2020’s been a wild year, not the least of which because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has, among other things, turned the film industry topsy turvy. Plenty of movies that were supposed to play in theaters ended shifting to VOD or streaming releases, and even movies were delayed, with A24’s The Green Knight being among that latter group.
As things stand, there’s still no word on when The Green Knight will be released in theaters. However, when that day comes, you’ll have known for a while what it’s rated, and spoiler alert, this isn’t a movie you’ll be taking the kids to see. The Green Knight has been stamped with an R-rating for the following reasons:
Rated R for violence, some sexuality and graphic nudity.
Yep, that’s definitely a movie intended for mature audiences, though not so much that it makes the drastic jump to NC-17 territory. Still, considering the kinds of movies that A24 has churned out over the years, from Ex Machina to The Lighthouse, The Green Knight being rated R (as shared by Filmratings.com) isn’t too surprising. Quite frankly, I would’ve been a little shocked if it had been rated PG-13.
The Green Knight was originally intended to premiere at South by Southwest in March, with its wide theatrical release following on May 29. However, the current health crisis scrapped those plans, and while there are numerous theaters around the world that have reopened, and a handful of new movies are playing on big screens, there are still enough keeping their doors shut that we’re a long ways off from getting back into the traditional theatrical groove. As such, it’s hard to predict when The Green Knight will be made available to the masses.
Inspired by Arthurian legend, specifically the late 14th century chivalric romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, A24’s The Green Knight stars The Person History of David Copperfield’s Dev Patel as Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew. Gawain is sent on a quest to defeat the monstrous-looking Green Knight, played by Ralph Ineson, who Game of Thrones fans will remember for bringing Dagmer Cleftjaw to life. Speaking of which, looking at the reasons provided for The Green Knight’s R-rating, I imagine this movie will appeal to the same sensibilities that attracted a lot of people to Game of Thrones.
The Green Knight’s cast also includes Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Barry Keoghan, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie Erin Kellyman and Sarita Choudhury. Behind the scenes, The Old Man & the Gun’s David Lowery both directed and wrote the script. With The Green Knight finished, Lowery is next working on Disney’s live-action remake of Peter Pan, titled Peter Pan & Wendy, which will play on Disney+.
We here at CinemaBlend will let you know once The Green Knight has been assigned a new release date. In the meantime, find out what movies are slotted to come out next year with our 2021 release schedule.
