King Arthur Interview by Martyn Palmer The rolling, emerald green hills around Ballymore Eustace in County Kildare are rarely troubled with anything more noisy than a tractor back firing or a couple of sheep dogs barking at the livestock. Today, though, is different. Today,  it's quite easy to believe that we are back in the Dark Ages, around 400 AD, as Roman legionnaires mingle with the Saxon hordes and nearby, a group of horsemen, resplendent in leather studded with metal, prepare for battle. There's the harsh clash of steel as groups of young men practice their sword fighting mingling with a blood curdling cry from a long haired, fierce looking Saxon rehearsing his battle yell -  which hardly attracts a sideways glance from the dozens of men, women and children, in full costume as ancient British villagers, relax in the late summer sun and wait to be called for the scene. And looming in the distance, is the majestic, foreboding Hadrian's Wall - a stunning reconstruction of the battlements which divided northern and southern Britain in ancient times. It is, as you can imagine, an arresting sight. There are craftsmen making armoury, costume designers making last minute alterations, weapons experts, electricians, carpenters, builders, camera crew, runners - it's like a small town with thousands of inhabitants housed in giant tents and winnebagos dotted across the hillside. It's fair to say that Ballymore Eustace (just a few miles inland from the aptly named village of Hollywood) has never seen anything quite like this. But then, it's not every day that a Jerry Bruckheimer film arrives on your doorstep. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), and starring Clive Owen in the title role, King Arthur promises to be a cinematic spectacle quite unlike anything we have seen before. With a story by David Franzoni (Gladiator, Amistad), the film makers aim to strip away the myths surrounding King Arthur and, as much as possible, give us the real story of the man who became the legend. “So many wonderful writers have given us versions of this story,” says Jerry Bruckheimer. “But they've always made it kind of fantasy. But there was a real King Arthur and David Franzoni has done an enormous amount of research in finding out who the real King Arthur was.” Franzoni himself has, of course, a proven track record when it comes to recreating history for a modern audience - Ridley Scott's highly acclaimed box office hit Gladiator made it's leading man, Russell Crowe, into a star and his performance rightly won him an Oscar. And it was whilst David was in Rome researching Gladiator that he first came up with the idea for King Arthur. “And I actually did a little research on it while I was there,” says David. “I went back to the States and became focused on Gladiator but then I decided to take another look at King Arthur. Because it's a fascinating story.” Next		Home Interviews Antoine Fuqua Interview King Arthur Interview Arv Grewal Interview Asia Argento Interview Behind the Scenes of "War of the Worlds" Bernie Goldmann Interview Clive Owen Interview Dakota Fanning Interview Dennis Hopper Interview George A Romero Interview Greg Nicotero Interview The Hulk Press Conference Ang Lee Press Conference Ioan Gruffudd Interview John Leguizamo Interview Kathleen Kennedy Interview Keira Knightley Interview