A Knight's Tale Sequel Could've Happened — But Netflix's Algorithm Killed It
Brian Helgeland's 2001 film "A Knight's Tale" is based on the first of the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, but it has as much to do with 14th-century medieval literature as "Wayne's World." The film features characters singing Queen songs and one of the characters invents the Nike "swoop" as a brand for her armor. The story involves William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) a handsome young cove who aims to win jousting tournaments and be welcomed as one of the king's knights. It's a raucous, lightweight, silly movie that is deeply beloved by a very specific age group, that is: those who were between 15 and 17 in May of 2001.
It also depicted Ledger at the height of his heartthrob powers, as well as Paul Bettany (as Chaucer), Rufus Sewell as the villain, Shannyn Sossamon as Ledger's would-be paramour, and a trio of brilliant comedian sidekicks in Mark Addy, Laura Fraser, and Alan Tudyk. "A Knight's Tale" found a secondary life on home video, becoming a quintessential slumber party classic for a few years in the mid-2000s. It's a great deal of fun, but for God's sake, don't study it for an accurate representation of British history or of Chaucer's writings.
On its opening weekend, "A Knight's Tale" was considered a bomb, making only $16 million against its $65 million budget. It went on to earn its money back, however, and Helgelund was eager to return to William Thatcher's world for a sequel. Indeed, in a new interview with Inverse, Helgeland talked about his sequel ideas, as well as how far he got in the sequel-making process. Sadly, because of the caprices of the Netflix algorithm, "A Knight's Tale 2" was quashed.
A Pirate's Tale
The idea for a "Knight's Tale" sequel, Helgelund said, came soon after the release of the first movie, and he felt no need to stand by the original Chaucer conceit (if he had, the logical sequel would have been "A Miller's Tale"). The new film would have been a tongue-in-cheek seafaring adventure that seemingly had to do more with Robert Louis Stevenson than any medieval author. Helgeland said:
"When we finished 'A Knight's Tale,' we were already thinking about making the sequel as a pirate film. The plot revolved around Count Adhemar kidnapping Jocelyn and taking her to Constantinople. They end up as galley slaves after their boat is captured by pirates. There's a prisoner on the boat who has a treasure map tattooed on his back, but he keeps getting flogged for indiscipline. The guys volunteer to take turns getting flogged in this prisoner's place, so the map isn't erased. Sony didn't want to do it."
It seems that a few years later, Paul Bettany and Alan Tudyk also had an idea for a sequel to "A Knight's Tale" that could be done without William Thatcher, following Ledger's death in 2008. Tudyk's and Bettany's pitch, likely formulated as an homage to their co-star, was as follows:
"Paul Bettany called me after he had dinner with Alan Tudyk, and the guys had an idea that William had passed away during a war. However, William has a teenage daughter who wants to joust, but she's not allowed to because she's a woman. She tracks down the gang and they agree to teach her how to joust, but she has to hide who she is. They cut her hair short and she speaks with a deep voice, et cetera."
The cross-dressing is classic Shakespeare, so we're closer to Chaucer again.
The vicious Netflix algorithm
That newer sequel, about Thatcher's teenage daughter, caught the ear of Sony who released the original back in 2001. It seems that Sony was eager to make a late-stage sequel to "A Knight's Tale," given the success that sequels and reboots had in the 2010s. Sony's plan was to release "A Knight's Tale 2" with partial funding and home distribution by Netflix; from the sound of it, the sequel would not have garnered a theatrical release.
Netflix execs evidently left the room, entered their hidden black citadel, lit candles around their unholy altar, and prayed to their god Algorithm. They received a negative response. Helgeland said:
"I pitched it to Sony because they own the rights, and it seemed like they were interested in making it with Netflix, releasing it as a Netflix movie. My understanding is that Netflix tested this sequel idea through their algorithms, which indicated that it would not be successful. 'A Knight's Tale' seems to get more popular with every passing year; it's the strangest thing."
This may not be the end of it, though. If the great god Algorithm decides that "A Knight's Tale 2" would be successful with Netflix viewers, and the cast remains game, then Helbelgand may still get his wish. Helgaland's last two feature films were released on two of the larger streaming services. 2020's "Spencer Confidential" was released on Netflix, and 2023's "Finestkind" was released on Paramount+. Helgeland knows how to work with streamers, and would likely be happy. If you'd like to see "A Knight's Tale 2," flood social media with the title and maybe Algorithm will listen.