Action thriller **Ironclad **is shaping up to be a proper medieval free-for-all, with news that sword-and-sandal veteran James Purefoy has joined the ContentFilm project.
Set in England after the signing of the Magna Carta, **Ironclad **tells story of a determined group of Knights Templars who defend Rochester Castle from the devious King John. The Templars - a kind of medieval A-Team charged with protecting pilgrims throughout Europe - will be led by Purefoy, who mobilises the group against Paul Giamatti's King John.
Purefoy, of course, knows his way around a suit of armour, having played Mark Anthony in the BBC miniseries Rome and The Black Prince in A Knight's Tale. He joins Robert Carlyle, Bob Hoskins, William Moseley, Pete Postlethwaite and Lord Richard Attenborough, who's eschewing the sword-wielding to play Archbishop Langton.
It's certainly an interesting sounding cast, if a little short on damsels (there are rumours of Megan Fox signing up), and the crew talent is impressive too. Fresh from flipping trucks in The Dark Knight, Richard Ryan will coordinate stunts, with **T2 **cinematographer Adam Greenberg also on board.
Filming starts this summer, with cinema release scheduled for Christmas.