Last Updated on October 27, 2019

Inspired by elements of Shakespeare’s Henry IV and Henry V, a young, disgraced prince, Hal inherits the crown and must learn what it means to be a king, guided by his one true friend, Falstaff.

The King (2019), courtesy Netflix

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Watch the trailer and learn about the royal Shakespearean epic, below.

In the upcoming Netflix movie “The King,” Hal, wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne, has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape.



Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaos and war his father left behind, and the emotional strings of his past life — including his relationship with his closest friend and mentor, the aging alcoholic knight, John Falstaff.

“The King,” coming to Netflix in the of fall 2019, stars Timothée Chalamet (Little Women) as Hal, Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby) as Falstaff, Sean Harris (Macbeth) as William, Ben Mendelsohn (Darkest Hour) as King Henry IV, Robert Pattinson (The Lost City of Z) as The Dauphin, Lily-Rose Depp (The Dancer) as Princess Catherine, Tom Glynn-Carney (Dunkirk) as Hotspur, and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) as Philippa.

Henry V, the second English monarch of the House of Lancaster, was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422.

The new British historical drama from director David Michôd will also be in select theaters, and premieres at the Venice Film Festival on September 2. “The King” is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on October 11, before coming to Netflix on November 1. 

Watch the trailer below.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to see The Period Films List, with the best British, historical and costume dramas sorted by era.