Sharpe Author’s ‘Agincourt’ Due To Be Adapted For Film

‘Agincourt’ the most recent book by Bernard Cornwell author of the Sharpe series is due to be adapted into a film. Bernard’s latest book unsurprisingly relates to the events around the 1415 English /French battle through the eyes of Thomas Hook an English longbowman.

London-based Independent Film Co. owned by Luc Roeg’s has employed Michael Hirst to adapt the book, Michael has gained acclaim with creating the Tudors series, writing the screenplays for the films Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

The Novel ‘Agincourt’ has done remarkably selling over 200,000 copies in 3 months since its release in the UK and spending over 4 weeks on the New York times best sellers list. The book not the first of Bernard Cornwells to be adapted, his Major Sharpe character having had over 15 TV films made, 12 of them based (sometimes much to vaguely.) on the Sharpe books set in the Napoleonic era .

Agincourt has had virtually no film exposure outside films of Henry V, but it is a battle where the small English army of archers defeated a much larger French army of knights. Up to10,000 French died with a supposed loss of only 112 English casualties. It has also been claimed as being the battle which brought about the death of chivalry in Europe, and is believed to have been the origination of the English two fingered salute.

The film is budgeted for a very modest $35 million, and is due to start shooting in 2011, locations and cast at this point are not known.

A French release for the film is currently deemed unlikely. We are also awaiting a release date of St Crispin’s day which was the date of the battle in 1415, but that may prove be hard for the production company.

Bernard Cornwells is most famous for his Richard Sharpe books. Of which Sharpe’s Trafalgar is an excellent example.