Medieval is an upcoming historical drama based on the real-life Czech hero, Jan Žižka.
The film — which is being billed as the most expensive Czech movie ever produced — sees the Roman Empire plunging into chaos whilst two feuding European kings (who just so happen to be brothers) vie for the empty throne.
In the midst, there's Jan, a mercenary leader who is dispatched on a dangerous political mission in the midst of all the trouble and discovers that the only way to truly tackle the corruption at the heart of everything is to fight back.
If that doesn't sound exciting enough, Medieval also features a star-studded cast that includes the likes of British film icon Michael Caine (The Dark Knight, The Italian Job) and Ben Foster (Hustle, Hell or High Water).
Here's everything you need to know about Medieval...
Medieval release date
Medieval is getting a limited theatrical release in select locations on Friday, September 9, and will then be made available to stream on VOD platforms from October 31.
It runs for 126 minutes.
What is Medieval about?
As we already mentioned, Medieval's plot is inspired by the true story of Jan Žižka, a fearsome military commander from what is now the Czech Republic.
The official plot summary for Medieval reads: "Jan Žižka, one of [the] greatest warriors in history. After the death of its reigning emperor, the Holy Roman Empire is plummeting into chaos while feuding brothers King Wenceslas of Czech and King Sigismund of Hungary battle for control of the empty throne. Daring and righteous mercenary leader Jan Žižka (Ben Foster) is hired by Lord Boresh (Michael Caine) to kidnap the powerful Lord Rosenberg's (Til Schweiger) fiancée, Lady Katherine (Sophie Lowe), to prevent Rosenberg's rise to power alongside the corrupt King Sigismund.
As Katherine becomes caught in a dangerous political game between the monarchs, Jan falls in love with her strong spirit and dedication to saving the people. In a brave attempt to liberate her, he fights back with a rebel army to battle the corruption, greed, and betrayal rampant amongst those clawing for power. Jan now realizes that the fate of the Empire will be decided by his love for Lady Katherine and that his fate doesn’t lie in the hands of Kings, but in the hands of his own people."
Who is in the Medieval cast?
As we already mentioned, Medieval's cast is very impressive. Ben Foster leads the cast as Jan Žižka, and he's dispatched by Lord Boresh (Michael Caine) on his mission to kidnap Lady Katherine (played by Above Suspicion's Sophie Lowe) from her fiancé, Lord Rosenberg (Inglourious Basterds' Til Schweiger).
There are plenty more stars set to join them. Matthew Goode (The Offer, The Imitation Game) will play King Sigismund of Hungary, who is at war with his brother, King Wenceslas of Czech (played by Karel Roden) over the empty throne.
Additional casting includes The Royals' William Moseley as Jaroslav and Roland Møller (Atomic Blonde, Skyscraper) as Torak.
Is there a trailer?
Yes! The brutal trailer gives us an introduction to the turbulent landscape that we'll be entering in Medieval. In it, we see plenty of battle scenes, and political machinations, and get a clearer idea of what prompted Lord Boresh to send Jan on his daring mission. Check it out below:
Who directed Medieval?
Medieval has been written, directed and produced by Petr Jákl, with Cassian Elwes (Dallas Buyers Club, The Butler) also on board as a producer.
