Merlin co-creators Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy have revealed that a film version of the hit series is in the works.

The pair made the announcement at a special BFI screening for the fantasy drama’s fourth series premiere.

“Julian and I are in discussions at the moment about whether or not to do a Merlin movie,” confirmed Capps.

No further details about the film project are known, though the show’s original cast – including Colin Morgan, Bradley James and Katie McGrath – are expected to star.

A fourth series of Merlin is currently wrapping up filming in Wales and will begin on BBC One next month.

A fifth run has already been commissioned, with Capps claiming that the advance pick-up will allow future episodes to focus on “slow-burn” character arcs.

Source: Digital Spy.

What is he discovering about himself and what is he discovering about his magic?

He’s discovering more and more how lost he is, which is kind of anti-discovery in a way, because the more you’ve found out, the more you lose. He’s finding out that as everyone else is slotting into place, he’s suddenly in the middle, going “Where do I fit in?” And he’s never fitted in, but this is when he feels it the most. And when family ties and loyalty and royalty overrule friendship, that’s a big blow to him. Throughout the series, Merlin’s very much left in a limbo.

So there are big changes in Merlin and Arthur’s relationship?

I think so, yeah. There’s a serious tone now going on, and you often have some situations where Merlin’s trying to get that friendship going on and is met with a wall, and he’s not sure how to deal with that, so there’s a lot going on there. When it’s time to put the childhood things away, how do you move on, maybe when you’re not ready to do that? That’s the big theme that’s explored in this series.

So Season 4 is more moving into the adult age?

It feels like it. It’s like Toy Story 3. I’m Woody. [laughs]

[We assume that would make Arthur Buzz Lightyear]

READ MORE @ Ksitetv.

Q: Were you aware of the Arthur legends before the show, and if so were you a fan?

A: I guess I knew as much about the Arthurian legends as anyone, through the Disney Sword in the Stone, and an awareness of Excalibur and Merlin as legend. But as I’ve been involved in the series, I’ve read up the classic tales of La Morte De Arthur and Idylls of the King, and basically anything with Merlin in the title, I’ve read. I think you can never inform yourself too much, no matter what you do, and when you are working in that kind of genre, you might as well as explore it and see what it’s like. When you get home at night and read about knights and castles, and the next day you’re in a castle with knights, it’s good to be a part of that world and read about it.

Q: Do you pinch yourself when you find yourself working with the likes of Richard Wilson, Miriam Margoyles and Warwick Davies? Working with them as a young actor must be a godsend….

A: I generally pinch myself every day on set but when we get such brilliant guest stars I have to pinch that bit harder!

READ MORE @ Local Smile.

Colin Morgan has admitted he would love to portray a darker side to the wizard Merlin in the fourth series of the BBC show.

Colin Morgan wants viewers to see a darker side to Merlin.

The 25-year-old actor portrays the mythical wizard as a young man in the BBC TV series of the same name and revealed instead of his character hiding his emotions all the time, he would love to show his “damaged” side when the show returns for a fourth series next year.

He explained to BANG Showbiz: “We often see Merlin go through so many situations in that he has to put up a front and appear pretty jolly and suppress a lot of his true emotions. I’d like to see a lot more of the raw things come out from under the surface and get to see him in a more mature and damaged way.

“I think that is dangerous territory for what it is supposed to be a comedy show but our audience are growing up, as are the characters and I think it’s important that those elements are incorporated into it as long as we don’t lose touch with the characters and change too much. But people do change and I think anything that moves towards a maturity and an unearthing of true emotions I think would be great.”

READ MORE @ List.

Colin Morgan has revealed he would love for Bill Bailey to appear in ‘Merlin’ as his crazy uncle.

Colin Morgan wants Bill Bailey to play his “crazy uncle” in ‘Merlin’.

The Northern Irish actor – who plays the title character in the BBC TV series based on the Arthurian legends of the mythical wizard- revealed as he can’t work with his first choice, the late US star Paul Newman, he would love to see the ‘Black Books’ actor on set.

He explained: “I’ve always said I’d love Bill Bailey to be like Merlin’s crazy uncle or something like that, I think that would be great. But if I were to go really out there and pick anyone that I could ever want, I’d probably want Paul Newman to be a wise sage to Merlin or something like that. Although there’s no chance of that happening now.”

While Colin admitted it has been a challenge to move past people’s perceptions of Merlin as the old wizard from the legend, he is relishing the physical challenges of the role, including horse riding and doing some of his own stunts.

READ MORE @ List.

Merlin star Colin Morgan has claimed that the show’s fourth series will air in the autumn.

The actor told CultBox that filming on the new run “started last week”.

“It feels like, coming into the fourth series, the show’s really taken its place in people’s hearts,” he suggested. “We’ve just got scripts for the first three episodes through and it’s hugely exciting.”

He continued: “It’ll still [air] this autumn, either in September or October this year.”

Morgan also insisted that the Knights of the Round Table are a “fantastic” addition to the series.

“The basis of the story that we’re working on is so strongly established in legend, so it’s great to see these icons coming through,” he said. “The show has always been about taking the legends and showing them in a different and unexpected way.”

He added that there are “huge changes” in store for Merlin in the future.

“I think it’s clear that Camelot is heading in a new direction,” he claimed. “The characters’ arcs are starting to take their place.”

Source: Digital Spy.

We first saw the young Armagh actor when he landed the lead role in BBC’s ‘The Adventures of Merlin’. His excellent performance as a Dublin drug addict in Darragh Byrne’s fine drama, ‘Parked’, bodes well for the future.

Source: RTE.

HE’S better known as the young man with magic in his fingertips but there was no trick Colin Morgan could pull off to rescue himself when he became stranded on a country road in a snowstorm on the Hebridean island of Mull.

The actor, who has charmed audiences with his boyish portrayal of fabled magician Merlin on the popular BBC1 family-fantasy series for the last three years, instead had to conjure up something altogether more human – the ability to just grin and bear it.

Colin was being driven round the island, where he was filming a new Scottish movie, by an enthusiastic local when they were trapped in a freak snowstorm, uncommon on the island normally warmed by the Gulf stream.

But rather than complaining, the likeable 25-year-old saw his midwinter misfortune as an opportunity to further develop his latest character – an eccentric young man whose head is filled with tales of Hebridean whimsy.

He said: “They rarely get snow on Mull but when we were filming it was sub zero and we got snow. It was beautiful but I was on a tour of the island with a guy and we got stranded. The car was stuck. We couldn’t get it out.

READ MORE @ Daily Record.

And Merlin, obviously. You’ve gotten really very successful  in a very short amount of time.
Yeah, it’s been crazy. I feel hugely lucky to have had these opportunities come my way, because obviously they don’t have to. And to work hard on it and get the chance to sort of prove yourself, and to pursue your passion — I mean, for me, acting is a passion and it’s something I’ve wanted to do all my life. And now to get the chance to do that, I feel hugely honored daily, and I’m so grateful for it. And it’s great as well to get some variety with Merlin as well as the other projects coming up.

Yeah, it’s nice to play a junkie [in Parked] and then play a boy wizard on TV.
[laughs] Exactly, yeah! It’s good to get the variety and it’s great because we’ve just had the premiere of Parked [at the Torino Film Festival].

What’s the weirdest part of getting so successful?
It’s weird because, um, successful is a weird word, in a way, because I guess successful kind of implies that I’ve maybe achieved something or reached something.

I think it’s safe to say you’ve achieved something.
Yeah, well, I definitely have. I think acting and the process of it is a constant thing, and I’m always … I think you can always do better, no matter what you do. But in terms of how quickly this has happened and the sort of recognition that comes with doing a TV show and being an actor, it’s just … yeah, it takes a lot of getting used to, and it’s hugely gratifying to see that you spend so much time on a show and spend a lot of work on it, and people have said some lovely, lovely things. And the fans … I just got through a whole chunk of fan letters this week.

There must be a very large backlog.
Oh there was, yeah, I literally sat in my house for three days going through and replying to everybody. There’s quite a few going out to the States there, so hopefully people will be quite happy. I was trying to get it done before Christmas.

READ MORE @ Ciqueclack.

Merlin producer Julian Murphy has revealed that discussions are underway regarding a fifth series of the show.

It was announced last month that the fantasy drama would be returning for a 10-part fourth series in 2012.

Speaking to SFX about the reduced episode count, Murphy said: “It was brutally about money. Merlin is an expensive show… and what we are not prepared to do is cut its budget or production values. The BBC has had a really tough [financial] hit.”

However, he added: “We are now discussing the fifth series with the BBC, and I think [the 2011 break] potentially preserves the programme for longer. There is [also] talk of specials [and other] ways we can fill in the gap, but these are tough times for British broadcasters.”

The showrunner also hinted that the final episode of the show’s third series would contain “three or four absolutely iconic moments”.

“The last two are very special episodes because probably there are more crucial moments from the legend in them than in any other,” he teased. “The changes that happen in [episodes] 12 and 13… set up the direction that series four is going in. You get a good glimpse of the future.”

Source: Digital Spy.