Thrilling adventure, edge-of-your-seat action and historical grandeur come together in this fresh look at the origins of a legendary hero.

As patriotism in the UK reaches fever pitch at the start of Euro 2004, KING ARTHUR boasts the best of British talent on the big screen. Clive Owen ('Croupier') stars as King Arthur and Keira Knightley (photo below) ('Pirates of the Caribbean', 'Love Actually') stars as the beautiful Guinevere.

King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table include Ioan Gruffudd ('Black Hawk Down') as Lancelot, Ray Winstone ('Sexy Beast') as Bors, and Hugh Dancy ('Black Hawk Down') as Galahad. Stephen Dillane ('The Hours') is Merlin. Other European actors include Stellan Skarsgard ('Dogville') and Mads Mikkelsen ('Now').

KING ARTHUR sets the record straight historically, by taking us back to the 5th century, to the Dark Ages.

There, stripped of the elaborate magic and romance of the medieval stories, a new but authentic image of Arthur and his men is presented.

This is a time of savagery and warfare, of darkness and doom, when a small band of heroes struggled to keep alight the fading light of Roman Britain, and to establish a new realm, ruled over by the descendants of two cultures - Roman and British.

In this version there is no magic, no shining armour, and no Camelot. Instead this new film tells of when Rome pulls out of Britain after 400 years of rule and abandons its people to the bloodthirsty Saxons bent on full-scale invasion.

Arthur, who is half Roman and half British, and his Knights of the Round Table, a group of fiercely loyal men, combine their incomparable fighting skills with those of the Picts to take on this new and terrible enemy from across the sea.

UK historian, John Matthews, who has spent more than 30 years studying the Arthurian legend and was the consultant historian on the film, believes the stories are based on a real historical figure who was a Roman commander on Hadrian's Wall in Cumbria in the 5th Century. "In my opinion the film comes closer to historical truth than any yet made," he says. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer adds, "This version of King Arthur is a definitive version of the leader and warrior who emerged to lead the Britons against the Saxons. It is the story of the man who became King Arthur."

From left to right: Clive Owen, Keira Knightley and Ioan Gruffudd

The release of KING ARTHUR across the country looks set to be legendary for tourism. With towns and villages all over Britain claiming links with Arthur, the film looks set to spark an invasion that even the original warrior leader would struggle to contain. Visitors from around the world are expected to head to Arthurian hot-spots in Cumbria, Somerset, Cornwall and Wales. The film was shot almost entirely on location in and around Wicklow, Ireland.

KING ARTHUR will be released in the UK nationwide on July 30th and in the US on July 7th and is distributed by Buena Vista International (UK). The European Premiere will take place in London on 15th July with all the stars and filmmakers in attendance.