is this the Camelot series that is going to be a 'modern-take' on the Arthurian legend? Kind of like Kings was to David & Goliath? Although I'm assuming magic plays a part since it seems like Merlin and Morgana are the two biggest named actors and both use magic in the legends.

 

I think that wires got crossed in some of the talk about it being a "modern take" and that it's going to be a period piece with a style and tone that modern audiences can relate to - like The Tudors - rather than actually being a reimagining of the Arthurian legend taking place in contemporary times, but we'll find out one way or another pretty soon. The current press release announcing the casting simply says it's a "fresh approach". The series will begin production in Ireland later this month.

 

Now THAT would be cool. Anyone else remember Camelot 3000 from the comics?

 

^ Yep big fan of "Camelot 3000" and intend on one day picking up the recent hardcover.

 

Not sure anything starring Joe Fiennes can be good. He's a tell-tale sign of period movie mediocrity.

 

Are you including Elizabeth in that?

 

One can only hope...

 

I remember CAMELOT 3000 fondly, and told Mike Barr so at Shore Leave last year. Talk about a graphic novel that cries out to be filmed!

 

Well, Kings was a great show that got cut short so the "Ancient Stories in Modern Day" stuff can be great if the effort is there.

Joe Fiennes was pretty good as Shakespeare, and I thought he got better in Flashforward as time went on so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

...and pray.

Hope it's actually good and not tween bullshit like that Merlin thing a little while ago.

Speaking of Merlin, I really liked that Sam Neil miniseries from way back when. That was fun. The more recent sequel/reboot/whatever the hell they did was shit, but the original was sweet.

 

He was all wrong for the role of a tortured, alcoholic but ultimately heroic FBI agent. He didn't do the heroic part well - instead, it came off as whiney and mopey. I can't help but think an American actor would have had the instinct to, above all, ensure that the audience doesn't despise his character, and would have played the role in a far more likable manner.

But Merlin doesn't have to be likable. My hunch is that Fiennes will do much better playing a character who is arch, wise, mysterious and not American.

 

Can't say I'm very excited about that kid from the Prisoner remake playing King Arthur of all people...

 

The Merlin you're referring to is actually still running. It's a BBC show and has been renewed for a third season. NBC aired the first season in the US. Syfy is currently airing the second season.