Heath Ledger in ‘A Knight’s Tale.’ Cover Images
A Knight’s Tale almost got a sequel on Netflix, but without the late Heath Ledger — at least according to screenwriter Brian Helgeland.
“When we finished A Knight’s Tale, we were already thinking about making the sequel as a pirate film,” Helgeland, 63, shared during an interview with Inverse, published on Monday, April 22. “Sony didn’t want to do it.”
The 2001 film starred Ledger as William Thatcher, a peasant in 14th-century Europe who dreams of being a Knight. When he poses as a knight to enter a competition, Willam continues to win at various tournaments before his true identity is discovered. After being arrested, it’s revealed that William is of noble birth and can finish the tournament, coming out victorious.
The sequel, per Helgeland, was set to follow the character of Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell), William’s nemesis, as he kidnaps Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon), William’s love interest.
“They end up as galley slaves after their boat is captured by pirates,” Helgeland explained. “There’s a prisoner on the boat who has a treasure map tattooed on his back, but he keeps getting flogged for indiscipline. The guys volunteer to take turns getting flogged in this prisoner’s place, so the map isn’t erased.”
Heath Ledger and Paul Bettany in ‘A Knight’s Tale.’ Cover Images
A second idea would follow William’s daughter, as pitched by Paul Bettany, who played Geoffrey Chaucer in the movie.
“The guys had an idea that William had passed away during a war. However, William has a teenage daughter who wants to joust, but she’s not allowed to because she’s a woman,” Helgeland said. “She tracks down the gang and they agree to teach her how to joust, but she has to hide who she is. They cut her hair short, and she speaks with a deep voice.”
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After hearing the second idea, Helgeland pitched to Sony again. “It seemed like they were interested in making it with Netflix,” he recalled.
It’s unclear if Bettany’s sequel was pitched following Ledger’s passing. The Australian star died at age 28 in January 2002 following an accidental drug overdose from the “combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine,” a toxicology report revealed.
Heath Ledger in ‘A Knight’s Tale.’ Cover Images
Whether or not Ledger was set to be involved in any capacity, things still went awry.
“My understanding is that Netflix tested this sequel idea through their algorithms, which indicated that it would not be successful,” he added. “A Knight’s Tale seems to get more popular with every passing year; it’s the strangest thing.”
