Mail delivery has never looked so perilous. On Wednesday, Netflix released the first official trailer for its upcoming series, The Letter for the King, which follows the dangerous journey of a young squire as he rides across the kingdom to deliver, well, a letter to the king.
Our hero Tiuri (His Dark Materials’ Amir Wilson) is training to become a knight. But in order to earn his stripes, he has to first complete one simple task: hand-deliver a mysterious letter containing the fate of the kingdom to the most powerful man in the world. This proves to be a lot more complicated than it seems, and along the way, he enlists the help of a ragtag band of allies while trying to evade capture.
The Letter for the King is based on the novel of the same name by Dutch author Tonke Dragt (De brief voor de koning). First published in 1962, it received an English translation in 2013 from Pushkin Press and was adapted into a Dutch-language film in 2008.
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Here’s the English translation’s official synopsis:
A young messenger. A secret mission. A kingdom in peril.
It is the dead of night.
Sixteen-year-old Tiuri must spend hours locked in a chapel in silent contemplation if he is to be knighted the next day.
But, as he waits by the light of a flickering candle, he hears a knock at the door and a voice desperately asking for help.
A secret letter must be delivered to King Unauwen across the GreatMountains – a letter upon which the fate of the entire kingdom depends. Tiuri has a vital role to play, one that might cost him his knighthood.
Tiuri’s journey will take him through dark, menacing forests, across treacherous rivers, to sinister castles and strange cities. He will encounter evil enemies who would kill to get the letter, but also the best of friends in the most unexpected places.
He must trust no one.
He must keep his true identity secret.
Above all, he must never reveal what is in the letter…
The Letter for the King is the thrilling story of one boy’s battle against evil, set in an enchanted world of chivalry, courage and true friendship.
The Letter for the King also stars a sans-mocap-suit Andy Serkis, who is currently filming for Matt Reeves’ The Batman, in which he plays Alfred Pennyworth. It arrives on Netflix March 20.
Can’t say I care much for the lead. Looks like he would be more at home starring in Perfect Pitch rather than a series like this.
Hm, a supposedly powerful, gifted, chosen one style young man is destined to save the world and yet is rather lacking in skills and relies on the help of his often more capable friends to prevail. Where have I seen that before?