If you’ve enjoyed a comic book from the past 20ish years, chances areBrian K. Vaughanhas had something to do with it. A multiple Eisner and Harvey Award winner, Vaughan’s sterling titles includeSaga,Y: The Last Man, andRunaways, which was recently turned into a Marvel/Hulu show. But around 10 years ago, roughly at the same time when Vaughan was writing forLost, he wrote a darkly comedic high-concept feature screenplay calledRoundtable.
Why would I bring up King Arthur, you ask? Because Vaughan’s script, unlike his contemporary comic-driven work, hearkens back to medieval mythology. Here’s the official synopsis from The Black List.
When an ancient evil returns to terrorize modern-day England, legendary wizard Merlin must assemble a new Roundtable, only to learn that today’s knights aren’t noble warriors, but athletes, businessmen, and celebrities like Sir Michael Caine.
SirMichael Cainehas to team up with, like,LeBron JamesandElon Muskto defeat an ancient evil? Sign us the heck up! But, also, we maybe get why this wouldn’t be such an eager production for a major studio to put on. Huge special effects, celebrities playing themselves, a critique of our celebrity-obsessed culture? It sounds likeCharlie Kaufmanmeets the MCU, and it sounds like a logistically difficult and culturally risky project for a studio to take. Still, Vaughan is just happy it’ll get read out loud to an audience, stating onhis Instagram, “I can’t believe this is really happening, but the comedy screenplay ROUNDTABLE I wrote over a decade ago is getting a very special live reading with an unbelievable cast of superstar actors here in Los Angeles on November 2nd at 8pm.”
So who exactly are the superstar actors giving Vaughan such giddy disbelief? Unfortunately, The Black List never announces their casts ahead of time. But previous actors have includedRachel McAdams,Jon Hamm,Patton OswaltandGina Rodriguez, just to name a view. If you’re interested in Vaughan’s script, want to see which famous folks read his words, and live in Los Angeles,tickets for the reading are available now. And check out Vaughan’s official IG post below. For more on Vaughan, did you know they’re makingPaper Girlsinto an Amazon series?
