I didn't originally plan on seeing this movie, like, ever. But during the hype for The Dark Knight and insistence from my girlfriend, I gave it a shot. I loved it and am kind of excited about a tv series based around it.
 |
A Knight's Tale, the 2001 feature starring Heath Ledger, is headed to the small screen in a series adaptation written by Battlestar Galactica developer/executive producer Ron Moore. ABC has bought the project, from Sony Pictures TV, with a script commitment.
I have to say I approve of this. A Knight's Tale is a damn fun movie, and it could easily be drawn out to cover a few seasons of a TV series. I was instantly worried this would go to The CW, which would probably end up pretty cheesy, but since it's going to ABC I don't think we need to worry. Plus, with a full TV series, Ron Moore could sneak in the other stories of Canterbury Tales -- as a literature nerd, it would be awesome to see Chaucer kind of sneak in to primetime TV. The biggest problem that I see is that the show would lack Alan Tudyk and Mark "King Baratheon" Addy (yep, same dude -- IS YOUR MIND BLOWN?) as the squires. But hire the right people and I'd watch for sure.
More links from around the web!
29 comments
Sorry to be a bit cynical, but I can't help but wonder if this is something they did as an "in memoriam" kind of thing for Heath Ledger. Because I remembered A Knight's Tale as "okay" but not that mind-blowingly awesome to warrant a TV show.But hey, if this means force-feeding those brainless half of the denizens of TV Land with more literary references, God willing making them WANT to learn, then by all means, sally forth, brave knights!
As a fellow literature nerd (and teacher) I agree. It'd be fun to get some Chaucer - even in a watered down pop-culturey sense - into prime time would be a good thing. I could see the Wife, the Pardoner and even Harry Bailey as regulars.
If it has the same sense of fun, definitely YES! If they try to dumb it down, like the CW does, then NO! I read the Canterbury tales in school and I'd like to see how they're updated for TV today.
I have a bloody degree in English but I never made the link between that movie and Chaucer.
1 Like
@LibertyBeta You mean other than the fact that Chaucer is one of the film's major characters and that he's writing a collection of his tales during the course of the movie?
A Knight's Tale was a really fun movie. I loved the performances from all four guys. Even the girl blacksmith was cute. But the real cute one was the princess's friend (Berenice Bejo), who went on the become the lead in The Artist. I would watch a TV show with the right cast. It doesn't need to use the same names or people. Just use the same environment and keep it fun.
2 Like
If the casting's there this could actually be good.
And holy shit, yeah, fuck this commenting system.
1 Like
@Dayman "And holy shit, yeah, fuck this commenting system.".........And thus, my specialized icon pic that agrees 100% :-)
1 Like
If they could get Simon Pegg and Nick Frost to play the squires, that would make the show watchable
Hey does anyone else remember Roar? Heath Ledger was in it. Do you think anyone will ever reboot Roar?
I didn't like it when I first saw it. I didn't like any of the characters; there wasn't a sympathetic one in the lot except maybe Chaucer and the sidekick. And then I found out they filmed in Czechoslovakia because the animal protection laws are looser, so they could trip the horses. A number of them didn't get back up again.
Yeah, I hate that movie.
A Knights Tale's version of Chaucer is one of my favorite characters of all time.
I would watch the shit out of this show just for more Chaucer.
Interesting that they credit Ron Moore for Battlestar Galactica. He was no slouch in the Trek universe for many MANY years.
interesting and not surprised given how game of thrones seems to have made med evil stuff hot that every one would want their own version. as long as ron does not do is this knight a knight or something else.
2 Like
If they mess this up I will fong them. Fong them till their outsides are their insides and their insides are outsides. . . . PAIN!
From squire to king in just 10 years? He's done pretty well for himself. I can't wait to see what the future holds... he what?.... a boar?... oh.
1 Like
A Knight's Tale is one of those movies that upon first viewing, I truly hated. Then as the years went by, with multiple TV viewings, I came to appreciate and enjoy.
I'd watch a TV show if it kept the same sense of playful humour as delivered in the original.
1 Like
@LithroeGood story and acting, but I always find the cramming of modern sensibilities into characters in historical settings annoys me. People of the past thought the things they thought with good reason. "Bad Guys Have A Different Perspective Than The Audience And That's How You Know They're Bad Guys" is just lazy story telling.
3 Like
@Gallen_Dugall @Lithroe Not to mention how the modern thinking person is always morally superior to those quaint or backward or barbaric ancients.
@arivalscientist @Gallen_Dugall @Lithroe Well that's because aliens helped us with those of course.
1 Like
@Nicnac @Gallen_Dugall @Lithroe And yet we can't build a Pyramid worth a shit!!!
1 Like
@Lithroe I always double feature this and First Knight........they're both equally out there
