Idris Elba Out, Jude Law In for Guy Ritchie's 'Knights of the Round Table'

Warner Bros. has been trying to get a Camelot-based film off the ground for years, once entertaining the thought of a pair of them. One would have been led by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) but that was cancelled in favor of Guy Ritchie's Knights of the Round Table, a planned 6-film epic with Charlie Hunnam already on board to play King Arthur. Now Ritchie is looking to bring on his Sherlock Holmes star Jude Law for a major role, while another actor previously attached has dropped out.

According to Variety, Law is set to take on a villain role in the film, but that's all we know about it at this point because the plot is being kept under lock and key. There has been a change at the top,though, as Idris Elba is no longer part of the cast. He was meant to play Arthur's mentor, a character we assume would have been Merlin. The only other talent on board is Astrid Berges-Frisbey (I Origins) as Guinevere.

Knights of the Round Table already has a release date set for July 22nd 2016.

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Charlie Hunnam Rejoins Idris Elba for 'King Arthur'; Elizabeth Olsen in Talks

He may be wrapping up the final season of FX's Sons of Anarchy, but Charlie Hunnam won't be hurting for anything to do afterwards. He's already got one franchise to call his own in Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim, and now Guy Ritchie has chosen him to be his King Arthur.

Hunnam is in final talks to rejoin his Pacific Rim co-star Idris Elba in the medieval action flick, and reports are that Elizabeth Olsen is in talks for the female lead. Elba signed on awhile back to play a Merlin-esque character named Bedivere, which begs the question why they don't just make him Merlin. And if the film is a hit then screenwriter Joby Harold may be busy because the plan is for this to be the start of a six-film franchise.

King Arthur is set to open on July 22nd 2016.

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Guy Ritchie's 'King Arthur' Gets Summer 2016 Release Date

It looks like Warner Bros. has found their guy to finally get a King Arthur project off the ground. A few months ago we learned Guy Ritchie was eying it as the start of a potential six-film franchise, and now it looks like those plans are a go as Variety reports King Arthur will open in 3D on July 22nd 2016.

Ritchie will direct based on a Joby Harold script, but the exact approach they'll take is being kept a secret for now. Warner Bros. had been close to another King Arthur film helmed by David Dobkin. They got so far as casting Kit Harington and Joel Kinnaman as the leads, until cold feet over the budget caused them to pull the plug.

No word on when production would begin, but as of now the July date is free of any competition. Ritchie recently wrapped The Man from UNCLE, also for Warner Bros., which is due to open in January 2015.

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Guy Ritchie May Lead 6-Film King Arthur Franchise

It seems every time Warner Bros. tries to get a King Arthur movie going, it never quite pans out. Bryan Singer had been developing an Excalibur remake some years ago, and David Dobkin's Arthur & Lancelot crashed due to massive costs. But at around the same time as Singer was planning his film, Guy Ritchie was also eying an Excalibur film that never came to be, either. Apparently undaunted, the studio and Ritchie may be giving it another go, only in a greatly increased format.

According to Deadline, Ritchie and Warner Bros. are considering a new adaptation of the Arthurian tale, a "tentpole fantasy retelling" that could span up to six movies, making it quite the epic franchise and probably a risky investment. Joby Harold  wrote the script for the first film in the series, and it sounds like this will be very different from the 2004 King Arthur movie that starred Clive Owen and Keira Knightley. Anybody remember that one? No? It made $200M but nobody remembers it.

Anyway, we'll see how this one shakes out. Given Warner Bros.' history with the material it's probably a good idea not to get any hopes up.

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Armie Hammer joins Tom Cruise in 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'

Warner Bros. has run into a few problems trying to mount a remake to the 1960s spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., once having the top tier trio of Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney, and writer Scott Z. Burns on board. Creative differences over casting led Soderbergh to drop out, only to be replaced by Guy Ritchie, who the studio trusts implicitly after two successful Sherlock Holmes films. Tom Cruise began circling the lead agent role last month, and now not only has he been confirmed, but Armie Hammer will be joining him.

This completely a pretty incredible run for Hammer that has seen him working alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar, and Johnny Depp in The Lone Ranger. Cruise will be playing American spy Napoleon Solo, with Hammer as "a version" of Russian agent Illya Kuryakin. The show starred Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as agents for an espionage and law enforcement agency who take on an evil organization known as THRUSH.

Playing sidekick to a number of A-listers has worked wonders for Hammer, who had his breakout in The Social Network as the Winklevoss twins. With Cruise's schedule it's unclear when this will roll in front of cameras, but expect Warner Bros. to want to get moving quickly. [Deadline]

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Tom Cruise in talks for Guy Ritchie's 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'

Warner Bros. has been trying unsuccessfully to get a big screen version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. going for three years. Once a project helmed by Steven Soderbergh with George Clooney as one of the leads, the director dropped out when the studio was less than thrilled with his picks of Michael Fassbender or Joel Kinnaman to co-star. Clooney also left, and the project was picked up by Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie. Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling were floated as possibilities to replace Clooney, but nothing concrete has been heard since.

It would be another chance for Cruise to revive another 1960s spy series, just as he's done with Mission: Impossible. While 'Ghost Protocol' proved to be a huge hit, Cruise has struggled to capitalize on it, although Deadline suggests that Jack Reacher may have earned enough worldwide to warrant a sequel.  He'll be seen next in two straight science fiction offerings: Joseph Kosinski's Oblivion, then Doug Liman's All You Need is Kill, Warner Bros. having approached Cruise after the latter film wrapped.

'U.N.C.L.E.' ran from 1964-68, and starred Robert Vaughn and David McCollum as a pair of secret agents, one American and one Russian, who helped prevent international threats. Their main nemesis was a global criminal organization known as THRUSH. The show was more campy than Mission: Impossible, and under Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns it would have relied heavily on the time period, probably in a similar fashion as their film The Informant! But with Ritchie at the helm now, all bets are off as to the approach he'll take.

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2 new photos from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. *small spoiler*

We still know precious little about Guy Ritchie's sequel to Sherlock Holmes, recently titled A Game of Shadows. We know that Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law will be back as the most...unique version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective duo. Noomi Rapace is aboard, along with Stephen Fry as Holmes' older brother Mycroft, as well as Jared Harris as arch-nemesis Moriarty. Rachel McAdams has been confirmed for a cameo appearance as love interest Irene Adler, likely to kick Holmes to the curb. 

Warner Brothers has release a couple of new images from the sequel, one of which you can see above featuring the dynamic duo sharing a drink or two. The one below, however, some might consider a bit spoilerish, so check it out at your own risk. 

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is due for release on December 16th, 2011! Thanks to Shockya for these images!

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Early look at Entertainment Tonight's Sherlock Holmes 2 set visit

When Entertainment Tonight host Kevin Frazier asks Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law why they're back for a sequel to Sherlock Holmes, it should be pretty friggin' clear. There are over 520 million reasons why. But beyond the money, it's clear that the duo are having a lot of fun working together and with Guy Ritchie. And now Noomi Rapace gets to join in as well.

In the video, we see a number of special effects shots, but the  bulk of the footage is of the myriad disguises utilized by Sherlock Holmes this go'round. I didn't see anything featuring Jared Harris as Moriarty, but that could come later on when the full clip is shown on TV.  We do finally get a chance to see Rapace in action, as as a gypsy who helps the duo in their latest caper.  Check out the footage below(it'll start on it's own, so be wary), and look out for Sherlock Holmes 2 when it drops on December 16th 2011!

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1st look at Sherlock Holmes 2!

Info on Sherlock Holmes 2 has been scarce. There've been plenty of photos from the set, but I don't find those particularly informative or interesting. Besides, we already knew who was involved so watching Robert Downey and Jude Law loafing around wasn't a big deal. What I really wanted to see was Noomi Rapace, the Swedish actress who has really struck while the iron's hot after her head turning performances as Lisbeth Salander in the Millennium trilogy of flicks. I'm most interested in seeing how she acclimates herself in her first role in an American produced film.

What we knew was that she'd be playing a gypsy who becomes involved in Holmes and Moriarty's latest case. Now we've got our first actual image from the film, and it includes all three principle characters.

Pretty cool. Now can we see Jared Harris as Moriarty? Thanks.

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WB Uncovers Sherlock Holmes sequel!

Warner Bros. never misses a beat, do they? With Sherlock Holmes' release date still three months away, WB has already started looking ahead to a sequel to the Guy Ritchie helmed mystery/actioner. Variety is reporting that the studio has already hired Kieren and Michele Mulroney to script the sequel. WB is hoping Sherlock gains enough steam to become a potential cash cow franchise, and this is a pre-emptive step in that direction, assuring that if the film is a success there won't need to be a long production time in between films. The Mulroneys are probably best known for writing the Justice League animated series which lasted for three seasons.

There are rumors floating around that Brad Pitt is in negotiations to play Holmes' nemesis, Moriarty, in the sequel. Some even go so far as to say that he's already shot some of the scenes, but this is confirmed by nobody at this stage.

This is a smart move, because I think we can all reasonably expect that Sherlock Holmes will at least be something of a hit when it finally comes out. I don't think it's going to be a runaway success, however, just based on Guy Ritchie's box office track record here in the States. Globally, however, Ritchie fares pretty well and the combination of he, Downey, and Law should mean big bucks globally and a surefire start to a successful franchise.

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Ritchie and Lobo; a Match Made in Hell?

The former Mr. Madonna, Guy Ritchie, has inked a deal with Warner Bros. to direct Lobo, a big screen actioner about a cosmic bounty hunter who makes the DC Comics universe his home. The film will be next on Ritchie's list after Sherlock Holmes, which opens on Christmas Day.

Lobo was one of DC's most popular characters during the 90's, and is often compared to Marvel's Wolverine due to their similar power set, appearance, hard nose laconic attitude, and penchant for extreme violence. Despite this, Warner Bros. is shooting for a PG-13 rating when production begins early in 2010. The story has already been set, featuring Lobo arriving on Earth to bring in four violent fugitives. Lobo seeks the aid of a teenaged girl to help bring them in.

I guess WB never got a look at X-men Origins: Wolverine and exactly how lousy it's PG-13 made it. Well, Lobo would be worse. Imagine the Punisher with a PG-13 rating. Would you pay to see that? Neither would I. This adds another to an already impressive stable of WB comic book adaptations, but I have a feeling they've already sh*t the bed on Lobo before it's even under way. Ritchie is a great choice to direct, but his style doesn't lend itself to being reigned in. They might as well have chosen somebody else.

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New Sherlock Holmes trailer!

I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. Always have been. I love a good mystery, although my taste tends to lean towards the noir genre than anything else. However I've read a couple of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyles and loved 'em! Heck, I even liked the Young Sherlock Holmes movie from the 80s! Still watch it to this day.

However this new updated Holmes has hit something of a bad chord with me. First of all, I'm not digging the selection of Jude Law as Watson. I have an idea of what Watson looks like and Law ain't it. It smells of a "name casting", nothing more. Second, Guy Ritchie as director doesn't seem like the right fit. He has one style, and that's frenetic and hap hazard. I'm not sure it's right for Sherlock Holmes. And after watching this trailer, I have to say that my initial fears appear to be justified. This looks more like a buddy comedy than a mystery. I don't know if that's something I'm interested in, to be perfectly honest. But we shall see. Check out the trailer below and let me know what you think.

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