Joel Edgerton To Star Alongside Timothee Chalamet In Netflix's The King
Joel Edgerton has scored his next film role, and it's of the royal variety.
Variety reports that Edgerton has been cast in Netflix's The King, the upcoming film based on William Shakespeare's plays "Henry IV" and "Henry V."
Edgerton will star opposite Timothée Chalamet, the French-American actor who stole hearts as Elio in Call Me by Your Name, the role for which he also nabbed an Oscar nomination. Chalamet portrays a "young, disgraced prince who inherits the crown and must learn what it means to be a king," and Edgerton plays Falstaff, the prince's one true friend.
News of Edgerton's casting doesn't come as too big a surprise, as the creative was already involved with The King as a writer. Edgerton co-wrote the script with War Machine filmmaker David Michôd, who directs The King. The two have a long-standing professional relationship that started with their riveting turns in the 2010 Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom. Michôd directed the film and Edgerton starred in it alongside Guy Pearce, Ben Mendelsohn, Jacki Weaver, Sullivan Stapleton, James Frecheville, and Luke Ford. Additionally, The King marks the second movie Michôd and Edgerton have co-written; they previously penned the 2014 pic The Rover.
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner will produce The King under their Plan B banner. Liz Watts, the Australian film producer who worked with Michôd and Edgerton on both Animal Kingdom and The Rover, is set to produce as well. Edgerton and Michôd round out the team of producers.
2018 has been a busy year for Joel Edgerton, as the actor has already starred in Netflix's cop thriller flick Bright, the Jennifer Lawrence-led spy film Red Sparrow, and the crime drama Gringo opposite Charlize Theron and David Oyelowo. He'll next appear in Boy Erased, the coming-of-age drama based on Garrard Conley's memoir, which he both wrote and directed.
The King is currently without a release date, but production is expected to begin in Europe this June.