Jude Law has, according to a story today at Variety, signed on to play the unnamed villain at the center of Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur. The trade also notes that Idris Elba, previously eyed to play a Merlin-like character, is no longer involved with what is tentatively planned to be a six film franchise.
Law previously appeared in both of Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films. In King Arthur, he joins Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim) in the title role with Astrid Berges-Frisbey (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) set to play Guinevere.
Already scheduled for a July 22, 2016 release, King Arthur is was written by Joby Harold, who is producing with Akiva Goldsman, Tory Tunnell and Ritchie himself. Cate Adams and Niija Kuykendall are overseeing for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow.
