Plot
editCast
editThemes
editProduction
editDevelopment
editCasting
editDev Patel entered negotiations to play Gawain on March 4, 2019.[1] Lowery, who entertained offers from a number of actors after announcing his adaptation, met Patel during the production of The Personal History of David Copperfield. After that meeting, Lowery believed that Patel could make Gawain, a "relatively unlikeable" character, into "an incredibly beguiling hero, even though [Gawain's] not very heroic".[2] On March 15, Barry Keoghan and Ralph Ineson joined the film in then-unspecified roles.[3]
Alicia Vikander's involvement in The Green Knight was announced in April 2019, when her husband Michael Fassbender came to visit her during filming.[4] Vikander's involvement in the film began while Lowery was still writing the script. During a meeting with the director, he sent her the script in progress, telling her, "there's not many women in it, there might not be a big part."[5] Vikander had not originally been told to read for both Esel and the Lady, but after reading the script, she and Lowery had another conversation where he offered her both roles.[5]
Filming
editFilming for The Green Knight took place entirely in Ireland, with principal photography occurring from March to May 2019 and reshoots taking place that September.[6] Outdoor scenes were predominantly filmed in County Wicklow, while indoor scenes were filmed at Ardmore Studios in Bray. Two real-life castles were used for filming as well: Cahir Castle on the River Suir represented the seat of King Arthur and his knights, while Charleville Castle in Tullamore was repurposed for the Lord's home.[7] During the scene in which Gawain encounters the giants, Patel was standing atop a mountain in Wicklow, while visual effects artists digitally erased the valley below him, which should have been the city of Bray, with a landscape of New Zealand.[8] The New Zealand footage was captured via aerial photography in order to capture the proper scale to fit in with the rest of the scene.[9]
Post-production
editSoundtrack
editRelease
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Originally, The Green Knight was scheduled to have its world premiere at the South by Southwest film festival (SXSW) on March 16, 2020,[10] with a full theatrical release following on May 29.[11] The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, forced both the cancellation of SXSW and a mass closure of movie theatres worldwide. With no timeframe for when cinemas may reopen, many studios opted to release their new films through video on demand. Lowery told the A24 Project podcast and IndieWire that he would prefer The Green Knight to see a theatrical release, but that he was ultimately not in control over whether or not it was made available on VOD.[12]
Lowery revealed after the original delays that he was unhappy with the cut of The Green Knight that was set to debut at SXSW, and that he spent six months during the pandemic re-editing the film until it reached his personal satisfaction.[13] In December 2020, A24 announce that The Green Knight would be released exclusively in theaters, opening in US cinemas on July 30, 2021.[14] One at-home video option was available in the US: the A24 Screening Room allowed viewers to purchase a $20 ticket that would allow them to stream The Green Knight, as well as an additional Q&A session with the cast and crew, during a four-hour window of their choice on the night of August 18.[15] Although the US release progressed as planned, Entertainment Film Distributors chose to pull The Green Knight from UK cinemas two weeks before its scheduled theatrical release on August 6, citing the surge in COVID-19 cases cauesd by the Delta variant.[16] After some deliberation, Entertainment opted to release The Green Knight simultaneously in theaters and through Amazon Prime Video on September 24 in the UK.[17]
Home media
editThe Green Knight was released on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, and digital download on October 12, 2021.[18] The home media release included a number of special features highlighting elements of the film's production process, but did not include any deleted or alternate scenes from Lowery's original cut.[19] After its home media release, The Green Knight returned to theaters for a limited theatrical release in certain AMC Theatres-owned cinemas on December 10.[20]
Reception
editBox office
editAs of December 20, 2021, The Green Knight grossed $17.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $1.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $18.9 million.[21]
Critical response
editAccolades
edit| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugo Award | September 4, 2022 | Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form | The Green Knight | Pending | [22] |
Legacy
editSequels
editReferences
edit- ^ Kroll, Justin (March 4, 2019). "Dev Patel to Star in David Lowery's Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Film". Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Seddon, Dan (September 20, 2021). "Why Dev Patel was cast as the 'relatively unlikeable' lead in The Green Knight". Digital Spy. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (March 15, 2019). "'Green Knight': Barry Keoghan & Ralph Ineson Joins A24's Fantasy Epic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "Hollywood star Michael Fassbender celebrates birthday on South East blockbuster film set". Waterford Live. April 2, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ a b Bui, Hoai-Tran (July 29, 2021). "'The Green Knight' Star Alicia Vikander On Playing Dual Roles And Delivering A Defining Monologue [Interview]". /Film. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ Hutton, Robert (August 10, 2021). "The Green Knight Movie Locations: Where The Arthurian Legend Film Was Shot". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ McCann, Jaymi (September 26, 2021). "Where was The Green Knight filmed? Filming locations in Ireland for the new Amazon Prime film with Dev Patel". i. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Robinson, Tasha (August 28, 2021). "The Green Knight's DP clears up one of the movie's biggest mysteries". Polygon. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Desowitz, Bill (August 5, 2021). "'The Green Knight': Inside the Mystical VFX Behind David Lowery's Mind-Blowing Medieval Fantasy". IndieWire. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 2, 2020). "A24's Fantasy Film 'The Green Knight' To Make World Premiere At SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Sharf, Zack (February 13, 2020). "'The Green Knight' Trailer: Dev Patel, David Lowery Dazzle With Indie Fantasy Epic". IndieWire. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Sharf, Zack (May 4, 2020). "David Lowery Aims for 'Green Knight' to Open in Theaters Over VOD, but 'No One Knows'". IndieWire. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Robinson, Joanna (July 26, 2021). "Director David Lowery on The Green Knight's Eerie Influences". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Evangelista, Chris (December 17, 2020). "'The Green Knight' Will Now Open In Theaters Summer 2021". /Film. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (August 10, 2021). "A24 will stream The Green Knight for one night on August 18". The Verge. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (July 22, 2021). "'The Green Knight' Pulled From U.K. Theatrical Release Slot". Variety. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Lavin, Will (September 4, 2021). "'The Green Knight' finally gets UK cinema release". NME. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Hermanns, Grant (September 1, 2021). "The Green Knight Blu-ray Release Date & Special Features Revealed". ScreenRant. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Evangelista, Chris (August 31, 2021). "The Green Knight Arrives On 4K, Blu-Ray, DVD, And Digital This October". /Film. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Boccella, Maggie (December 7, 2021). "'The Green Knight' Returns to Theaters, Proving It's a Christmas Movie". Collider. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ "The Green Knight (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ "2022 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. Retrieved 6 June 2022.