Lionsgate has released the first trailer for its upcoming adventure film Arthur the King. The film’s main star, a dog named Arthur, will quickly capture audiences’ hearts in the short sneak peek.
Arthur the King is based on the book Arthur – The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home by Mikael Lindnord and Val Hudson. The book is actually Lindnord’s memoir and tells the true story of a dog who traveled over 400 miles to be with him. Lindnord and his team were participating in a 435-mile adventure race in 2014. As you can probably guess from the mileage, this wasn’t an ordinary race. The team had to travel through rugged terrain by kayak, bike, or foot across the jungles of Ecuador. Amazingly, a little stray dog, later named Arthur, found Lindnord and his team and managed to keep up with them across hundreds and hundreds of miles. After successfully completing the race together, Lindnord adopted Arthur as his own.
Sadly, Arthur passed away in 2020, just a month before filming started on Arthur the King with director Simon Cellan Jones. Fortunately, his story will live on as the film dramatizes Arthur’s adventure with Lindnord. Here’s everything we know about the film so far.
Watch the first heartwarming trailer for Arthur the King
Lionsgate dropped the first trailer for Arthur the King on November 15, 2023. The film will arrive in theaters on March 22, 2024.
The trailer sees Mark Wahlberg as Lindnord, preparing for and partaking in the race of a lifetime. During one stop, he happens to give a stray dog a meatball and is astounded when that same dog shows up 200 miles later. The trailer gets emotional as Lindnord strives to see Arthur’s perspective, wondering what the dog has been through and what he’s seen. While the race gets increasingly difficult, neither Lindnord nor Arthur is willing to give up, and soon the whole world gets wind of that little dog participating in a 400-mile-plus race. The trailer doesn’t try to be too melodramatic but feels like a genuine retelling of Arthur’s story, which is powerful and emotional.
What to expect from Arthur the King
Arthur the King will be led by Wahlberg in the role of Michael Light, the film’s version of Lindnord. This film is right up Wahlberg’s alley as he has recently been big on biographical, inspirational films with his roles in Joe Bell and Father Stu. Starring opposite Wahlberg is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu as Liam, one of Light’s teammates. Meanwhile, a dog actor plays the lead role of Arthur, though the pup’s real-life name has yet to be revealed. Juliet Rylance, best known for starring in HBO’s Perry Mason, co-stars in Arthur the King as Helena Light, Michael’s wife.
Nathalie Emmanuel and Ali Suliman have joined the cast as fellow athletes on Light’s team. Adventurer Bear Grylls is set to cameo in the film as himself. Rounding out the cast of Arthur the King are Paul Guilfoyle, Rob Collins, Elizabeth Chahin, Michael Landes, and Jason Chan.
Meanwhile, it appears the film will follow the original story quite closely. The official synopsis reads:
Over the course of ten days and 435 miles, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur. Based on an incredible true story, ARTHUR THE KING follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he convinces a sponsor to back him and a team of athletes for the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. As the team is pushed to their outer limits of endurance in the race, Arthur redefines what victory, loyalty and friendship truly mean.
Of course, the film takes some creative liberties, considering it places the race in the Dominican Republic instead of Ecuador and changes the main character’s name to make him American. Fortunately, Lindnord has expressed his approval of the film and declared it an “honor” to be portrayed by Wahlberg. He has also shared excitement that Arthur’s story will be more widely known. As long as Arthur the King pays tribute to the dog at its center and does justice to Arthur’s story, there aren’t many ways it can go wrong.
(featured image: Lionsgate)
