I read a lot. And I mostly read fantasy and sci-fi novels. And while I will certainly never claim to have read all the major titles of those genres, I’ve read a fair bit of them and have a standing familiarity with most of the rest. I say “most” because every once in a while, I will hear reference being made about some highly-regarded “famous” classic story… and I have never even heard of it. And damn it’s annoying! How dare these books have been hidden from me all this time?!
And that’s exactly how I felt when reading up on The Letter for the King, Netflix’s upcoming big-budget limited series fantasy adaptation. The upcoming six-episode series is based on De brief voor de Koning, Dutch children’s story writer/illustrator Tonke Dragt’s critically-acclaimed and massively successful 1962 novel. After its initial publication, the fantasy tale about a young squire who needs to deliver a secret letter to a king to help battle a dark prince won the prize as the Best Children’s Book of the Year in the Netherlands in 1963. And in 2004, it was actually crowned as the Best Children’s Book of the last 50 years. While the novel got released around the world in over a dozen languages, it got an English-language translation in 2013 which also earned critical praise. And still I had never heard of it.
Luckily, now that is all being remedied thanks to Netflix who released the first trailer for their adaptation last night. The streaming service is coming off the massive success of The Witcher, and is positioning The Letter for the King as a fantasy counterpoint for a much younger viewing audience. And people like me that want to finally see what all the fuss is about.
The Letter for the King is the story of a ruthless prince who threatens to cast the world into darkness, when a young knight in training named Tiuri (Amir Wilson) embarks on an epic quest to deliver a secret letter to the king. Along the way, he unexpectedly finds himself at the center of a magical prophecy foretelling the rise of a hero who can defeat the prince and restore peace. If he’s going to survive the journey, Tiuri will have to learn what it means to be a true knight — and a true leader.
Along with the trailer, Netflix has also released a series of stills as well as a poster which you can check out below.
The Letter for the King stars Amir Wilson as the young squire Tiuri, and he is joined by Ruby Serkis (whose famous father Andy Serkis can be seen popping up in a cameo in the trailer), Thaddea Graham, and Gijs Blom. Will Davies has been appointed as showrunner having penned the limited series’ six episodes, all of which will premiere on Netflix on 20 March 2020.
Last Updated: February 28, 2020
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 28, 2020 at 14:25
Looks like they spent some money on it, but it seems a bit too kid-friendly for my tastes. Then again I enjoyed Raising Dion, so who knows.
Original Heretic
February 28, 2020 at 14:52
Isn’t that the kid from His Dark Materials?
Kervyn Cloete
February 28, 2020 at 15:44
Yep, he’s in there as well.