'The Kid Who Would Be King' Clip: The Kids Learn How To Sword-Fight

It's a parent's worst nightmare: kids with sharp objects. But running with scissors has got nothing on running with sharp swords against magically animated trees in The Kid Who Would Be King. 20th Century Fox has released a new The Kid Who Would Be King clip, showcasing the titular kid Alex Elliot (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) as he and his fellow classmates train to fight with swords with some guidance from a young Merlin (Angus Imrie).

Joe Cornish made waves with his directorial debut Attack the Block, but his upcoming feature The Kid Who Would Be King remains a bit baffling. Is it a Harry Potter knock-off that got lost in time? How did they get Patrick Stewart and Rebecca Ferguson to sign on to this? What on earth is the kid playing Merlin doing?

Imrie, who is best known for his role in BBC Radio 4's long-running drama serial The Archers, gets the spotlight in this clip, where he makes some...acting choices. Apart from looking like a stretched out version of every pasty British teenager, Imrie is singularly flamboyant in this clip in a way that I'm not sure how to react to it. Maybe this movie will be some sort of high-camp masterpiece? I have no idea what to expect for The Kid Who Would Be King, but guess we'll find out soon when it hits theaters later this month.

Here is the official synopsis for The Kid Who Would Be King:

Old school magic meets the modern world in the epic adventure THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING. Alex (Ashbourne Serkis) thinks he's just another nobody, until he stumbles upon the mythical Sword in the Stone, Excalibur. Now, he must unite his friends and enemies into a band of knights and, together with the legendary wizard Merlin (Stewart), take on the wicked enchantress Morgana (Ferguson). With the future at stake, Alex must become the great leader he never dreamed he could be.

The Kid Who Would Be King opens in theaters on January 25, 2019.