'The Green Knight' Trailer: Director David Lowery Sends Dev Patel On A Quest

In the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain, the youngest of King Arthur's knights and also Arthur's nephew, accepts a challenge from a giant Green Knight. The challenge: Any knight can strike him with his ax if that knight will, in turn, take a return blow in a year and a day. Gawain thinks this is a simple wager, and promptly chops off the Green Knight's head. Unfortunately, the Green Knight doesn't die from this. Instead, he picks up his head, puts it back on, and tells Gawain he'll return in a year and a day to return the favor. Awkard.

I love most of the films of David Lowery, and I'm pretty stoked to see him taking on this genre. Lowery's films – titles like A Ghost Story and the wonderful remake of Pete's Dragon – are thoughtful and introspective, and I have no doubt he'll bring that same approach here. That's not to say it won't be a fantastical film as well – Lowery worked with WETA digital on the special effects. I'm also happy to see Dev Patel leading more films – something that should happen more often.

Here's the official synopsis:

An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, THE GREEN KNIGHT tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers in what becomes a deeper journey to define his character and prove his worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom by facing the ultimate challenger.  From visionary filmmaker David Lowery comes a fresh and bold spin on a classic tale from the knights of the round table.

In addition to Patel, The Green Knight features Joel Edgerton, Barry Keoghan, Ralph Ineson, Alicia Vikander, and Sean Harris. The Green Knight rides into theaters on May 29, 2020. Dig the cool poster below.