BBC / NBC Merlin

[Captain_BluTac]

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I saw the trailer for this and I have to say, nothing about it looked appealing. I'm usually a sucker for Arthurian lore, too. Maybe that's why this looks stupid to me; it's like a Smallville-ization of Merlin.

 

[Captain_BluTac]

I saw the trailer for this and I have to say, nothing about it looked appealing. I'm usually a sucker for Arthurian lore, too. Maybe that's why this looks stupid to me; it's like a Smallville-ization of Merlin.

I dunno, everything I have seen so far makes it look infinitely better than Smallville, I will be extremely shocked if this is bad, if for no better reason than it being produced by Shine.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I don't know what Shine is, but the very fact that Merlin gets sent to Camelot, which shouldn't exist yet, because he "doesn't fit in at home" almost made me retch all by itself.

 

[GhostPoet]

Hmm...i'm not so sure about this. The actor chosen for Merlin really bugs me. Maybe it's because he looks like a Vulcan?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm erring more toward the fact that he looks 16 while Uther Pendragon is ancient. Oh, and look, Arthur--the kid whose birth he's supposed to have orchestrated and whom he's supposed to groom to be the greatest king of England of all time--is his buddy!

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Merlin reminds me of the dude from Blue's Clues

 

[GhostPoet]

ha ha! Merlin is a disgruntled teenager! *laughs and points*

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Merlin reminds me of the dude from Blue's Clues

Holy s***, they do look alike.

 

[Captain_BluTac]

I don't know what Shine is, but the very fact that Merlin gets sent to Camelot, which shouldn't exist yet, because he "doesn't fit in at home" almost made me retch all by itself.

Why does every think Arthur established Camelot, he did not, in the legends he only created Camelot's "Golden Age".

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Either way, I don't recall anything about Merlin being sent off to Camelot like it's some kind of boarding school or buddying up with a young Arthur.

 

[chamber-music]

Either way, I don't recall anything about Merlin being sent off to Camelot like it's some kind of boarding school or buddying up with a young Arthur.

Sounds like Harry Potter the medieval years.

 

[Captain_BluTac]

Either way, I don't recall anything about Merlin being sent off to Camelot like it's some kind of boarding school or buddying up with a young Arthur.

He get's sent off to an apprenticeship, that's hardly like a boarding school.

 

[Captain_BluTac]

The 'Official' Merlin Countdown!
3 Days​

 

[Captain_BluTac]

Excuse my crappy scanner, but I thought I would post a picture of Eve Myles in some pretty impressive prosthetics, she is a guest star in this weeks episode playing a 130 year old witch billed as Mary Collins / Lady Helen.

 

[Captain_BluTac]

Uther and Morgana

Merlin and Arthur

Gaius and Gwen (Guinevere)

 

[Captain_BluTac]

Press release for the first episode.

Fantasy period drama based on the King Arthur legend.

Merlin, a wizard on the cusp of adulthood, arrives in Camelot hoping to find a use for his burgeoning talent for magic. He is welcomed by Gaius, the court physician, but Merlin soon learns magic has been outlawed by King Uther, the tyrannical leader of the realm, its practice made punishable by death.

When the Great Dragon summons Merlin to his cave, he tells the young wizard that he has a great destiny - to use his skills to keep the young Prince Arthur safe. But Merlin hates the flashy, arrogant Prince, and Arthur despises the wizard with equal fervour. So when an evil witch threatens Prince Arthur's life, Merlin finds himself tested - will he face up to his destiny to keep Arthur safe? And can he do so without getting caught?

First ep cast.

Merlin - Colin Morgan
Voice of the Dragon - John Hurt
Gaius - Richard Wilson
Uther Pendragon - Anthony Head
Mary Collins/Lady Helen - Eve Myles
Arthur - Bradley James
Gwen - Angel Coulby

 

[Captain_BluTac]

7:30 BBC1 Saturday 20th September 2008

Trailer

Pics

Spoiler

Further Press Releases, Pics ect (Links)

Spoiler

http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=15639408&postcount=16
http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=15663110&postcount=26
http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=15675377&postcount=40
http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=15675538&postcount=41
http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=15675538&postcount=42

I like the look of this show from the ads, but it has the potential to be terrible.

Edit: Screw it, it's gonna be awesome

I just thought I would point out, that I will attempt to keep the first post up to date with all Merlin news.

 

[Vapor]

They have started playing extended trailers for this before films at Odeon cinemas here in the UK, or they did when me and my friend went to see Hellboy 2.. Anyway, part way through the trailer I turned to look at him and he looked at me and we were watching in sheer disbelief.. When he uttered that tagline, 'keep the magic secret', we burst out laughing..

They've gone the same casting route as Robin Hood. Merlin, I'm sure might be a jolly nice guy in real life but he looks like a goon and as for the kid who's suppose to be King Arthur, he looks like he failed to get on Hollyoaks.

Yeah the effects look good for a tv show and I'm sure it will hit the right notes with their teenage target audience but.. major meh. It looks like it's trying to be too much like a movie and they've done the same thing they did with Robin Hood and Dr Who.. That is taken a good idea, something with a lot of potential and then diluted the idea down til your left with something laughable.. It's as a couple people have said, it looks more like a Smallville-ized Harry Potter wannabe than anything Arthurian.

It looks the same as what Russell T Davies scripting of Dr Who is like.. that is, it looks like the producers had a 'bring your kid to work day' and they had the script/idea/show and let their little kids hack it to bits.

 

[GhostPoet]

Press release for the first episode.
First ep cast.

Fantasy period drama based on the King Arthur legend.

Merlin, a wizard on the cusp of adulthood, arrives in Camelot, yo hoping to find a use for his burgeoning talent for magic, booze and parties. He is welcomed by Gaius, the court physician, but Merlin soon learns that parties have been outlawed by King Uther, the tyrannical leader of the realm, its practice made punishable by death.

When the College Football Captain summons Merlin to his locker room, he tells the young wizard that he has a great destiny - to use his party skills to get the young Prince Arthur a date. But Merlin hates the flashy, arrogant Prince, and Arthur despises the wizard with equal fervour, in order to hide gay love feelings for each other. So when an evil prom queen threatens Prince Arthur's life, Merlin finds himself tested - will he face up to his destiny to get Arthur a date? And can he do so while still getting ready for the next party?






There. Had to fix it. sorry.

 

[IronLion]

Fantasy period drama based on the King Arthur legend.

Merlin, a wizard on the cusp of adulthood, arrives in Camelot, yo hoping to find a use for his burgeoning talent for magic, booze and parties. He is welcomed by Gaius, the court physician, but Merlin soon learns that parties have been outlawed by King Uther, the tyrannical leader of the realm, its practice made punishable by death.

When the College Football Captain summons Merlin to his locker room, he tells the young wizard that he has a great destiny - to use his party skills to get the young Prince Arthur a date. But Merlin hates the flashy, arrogant Prince, and Arthur despises the wizard with equal fervour, in order to hide gay love feelings for each other. So when an evil prom queen threatens Prince Arthur's life, Merlin finds himself tested - will he face up to his destiny to get Arthur a date? And can he do so while still getting ready for the next party?






There. Had to fix it. sorry.

 

[Captain_BluTac]

Loved the first ep and here's an iccle review from DS

S01E01: 'The Dragon's Call'

Airs on Saturday, September 20 2008 at 19:30 BST on BBC One

By Ben Rawson-Jones, Cult Editor
S01E01: 'The Dragon's Call'

Could the debut episode of Merlin successfully establish a new take on the Arthurian mythology and feature an absorbing self-contained plot? Just about, but until a rousing finale events were more grinding than gripping.

The 'body swap' plot was certainly too pedestrian and over-familiar for the opening instalment of a major production. It was severely lacking in incident until the brilliant climactic sequence in which the revenge-fuelled witch cast her singing spell over the court. If only she could go on X Factor and do the same.

As the antagonist, Eve Myles showcased her versatility and gave the performance an ambiguous tone that ensured she wasn't mere villain fodder, but a grieving mother fuelled by anger over her son's death. Similarly, Anthony Head's turn as King Uther Pendragon also raised many questions about the character's true nature.

The other roles were particularly well cast too, especially Colin Morgan as the eponymous hero. He doesn't just look perfect for the part of a young wizard, but also perfectly draws out the clash of supreme power and adolescent awkwardness within Merlin.

There was one moment that left a sour note though, when Merlin took a swing at Arthur after some baiting. This wasn't ideal behaviour from the supposed hero in a family show, using his fists ahead of his brain. Yet it may ultimately work in the show's favour in future episodes should the character experience a 'passage of rites' and move away from any more bouts of aggression.

'The Dragon's Call' impressively showcased the lavish spectacle of the show, with fine direction immersing us within the Camelot environment. The dragon himself was frustratingly lacking in screen time and didn't manage to establish his presence enough, despite some dazzling effects work and John Hurt's world-weary voiceover.

Overall, the narrative wasn't quite engaging enough until the final quarter, but interest was sustained through a range of appealing performances from an excellent cast that were given little more than bog-standard dialogue.

As a 'pilot', it fell far short of the brilliance of the reinvented Doctor Who's debut story 'Rose', which established the back story and characters in perfect combination with a self-contained invasion plot. Still, there's more than enough promise in this series to justify tuning in next week.

 

[Lord Valumart]

all i can say is i'm sorry for john hurt, ASH and "gaz" from two pints to be in this...and i thought i felt sorry for dexter feltcher being in robin hood...

 

[chamber-music]

So are they keeping the creepy incest relationship between Morgan Le Fay (Morgana) and Arthur (they are half siblings). I think they said king Uther was Morgana's guardian rather than father but I'm not sure.

 

[SpideyLad]

Well....That was bad....