A Legendary Movie

A young man stumbles upon a sword stuck in stone. He reaches for the handle and pulls the weapon from its rocky sheath, a feat countless others have failed to accomplish. This 1,500-year-old legend is the story of young Arthur Pendragon. You probably know of him as King Arthur. He ruled the legendary kingdom of Camelot.

The Kid Who Would Be King is the latest retelling of this classic tale, but with a modern twist. The hero is a young British boy named Alex living in London. Alex is your average 12-year-old. He goes to school, hangs out with his friends, does homework, and deals with bullies in his class.

But one day, Alex discovers King Arthur’s mythical sword Excalibur. Suddenly, he must use the sword to battle the evil sorceress Morgana to save all humanity. Luckily he’s not alone: His best friends and the wizard Merlin are on his side.

A young man finds a sword stuck in stone. Many people have tried and failed to remove it before. But he reaches for the handle and pulls the weapon out. This 1,500-year-old legend is the story of young Arthur Pendragon. You probably know of him as King Arthur. He ruled the legendary kingdom of Camelot.

A movie called The Kid Who Would Be King retells this story. But it has a modern twist. The hero is a young British boy named Alex. He’s 12 years old and lives in London. He’s a pretty normal kid. He goes to school and hangs out with his friends. He does homework and deals with bullies in his class.

But one day, Alex discovers King Arthur’s mythical sword, called Excalibur. He must use the sword to battle the evil sorceress Morgana. The fate of all humanity is at stake! But luckily, Alex isn’t alone. His best friends and the wizard Merlin are on his side.

Fourteen-year-old actor Louis Serkis plays Alex in the film. Louis, whose father Andy Serkis is also a film star, always knew he wanted to pursue a career in acting. “I grew up hanging out on my dad’s sets,” Louis explains. “I like to entertain people. I find it quite satisfying.”

But starring in a big-budget action movie is a lot of hard work for a young actor. “The fight scenes were exciting and intense, and it was hard to do it over and over again,” Louis says. “The swords are heavy, and it took a lot of concentration and energy to do them repeatedly.”

Louis spent months learning how to wield a weapon. He also had to learn how to ride horseback and underwent fitness training to build muscle for the role.

But playing Alex was more than just a physical challenge for Louis. He’s quite different from his character. “Alex is more introverted, and I’m more extroverted,” says Louis. “In order to fulfill his destiny, Alex has to overcome his shyness and even turns his bullies into allies—the fight against Morgana brings them all together.”

Fourteen-year-old actor Louis Serkis plays Alex in the film. Louis’s father, Andy Serkis, is also a film star. Louis always knew he wanted to be an actor. “I grew up hanging out on my dad’s sets,” Louis explains. “I like to entertain people. I find it quite satisfying.”

But starring in an action movie is hard work for a young actor. “The fight scenes were exciting and intense, and it was hard to do it over and over again,” Louis says. “The swords are heavy, and it took a lot of concentration and energy to do them repeatedly.”

Louis spent months learning how to hold a weapon. He also had to learn to ride a horse. He exercised to build muscle for the role.

Playing Alex was a challenge for Louis in other ways too. The actor and his character have very different personalities. “Alex is more introverted,” or shy, says Louis. “I’m more extroverted,” or outgoing, he adds.

“In order to fulfill his destiny, Alex has to overcome his shyness and even turns his bullies into allies,” says Louis. “The fight against Morgana brings them all together.”