Between the debut of Ziwe’s eponymous late night variety series and the heavily memefied forthcoming release of Zola (a Twitter-thread-turned-film from Janzica Bravo), A24 has been releasing exciting projects just in time for a somewhat reopening world. And joining that roster of A24 titles that await us in the immediate future is, finally, David Lowery’s The Green Knight starring Dev Patel—set to arrive in theaters on July 30.
People have been waiting to see Lowery’s adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the classic Arthurian legend, since spring of 2020 when the film was set to be released at South by Southwest. Now we finally have a date and new trailer to look forward to. By the look of the film’s new trailer, The Green Knight has an abundance of dazzling elements to offer.
First Dev Patel, duh. Patel plays Gawain, nephew of King Arthur. In the trailer, he’s giving us brooding leading man: Armor-clad, “about to go on a life changing quest” realness. A year after entering a dinnertime dual (old-timey feudal society shenanigans) with a Green Knight, Gawain must journey through the land to find the knight he bested once again. Along the way to defend his knightly honor, Gawain encounters talking animals and large Blade Runner 2049-like androgynous giants.
The Green Knight, like The Personal History of David Copperfield, marks an additional nontraditional casting win for Patel’s filmography, in which he earns a role traditionally imagined for a white figure. However, as Laila Ujayli attests it is important to keep in mind that this exciting, progressive casting choice should be grounded in the fact that Patel—a British actor—is merely portraying British characters.
Outside of the excitement regarding Patel’s performance and the fantasy elements of Lowery’s script, The Green Knight’s ensemble cast is a key draw of the film. Patel will be acting alongside some fellow heavy hitters like Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris (the man behind my favorite Mission: Impossible villain), Alicia Vikander and Sarita Choudhury (Mississippi Masala, Hunger Games). The Green Knight, which will release an exact month after Zola, will help punctuate summer 2021 with A24 hits.
Watch the trailer for The Green Knight here: