Guy Ritchie Taking on EXCALIBUR

Yes, a little devil on my shoulder (not one I care to listen to all that often) wanted me to put that headline as “Guy Ritchie Takes Out EXCALIBUR,” but I’m classier, than that, folks.  Plus, who’s to say Ritchie doesn’t have some toy or otherwise…ahem…tool that he, actually, calls Excalibur?  Who am I to break that news here?

Anyway, back to movies…

Variety is reporting that Ritchie has attached himself to Warner Brothers’ new King Arthur project.  Evidently, Ritchie just loves his classical, British figures who are fictional but who many people feel truly lived in their day.  These are the people I don’t want to hang out with at parties.

This is particularly noteworthy, as, according to the scoop from Pajiba, this is WB setting up a competing project with the one already being worked on under the same house with Bryan Singer involved.  That one is a direct remake of John Boorman’s, 1981 EXCALIBUR, while the Ritchie film is a feature film adaptation of Warren Ellis’ EXCALIBUR treatment.  Could be WB hedging their bets, especially since it doesn’t seem Singer is going to be getting to his EXCALIBUR remake any time soon.

TRAINSPOTTING and THE BEACH writer John Hodge is working on the new screenplay in collaboration with Ritchie.  Atlas Entertainment and Hollywood Gang are backing the project.