Here's Everything You Need To Know About Netflix's 'The Letter For The King'
With the success of The Witcher, Netflix is throwing itself full-force into fantasy. But not every trip into a far-off kingdom, where everyone still parties like it's 1599, needs to be filled with blood, sex, and gore. The Letter For The King is the newest fantasy series coming to the streamer, with knights who fight wars throughout the land. But it's all couched in a far more family-friendly manner. So, what is The Letter For The King? It's an old-fashioned tale based on one of Europe's biggest YA books of the 20th century.
The series is based on the 1962 Dutch novel De Brief Voor de Koning, written by Tonke Dragt. A hit right out of the gate, it won the Children's Book of the Year in 1963, and a movie adaptation of the book was made in 2008. Netflix picked up the rights to do an English-language series in 2018, marking the streaming service's first Dutch book adaption.
The show was adapted by Will Davies, best known for the How To Train Your Dragon series. It stars Amir Wilson (His Dark Materials) as Tiuri, a teenage boy on the cusp of knighthood, whose plans are suddenly disrupted when a mysterious stranger approaches him, desperate for help.
Here's the series' trailer, Tiuri gets his charge to deliver the all-important letter to the king. It also gives a look at the continent-spanning adventure he and his companions head out on, and all the adults who are going to stand in their way:
Wilson's co-stars include Nathanael Saleh (Mary Poppins Returns) as Tiuri's little brother, Piak. Tiuri's two badass female buddies are Lavinia, played by Ruby Serkis (National Treasure), and Iona, played by Thaddea Graham (Us). It also stars Dutch actors Yorick van Wageningen (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as King Favian and Gijs Blom (Jongens) as Prince Viridian.
Season 1 includes six episodes, and from the sounds of the official synopsis, it will cover the whole of the first book.
When a ruthless prince threatens to cast the world into darkness, a young knight in training named Tiuri (Amir Wilson) embarks on an epic quest to deliver a secret letter to the king. Along the way, he unexpectedly finds himself at the center of a magical prophecy foretelling the rise of a hero who can defeat the prince and restore peace. If he’s going to survive the journey, Tiuri will have to learn what it means to be a true knight — and a true leader.
De Brief Voor de Koning has a sequel, Geheimen van het Wilde Woud, which translates to Secrets of the Wild Woods. Netflix has not indicated yet if a second season based on the follow-up novel is in the works.
The Letter For The King arrives on Netflix on Friday, March 20, 2020.
