King Arthur Movie Cast: 'Sherlock' Director Guy Ritchie Resurrects The Knights Of The Round Table For 2016; Casts 'Blood Diamond's' Djimon Hounsou As Untraditional Merlin?

With his untraditional take on such revered literary figures such as Sherlock Holmes, which featured Robert Downey Jr. as a fighting and macho kind of Sherlock, it's no wonder director Guy Ritchie's next big project has been generating so much buzz. The Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels director is set to take on the legendary King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and every King Arthur movie cast announcement has been met with much positive review.

The latest news is the casting of the iconic figure of Merlin the magician. Now, Merlin has always been pictured in the Arthurian legends as a Gandalf-looking figure, tall and thin, with a tall hat, and a long white beard. You'd think the director would go for the Ian McKellen type of actor to play the famed magician. But news has come out that Guy Ritchie has made his most interesting King Arthur movie cast choice so far.

Reports have surfaced that none other than African actor Djimon Hounsou has been in talks with Guy Ritchie to play a "Merlin-like" role for this new movie. Djimon Hounsou of course, is well known for his portrayals of strong African American men, in movies such as Steven Spielberg's Amistad, and the Leonardo DiCaprio starrer Blood Diamond. According to Variety, the role Hounsou is negotiating for will be a sort of mentor to a young King Arthur, but he will not carry the name Merlin. Previously, it was reported that Idris Elba was up for the part but he has since dropped out because of scheduling conflicts. 

If this King Arthur movie cast choice pushes through, Hounsou will join the very interesting group of actors have been already confirmed. There's Charlie Hunnam (Sons Of Anarchy) as King Arthur, and Astrid Berges Frisbey (Pirates Of The Caribbean) as Queen Guinevere.