King Arthur

“I grew up watching epics like Lawrence of Arabia,” says Fuqua (Training Day, Tears of the Sun). “A script like this comes along, you’d be crazy to pass it up.” For this reported $90 million production, Fuqua, coscreenwriter David Franzoni (Gladiator), and producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean) have gone back to 400 A.D. and the man some historians believe was the basis for the Arthurian legend: a half-Roman, half-British commander who protected Britain from invading Saxons. “This is not the romantic fairy tale,” says Owen, who plays Arthur. Some familiar elements remain—the Round Table; the love triangle between Arthur, Guinevere (Pirates’ Knightley), and Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd, TV’s Horatio Hornblower); and Merlin (The Hours’ Dillane)—but the emphasis is on warfare rather than wizardry. “We’re in the Dark Ages,” says Bruckheimer. “It’s much more primitive.” In addition to building a replica of Hadrian’s Wall and a Roman fort, “we had horses, wagons, goats, dogs, kids,” says Fuqua. “All those things filmmakers run from, I had them every day.”

WORKING ON THE KNIGHT MOVES: On the first day of shooting in Ireland, Arthur and his knights were on horseback, riding to someone’s rescue. “Antoine said, ‘Come on, guys—you’ve gotta look like knights, you’ve gotta be more serious than this,’ ” laughs Owen. “And suddenly all seven of us were riding faster than we’ve ever ridden in our lives.”