The Kid Who Would Be King: Patrick Stewart's modern Merlin

Eight years after his directorial debut Attack the Block, Joe Cornish (of Adam and Joe fame) returns with The Kid Who Would Be King. When bullied schoolboy Alex finds King Arthur’s sword Excalibur, he teams up with Patrick Stewart’s Merlin and bounds together his own group of knights in order to protect the world from the witch Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson).

After such a long delay between projects, anticipation is high for Cornish’s next effort. Attack the Block similarly connected the fantastical with the mundane, putting a group of young boys in a South London council estate at ground zero of an alien invasion. That film made stars out of its young cast, with John Boyega ending up in a galaxy far, far away as he played Fin in the rebooted Star Wars franchise, which began with The Force Awakens in 2015.

All eyes then will be on young lead Louis Ashbourne Serkis, who is making his big screen debut. He does, however, have some acting heritage, with his father Andy Serkis being the man behind Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. Where Attack the Block was aimed at a more adult audience, The Kid Who Would Be King appears to have a family-friendly tone, with the trailer showcasing a hearty blend of humour and action.

While Cornish may have had to wait eight years to make his next film, you’ll only have to wait another month to watch it, as the UK release is scheduled for 15 February. Following the critical and commercial failure of Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, perhaps The Kid Who Would Be King can revive medieval magic for a modern audience.