Tag: Bernard Cornwell

Bernard Cornwell Talks The Winter King

One of the first guests in the upcoming The Winter King Podcast is author Bernard Cornwell.

The Winter King is the first novel in Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles, first published in the UK in 1995 and now turned into a TV series starring Iain De Caestecker, Jordan Alexandra, Stuart Campbell and Ellie James. The book is based on characters and plot elements from Arthurian myth, but considerably changed and re-worked.

Despite favourable reviews from critics, the TV series faced some backlash online due to its diverse cast and lose adaption of the original source material. Bernard Cornwell has now addressed some of the concerns in the Official The Winter King Podcast (available on all podcast platforms):

I think they did a magnificent job, a quite extraordinary job, so I think you’re in for a treat.

I mean, I think the casting has been superb. The one member of the cast who actually dazzled me was Ellie James playing Nimue, which was almost exactly as I’d in a sense imagined Nimue.

So obviously when you get a character on screen, who’s doing exactly what you put her in to do in the book, you like it. She has a force which is remarkable and she’s a formidable young woman, Nimue, and she has a great role to play in the rest of the series of course.

Not always as a heroine but she’s a very complicated lady, is Nimue, and Ellie James I think caught her superbly, perfectly in fact, and I think the casting has been superb all through and Iain [de Caestecker] makes a wonderful Arthur.

Source: The Winter King Podcast

Arthur (Iain de Caestecker) and his priest Sansum (Andrew Gower)

Selected Reviews

Druidess Nimue (Ellie James) and Priest Sansum (Andrew Gower)

The Winter King: First Look & US Home

Iain De Caestecker as Arthur Pendragon and Nathaniel Martello-White as Merlin

ITVX has finally revealed a first look at The Winter King, the new series based on Bernard Cornwell‘s Warlord Chronicles, “a bold and revisionist take on well-loved Arthurian legends” which is set to be released later this year on the new British streaming service.

Deadline further announced that MGM+ has boarded the 10-part adaptation and will launch the series on Sunday, 20 August 2023 in the USA. MGM+ Head Michael Wright described The Winter King as a “cinematic and imaginative reinterpretation of the Arthurian legend.”

Jordan Alexandra as Guinevere, Emily John as Ceinwyn, Iain De Caestecker as Arthur Pendragon

The Winter King is set in the fifth century, long before Britain was united, in a brutal land of warring factions and tribes, where lives were often fleeting. The series follows Arthur Pendragon as he evolves from outcast to legendary warrior and leader.

Filming took place in Wales and the West Country between August 2022 and January 2023. Otto Bathurst (His Dark Materials, Peaky Blinders) serves as lead director and executive producer, alongside Toby Leslie. Bernard Cornwell’s original material was adapted for the small screen by adapted by Kate Brooke (A Discovery Of Witches, Medici) and Ed Whitmore (Manhunt) for Bad Wolf Productions.

Stuart Campbell as Derfel, Ellie James as Nimue

The series stars Iain De Caestecker as Arthur Pendragon, alongside Eddie Marsan as High King Uther, Ellie James as Nimue, Nathaniel Martello-White as Merlin, Stuart Campbell as Derfel, Daniel Ings as Owain, Valene Kane as Morgan, Jordan Alexandra as Guinevere and Simon Merrells as Gundleus. 

The ensemble cast also features Steven Elder as Bishop Bedwin, Andrew Gower as Sansum, Aneirin Hughes as Gorfydd, Emily John as Ceinwyn, Tatjana Nardone as Ladwyss, Ken Nwosu as Sagramor, and Billy Postlethwaite as Cadwys.

Iain De Caestecker as Arthur Pendragon, Eddie Marsan as High King Uther

(Photo credit: ITVX)

First Look at Sansum the Priest (The Winter King)

Huge thanks to Twitter user @todbristol who shared this screenshot from the set of The Winter King with us.

The Winter King is a 10-part returning series currently filming in Wales and the West Country based on the best-selling Warlord Chronicles book series by The Last Kingdom author Bernard Cornwell. Andrew Gower plays Sansum the Priest, a character described as “unsympathetic and intriguing”, in this re-telling of the Arthurian legend. He is joined, among others, by actors Iain De Caestecker (Arthur), Jordan Alexandra (Guinevere) and Stuart Campbell (Derfel Cadarn).

The Winter King is produced by Bad Wolf for ITVX and is expected to hit the British streaming service in late 2023 / early 2024.

The Winter King – Wrapping at Blaise Castle

(c) Dronestagram

Twitter user @todbristol has shared some important information about filming The Winter King at Blaise Castle Estate in Bristol. According to them, filming at the 650 acre parkland surrounding the 18th century Blaise Castle will wrap on Tuesday, 13 December 2022, and sets are expected to be taken down immediately afterwards.

See @todbristol’s tweets and photos from set below.

The Winter King – Cast Confirmed

In a press release ITVX have confirmed some of the cast already rumoured for the upcoming adaption of Bernard Cornwell‘s Warlord Chronicles.

A bold and revisionist take on the well-loved Arthurian Legends, The Winter King follows Arthur Pendragon as he evolves from outcast to legendary warrior and leader. 

The Winter King is set in the 5th century long before Britain was united. In a land of warring factions and tribes when the World was brutal and lives were often fleeting.

Source: ITVX

Andrew Gower as well as some other actors have been previously confirmed for The Winter King – which is currently filming in Wales and the West Country – by their agencies.

Iain De Caestecker plays a young Arthur Pendragon, who begins as an exiled bastard before becoming the greatest hope for Britain.

Iain is a Scottish actor known for playing Leo Fitz in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Stuart Campbell plays Derfel Cadarn, the narrator of the story. He transforms from left-for-dead orphan to the truest of all warlords.

Stuart is a Scottish actor who Outlander fans might remember as Young Rabbie McNab. He most recently starred in the mini series SAS Rogue Heroes.

Ellie James is Nimue, a priestess saved by Merlin because she can see the gods – he gives her power, wisdom and learning.

Ellie is known for her roles in I May Destroy You, I Am… and Giri/Haji.

Eddie Marsan is Uther, High King of all Dumnonia, old and battle tested. He commands incredible authority, over almost all, bar Merlin.

Eddie was born in East London and has acted in TV mini series The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe as well as Deceit.

Nathaniel Martello-White portrays Merlin, a politician, powerful, enlightened, and absolute. Fearless in the face of a King’s wrath he follows his connection to his Gods in all things.

Nathaniel is an English actor and writer, known for Cla’am, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and Red Tails.

Daniel Ings plays Owain, Uther’s champion of Dumnonia, an experienced but not always honest senior warrior.

Daniel is an English actor who has appeared in I Hate Suzie and Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? He also appeared in an episode of Black Mirror.

Valene Kane is Morgan, Arthur’s half-sister and another bastard child of King Uther. She is a sharp-tongued and independent minded pagan and student of Merlin.

Valene is from Northern Ireland and can be seen in The Fall and Gangs of London.

Simon Merrells is Gundleus, King of rival kingdom Siluria. Imposing and savage, Gundleus is prepared to slaughter whoever he needs to secure power.

Simon can be seen in Spartacus, The Tomorrow People and Knightfall.

The Winter King – Who is in the Cast?

As filming for the new ITV series The Winter King based on the Warlord Chronicles by best-selling author Bernard Cornwell (The Last Kingdom) is well under way, fans are eager to learn who will be in the cast.

The story is a retelling of the Arthurian legend and takes place in Post-Roman Dark Age Britain, a land where the warlord Arthur has been banished and Merlin has disappeared,Saxons are invading and a child-king sits unprotected on the throne. We meet a vain and unpopular Lancelot, an ambitious and scheming Guinevere, a Merlin who is more absent Druid than mystic magician, and a Mordred who is Uther’s grandson and legitimate heir. The tale is told by the Saxon-born monk Derfel Cadarn for Igraine, a young queen.

Source: Wikipedia

So far there have been no official statements from the production itself but we were able to gather some information about some of the main cast.

Iain De Caestecker plays Arthur Pendragon, the illegitimate son of King Uther, an exiled warlord who returns to Britain.

Iain is a Scottish actor known for playing Leo Fitz in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Jordan Alexandra plays Arthur’s wife Guinevere, an ambitious woman who cares very little for others and seems only to want power and a high social status.

Jordan can also be seen in the film Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Netflix hit series Bridgerton.

Stuart Campbell plays Derfel Cadarn, the narrator of the story. He is a warrior and loyal to Arthur. Even though he sees Arthur’s flaws, he recognizes greatness and knows that Arthur is the only hope for Britain.

Stuart is a Scottish actor who Outlander fans might remember as Young Rabbie McNab. He most recently starred in the mini series SAS Rogue Heroes.

Daniel Ings plays Owain, Uther’s champion of Dumnonia, an experienced but not always honest senior warrior.

Daniel is an English actor known for I Hate Suzie and Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? He also appeared in an episode of Black Mirror.

Ken Nwosu plays Sagramor, a fierce Numidian from Africa Nova and veteran of the old Roman army who has followed Arthur to Britain after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.

Ken has previously appeared in Christopher Robin, The Witches and Killing Eve.

Andrew Gower plays Sansum, a character that is loosely based on the Cornish saint Samson of Dol, a Catholic priest and later a Bishop. Sansum is described as unsympathetic and intriguing.

Andrew of course needs no further introduction on this page. 😉

Valene Kane was also cast in the series but her character is not yet known. Speculation sees her maybe as Nimue, a druid priestess and Merlin’s lover. She’s also a first love to Derfel and his life long friend.

Valene is from Northern Ireland and can be seen in The Fall and Gangs of London.

Welsh actor Steve Ryan is also confirmed to be starring in the series but it is not yet known which character he will play.

Steve has previously appeared in His Dark Materials and Sex Education

ETA (29 November 2022):

In a press release ITVX have confirmed some of the cast already rumoured. Read more about it here.

Otto Bathurst & Farren Blackburn Directing The Winter King

As previously announced, Andrew Gower has been cast in an upcoming adaptation of Bernard Cornwell‘s Warlord Chronicles. The popular book series by The Last Kingdom author is a modern reimagination of stories surrounding the legendary King Arthur. Most of the narrative is recounted in a series of flashbacks to the main protagonist Derfel Cadarn’s life as a young man when he met the many famous heroes of Arthurian times.

Originally set up at US cabler Epix, the project later moved to Bad Wolf / Sony Pictures / Paramount Plus. The 10 episode series is expected to be released in 2023 on ITV’s new streaming platform ITVX in the UK. Kate Brooke (A Discovery Of Witches, Medici) and Ed Whitmore (Manhunt) are reported to be showrunners and head writers.

Otto Bathurst (His Dark Materials, Peaky Blinders) serves as lead director and according to his Twitter account, Farren Blackburn (A Discovery Of Witches, The Innocents) is also directing some of the show’s episodes.

The clapperboard also confirms Danish cinematographer Stephan Pehrsson (Black Mirror, Tolkien) as Director of Photography.

ETA (18 October 2022):

Director Farren Blackburn posted this selfie from the set of The Winter King on his Twitter.

The Winter King – Filming locations

So far there is not much information on The Winter King, the new series that Andrew Gower is currently filming as a series regular playing a chararcter named Sansum. We tried to compile as much as we could find out about the different filming locations in the article below:

Based on Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles, THE WINTER KING is an epic but intimate 10 part returning series which will shoot in Wales and the West Country in 2022.

Portraying a revisionist take on the well-loved Arthurian legends, the series follows Arthur Pendragon as he evolves from outcast son to legendary warrior and leader. The Winter King is set in the 5th century, long before Britain was united, in a land of warring factions and tribes when the world was brutal and lives were often fleeting.

The series is being produced by Bad Wolf, in association with One Big Picture, with international distribution being handled by Sony Pictures Television.

Kate Brooke (A Discovery Of Witches, Bancroft) and Ed Whitmore (Manhunt, Rillington Place) are adapting Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles for the series and Otto Bathurst (His Dark Materials, Halo) will be the lead director.

Source: Bad Wolf Official Website

Gallos, a representation of King Arthur by Rubin Eynon at Tintagel, Cornwall. (Image: Pixabay licence)

The Bristol Post reported about film sets in the West Country and around Bristol for the upcoming series, including “mocked-up medieval villages and forts” in Patchway and Blaise Castle Estate.

Plans for a temporary film set off Highwood Lane in Patchway Trading Estate, which will be used between July 2022 and January 2023, were submitted to the South Gloucestershire Council.

The units primary purpose is to provide a space for the construction of both interior and exterior ‘sets’ which the series requires. In addition to these temporary set structures, the site will provide space for the supporting infrastructure, cast, crew and logistical vehicles required to facilitate the filming of the show.
Due to the nature of the film making process, the level of activity at the site will vary across the period this planning application pertains to. After an initial construction phase, the filming operation itself – including cast and crew, will vary between 70 and 150 persons to span across circa 70 days between July 2022 and January 2023. As a result, it is not foreseen that the activity at this site will impact the local community in an adverse way.

Source

The exterior sets include a ‘fortified encampment’ and ‘mountainous ravine’ appropriate to Arthurian Britain – the time period in which the series is set.

(c) Dronestagram

Blaise Castle Estate seems to be another major filming site being transformed into a medieval village. The grade II-listed parkland will host thatched dwellings of wood, wattle and daub covering almost 30,000 sqm. Two film sets will be built on the estate: a cluster of houses and animal pens amongst trees adjacent to woodland, named on plans as “Avalon Village”, plus a wooden tower with a “scaffold plinth” and “scaffold birdcage”.

(c) Bristol Live

Tropiquaria was also used as a base filming took place within around a five-mile radius of the Watchet wildlife park and aquarium.

The Swindon Advertiser also reported about film crews being spotted near Bradford on Avon in the Iford Valley below Iford Manor Gardens.

They used the Iford Cider premises on the road to Freshford as a film base and were in the area for two nights […]. It is understood that horses were involved and some of the actors were seen wearing loincloths and other period costumes.

Souce: Swindon Advertiser

It does need to be pointed out that the cast mentioned in the article is the one for the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves that was also partly shot in the area according to the Somerset County Gazette. The cast for The Winter King – other than Andrew Gower – has yet to be revealed.

The Winter King will debut in the UK on ITV’s new streaming platform ITVX (Source: Variety), possibly in late 2023 / early 2024.

The Winter King – Filming At Blaise Castle

Our Twitter spies are out and provide us with some set photos from filming The Winter King in and around Bristol. Production of the new adaption of the best-selling Bernard Cornwell’s best-selling book series Warlord Chronicles, currently takes place at Blaise Castle Estate and in the Redcliff area.

The 650 acre Grade II registered parkland surrounding the 18th century Blaise Castle is used to built two film sets: cluster of houses and animal pens amongst trees adjacent to woodland, named on plans as “Avalon Village”, plus a wooden tower with a “scaffold plinth” and “scaffold birdcage”.

We’ll update this article as soon as we find out more!

Flickr User Jeremy Fennell also shared some set photos on his photostream. You can find more pictures on the Bristol Live website.