'Cursed' Preview: Netflix's retelling of the Arthurian legend featuring Katherine Langford is the story we need
Katherine Langford is set to appear in Netflix's latest fantasy drama based on a loose retelling of the King Arthur legend, 'Cursed'. This time, the Arthurian legend is being retold from the eyes of Nimue, whom we better know as the Lady of the Lake.
'Cursed' is a coming-of-age story featuring themes familiar to our own time: the obliteration of the natural world, religious terror, senseless war and finding the courage to lead in the face of the impossible.
Based on the upcoming book of the same name, 'Cursed' is a re-imagining of the Arthurian legend, told through the eyes of Nimue, a teenage heroine with a mysterious gift. After her mother's death, she finds an unexpected partner in Arthur, a young mercenary, in a quest to find Merlin and deliver an ancient sword. Over the course of her journey, Nimue will become a symbol of courage and rebellion against the terrifying Red Paladins and their complicit King Uther.
The focus of the story is a powerful magic sword that may or may not one day go by the name Excalibur, but the hero of the tale isn’t a young Arthur; it’s an otherworldly but fierce young woman named Nimue, whom we better know as the Lady of the Lake, the enchantress who beguiles the sorcerer Merlin. Here, Nimue belongs to the Fey and is orphaned after the religious Red Paladins have laid scourge to her village and crucified her people. She inherits the Sword of Power, an ancient sword that both empowers its owner to kill hordes of enemies and bends his or her will towards its bloodthirsty desires.
The Merlin of 'Cursed' is quite different too. Here, Merlin is almost always drunk, looking back to the days when he used to be able to wield magic. The same goes for Arthur, who is a hunky young itinerant swordsman who quickly falls in love with Nimue. Meanwhile, Guinevere makes a cameo as a kick-ass female warrior. Lancelot is a misguided Paladin, alone and intense and trying to wrestle with his tortured soul.
Most historians can’t agree on whether King Arthur that is immortalized in the famous stories was based on a real person or a fictional hero of Celtic mythology. He’s claimed by Wales, Cornwall and even Scotland, depending on who you read and there are tourist locations associated with him in all three locations (Caerleon, Tintagel, and Arthur’s Seat outside Edinburgh, respectively). One thing is for certain, however, that the Arthurian legend seems to live on in retellings in every generation. With 'Cursed' we get to see a very diverse cast -- Arthur is played by Devon Terrell who is best known for playing a young Barack Obama in the 2016 biographical film 'Barry'.
'Cursed' will be available to stream on Netflix on July 17 at 12 am PST. The first season will consist of 10 hour-long episodes.