Guy Ritchie and Charlie Hunnam teamed up for an epic movie back in 2017 that now has a new streaming home after it failed to launch a shared universe. Charlie Hunnam rose to fame when he played Jax Teller in the crime drama TV series Sons of Anarchy, which ran for seven successful seasons. While still part of Sons of Anarchy, Hunnam starred in Guillermo del Toro’s sci-fi monster movie Pacific Rim, and his first role after leaving Charming and motorcycles was the Gothic romance movie Crimson Peak, also by Del Toro.

After Sons of Anarchy, Hunnam mostly focused on movies, and after working with Del Toro, he starred in the adventure drama The Lost City of Z and Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Most recently, Hunnam played Kai in Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, and is set to star in Ryan Murphy’s Monster season 3 as Ed Gein, but so far, Hunnam hasn’t been part of a shared universe. However, he came very close to it in 2017 with King Arthur, but unfortunately, it failed to launch what could have been an interesting shared universe.

Guy Ritchie & Charlie Hunnam’s King Arthur Movie Was Supposed To Launch A Shared Universe

There Were Big Plans For King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword

Inspired by Arthurian legends, Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword follows the тιтle character, played by Hunnam, as the tyrannical king Vortigern (Jude Law) plans to kill him, all because Arthur, who is his nephew, is the rightful heir to the throne. Despite its potential due to its story, director, cast, and visual style, King Arthur was a commercial and critical failure, which directly impacted the plans for its future. King Arthur was supposed to kick off a shared universe, covering six movies.

The plans for a King Arthur shared universe were inspired by the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but like many others who have tried to replicate its format, it didn’t succeed. King Arthur went through some obstacles during its development phase, as Warner Bros. tried to make a new movie based on the Arthurian legend but with no success, until the studio came up with the plan for a shared universe formed by six movies. According to Telegraph, the plan was for each movie to follow different characters before their eventual team-up, pretty much like the MCU has done.

However, and despite its efforts to set up sequels, spinoffs, and an entire shared universe, King Arthur didn’t get the success it needed to officially branch out. King Arthur grossed $148.7 million worldwide against a budget of $175 million, becoming one of the biggest box office bombs of the decade. This ended all plans for a shared universe and also became one of Ritchie’s most forgettable projects.

What Happened To King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword: Why It Flopped

King Arthur Didn’t Live Up To Its Potential

King Arthur was both a commercial and a critical failure, not even matching its budget and with a 31% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes (against a 69% popcornmeter). King Arthur was praised for its action scenes and Jude Law’s performance, and was labeled by many critics as “entertaining”, but it has more flaws than strengths. Many critics found that Ritchie’s visual and narrative style doesn’t fit the Arthurian legend, and the changes made to the story weren’t beneficial at all.

One of the biggest criticisms was the characters and the movie’s pace, as it doesn’t allow the audience to connect with the characters, who, in turn, are too bland and underdeveloped. The changes to the story were called boring, unnecessary, and even disrespectful to the source tale, with many critics simply saying it wasn’t a project suitable for Guy Ritchie. King Arthur wasn’t strong, engaging, and well-written enough to be the start of a shared universe, and became one of the decade’s biggest disappointments.

Legend Of The Sword Could’ve Been Better, But It’s Still A Fun King Arthur Movie

King Arthur Achieves Its Goal Of Being Entertaining

King Arthur failed as an adaptation of the legend of the тιтle character, but it succeeded as a Guy Ritchie movie. Ritchie’s movies are fast, with lots of action, and a good dose of drama and suspense, all of which are present in King Arthur (minus character development, of course). Surely, Ritchie’s style doesn’t quite fit the setting and legend itself at different points, but ultimately, it’s a fun watch. Despite its plans for a much bigger future, King Arthur wasn’t meant to last, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining.

Source: Telegraph.