Arthurian Series 'The Winter King' Announces Full Cast as Filming Concludes

As filming concludes on ITV's adaptation of Bernard Cromwell's The Winter King, U.K. network ITV and producer Bad Wolf (Doctor Who) confirm the massive cast taking part in its upcoming Arthurian adventure series.

Based on the bestselling author's Warlord Chronicles -- the series takes its name from the first installment -- The Winter King is set in the 5th century, long before any sort of united Britain existed, and the land was divided into warring factions and tribes who battled for survival. Cromwell's story is a more grounded take on the Arthur legend than most people are likely familiar with, set in a harsh and unforgiving world full of brutal consequences.

This is a far cry from the idea most people have of King Arthur, a figure pop culture likes to depict with his civilized knights of the Round Table, ruling Camelot as the ultimate chivalric hero. That's very much not the Arthur of Cromwell's books, who begins the story as an exiled bastard and must earn his way to his place as England's greatest hope. His series mixes  historical fiction with Arthurian legend to create a world that includes more realistic themes than many books of its ilk, including the incursion of Christianity into then-pagan England.