The sequel to Heath Ledger’s action-adventure film that Netflix didn’t want to make: “The algorithms indicated it wouldn’t be successful” – Cinema News

The director of Knight’s Heart confirmed that he presented two ideas to continue the story, but neither was accepted.

You probably remember Knight’s Heart. The action-adventure film, starring Heath Ledger, was released in 2001 and pleased a large part of the public, although critics did not react so positively. But why are we bringing this film up now? Its director and screenwriter Brian Helgeland revealed that he presented two ideas for a sequel, but both were rejected.

The film follows William, the son of a 14th century commoner who dreams of being a knight. The protagonist is good at fighting, but he is not noble, so he cannot dedicate himself to them. Taking advantage of the death of one of the competitors, he decides to put on the armor and pretend to be him.

As he progresses through the tournaments alongside his squire, he also finds love when he meets the maiden Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon). However, his problems with his new identity are at risk, as Count Adhemar does not intend to make things easy for him.

The director said that they had an idea for a sequel from the beginning and soon presented it. “When we finished Knightheart, we were already thinking about making the sequel as a pirate film,” Helgeland revealed during an interview with Inverse.

According to the filmmaker, the story would begin with Jocelyn’s kidnapping by Count Adhemar, being taken to Constantinople. The protagonists end up as slaves after being captured by pirates, where there is a prisoner on the ship who has a treasure map tattooed on his back, but is whipped for indiscipline. Thus, the protagonists offer to take turns to prevent the map from being erased. “Sony didn’t want to do that,” says Helgeland.

A woman as protagonist

The second idea was aimed at Netflix, but the platform also rejected it. This time, the film was more similar to the story of the first film, but it would feature a woman as the protagonist: William’s daughter.

“Paul Bettany called me after dinner with Alan Tudyk and the guys were left with the idea that William died during a war. However, William has a teenage daughter who also wants to fight, but faces problems because she is a woman. A team agrees to teach her how to compete, but she has to hide who she is,” Helgeland explained.

“The worst casting choice in history”: Only Christopher Nolan trusted Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight

The filmmaker said he presented the idea to Sony, as they had the rights and seemed interested, unlike the streaming platform: “My understanding is that Netflix tested this sequel idea through their algorithms, which indicated that it would not be well- successful.”

*Stay up to date with news about films and series and receive exclusive opportunities. Listen HateCinema on Spotify or your favorite audio platform, join our WhatsApp channel and be a Card Adorer!