The Winter King is a new TV series that brings the King Arthur legend to the small screen in the 2023 TV schedule, with a twist on how the tale has been told before. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fan favorite Iain De Caestecker landed the lead role of Arthur Pendragon, which requires a very different kind of performance than his work as Fitz for Marvel. After the first few episodes released on MGM+, executive producers Julie Gardner and Lachlan MacKinnon spoke with CinemaBlend and shared why De Caestecker was the perfect choice for Arthur.
Adapted from Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles, the new MGM+ series is set in the fifth century, when Britain was far from a united kingdom. Iain De Caestecker’s Arthur isn’t a king just yet when The Winter King begins his story, but the bastard son of the king who becomes a warrior and leader.
When I spoke with EPs Julie Gardner and Lachlan MacKinnon, who hail from the Bad Wolf production company also behind shows like Doctor Who and His Dark Materials, I noted that many viewers likely knew Iain De Caestecker best for his work on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and they explained the casting process with plenty of praise for the star. Gardner shared:
Oh my God, we love him! I mean, we love him as an actor. He’s a great leader of the company. He’s an incredible person. We auditioned him. Our casting director Andy Pryor, who does a lot of projects for Bad Wolf and is extraordinary, brought him in. And it’s a really hard one because it’s one of those iconic titles. Arthur, where do you begin?
Not many shows are centered on a character with as much legend and lore behind them as Arthur Pendragon, but variations of his story have been told in ways ranging from serious dramas to musical theater to even Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Winter King team had to find the right Arthur for the adaptation of Warlord Chronicles, which is a tall order that they pulled off thanks to Iain De Caestecker. Julie Gardner continued:
But what I think Lachlan and I would say we loved was – you know, he’s a really good actor, he did a great reading – but he brings kind of centeredness [to] everything he does. He’s very human and he’s very moral, so as the series develops, even when [Arthur] makes the wrong decisions or he’s compromised, you just kind of feel like you’re with him. I think there’s a relatability and that goes to the heart of what we’re trying to achieve with this adaptation, is to ground the piece and get behind these iconic titles and tell a very human story.
The Winter King started early enough in Arthur’s tale to really allow Iain De Caestecker to portray the character through some very different stages in his life. He may not always be the most sympathetic character compared to others like Nimue, Morgan, and Derfel, but as Julie Gardner pointed out, this version of Arthur is centered and relatable.
Executive producer Lachlan MacKinnon had plenty of praise of his own for Iain De Caestecker and what the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. alum delivers as Arthur Pendragon. He shared his thoughts on The Winter King‘s leading man:
There’s such a humanity to him as an actor. I think, when you’re thinking about King Arthur, for me you want someone that you can almost look up to and he just exudes values, and I think you see the subtlety and nuance of his performance. There’s just so much going on behind those eyes, and it’s something that just really pulls you in… You look at him in that costume and he grows about two feet. He literally just becomes Arthur. It’s brilliant.
With only three episodes released so far, there is still plenty of Arthur’s story to be told in Season 1 of The Winter King. In fact, the trailer for the first season gives some glimpses of what we haven’t yet seen, including characters who have yet to be introduced. Take a look:
Alongside Iain De Caestecker as Arthur, The Winter King also stars Ellie James as Nimue, Nathaniel Martello-White as Merlin, Stuart Campbell as Derfel, Daniel Ings as Owain, Valene Kane as Morgan, Simon Merrells as Gundleus, and (eventually) Jordan Alexandra as Guinevere, although her character has not yet appeared. With the Warlord Chronicles spanning several books, it’s easy to imagine the series running several seasons.
You can find The Winter King via MGM+, which boasts original series in the U.S. on television, on-demand, online, and across devices. The adventure is only getting started, so now is the time to catch up and tune in to this new take on King Arthur’s story. If you’re located on the British side of the pond, you’ll be able to find The Winter King streaming on ITVX before the end of the year.