What’s next and upcoming on MERLIN – “The Drawing of the Dark”

“Merlin”

Loyalty or Love? Mordred’s Decision Will Shape

the Destiny of Camelot on This Friday’s MERLIN

 

With three episodes left, the fate of the kingdom rests
on the Druid Knight’s decision;
MERLIN airs May 17 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy

A troubled Mordred must choose between love and loyalty – and ultimately decide the fate of a kingdom – in “The Drawing of the Dark,” an all-new episode of MERLIN premiering Friday, May 17, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, on Syfy.

“The Drawing of the Dark” is the last standalone episode of MERLIN before the epic two-part series finale, which airs May 24 and May 31.

A Saxon attack on a Camelot supply convoy leads to Mordred to reunite with the love of his youth, a Druid girl named Kara. He helps her escape, but when she is caught and sentenced to death, Mordred is torn between his two worlds. Little does he realize that the path he chooses will shape Camelot’s destiny.

As the drums of war beat ever louder, a desperate Merlin feels trapped by the cruel circle of fate: Is he powerless to stop his dreams for Albion from crumbling to dust?

After appearing in a few early seasons of MERLIN as a young boy bound to Morgana and her dark magic, Mordred returned to the story in Season Five with both a new, loyal-to-Arthur resolve and a new actor playing the role: Alexander Vlahos.

“Mordred is a difficult problem for Merlin, because no matter how hard Mordred works to prove his loyalty to the king, Merlin knows what the future holds and the role Mordred is destined play,” says Colin Morgan, who plays Merlin.

“Mordred has become one of Arthur’s most trusted, able Knights, and a man of magic like Merlin,” Morgan explains. “So it’s difficult for Merlin to make decisions and act in the present on things that won’t happen until the future.”

The core MERLIN cast welcomed newcomer Vlahos to the team quickly, and appreciated his dedication to preserving the groundwork of the first four seasons – and the foundation Asa Butterfield (Hugo) set down as the original actor portraying Mordred – while crafting a new story of his own.

“Alex is very clever,” says Katie McGrath, who plays Morgana. “He really did look at everything Asa had done and used that as a starting point to play Mordred. He was very conscious that Mordred is a very popular character, and he wanted to do him justice. But he has really taken that and made the character his own.”

MERLIN fans will see which way Mordred turns when “The Drawing of the Dark” debuts Friday, May 17, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, only on Syfy.

All four previous seasons of MERLIN are now available on DVD, on iTunes and on Netflix. Be sure to follow the latest news on MERLIN at the Official Merlin page on Facebook.

(Information provided courtesy of Fremantle Media.)

“Merlin”

What’s next and what to expect on MERLIN – ‘The Kindness of Strangers’

“Merlin”

Morgana’s Manhunt for a Powerful Warlock Threatens
to Ensnare Emrys and Topple Camelot on MERLIN

 

Billy Elliot star Gary Lewis adds to series’ celebrity guest list as he reprises role

in new episode May 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy

 

Morgana realizes the path to Emrys and the throne of Camelot might just be quickest going through the powerful wizard Alator in “The Kindness of Strangers,” an all-new episode of MERLIN that premieres Friday, May 10, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy.

In the tenth episode of the final season of MERLIN, Morgana leads a terrifying manhunt in pursuit of her old foe Alator of the Catha, for she knows without doubt that he can tell her exactly where to find Emrys. Merlin’s life has never been in more danger, so when the mysterious Finna (Sorcha Cusack) offers to help him, is he right to trust her? Or will he find himself cornered with nowhere to run?

In reprising the role of Alator, Gary Lewis continues the MERLIN tradition of notable guest stars appearing throughout the series’ five seasons. The Scottish actor is best known to American audiences for his international breakthrough role as the father in Billy Elliot, and for memorable appearances in Gangs of New York, Eragon and Goal! The Dream Begins.

 

“Merlin”

“Throughout the production, we’ve had some very particular actors in mind for many of these weighty roles, and we’ve been very lucky to almost always get the first actor we wanted,” says co-creator and executive producer Johnny Capps. “Sometimes even before we wrote the scripts, we contacted actors with just the storylines, and got positive reactions. So to be able to move forward knowing we had interest from James Callis or Charles Dance or Janet Montgomery has been quite a blessing.”

Over the series’ 65 episodes, there have been guest roles filled by such noteworthy actors as James Callis (Battlestar Galactica), Montgomery (Entourage), Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine), Frank Finlay (The Pianist, The Three Musketeers), Santiago Cabrera (Heroes), Colin Salmon (three James Bond films, Dr. Who), Clive Russell (Sherlock Holmes, Ripper Street), Josette Simon (Cry Freedom, Milk and Honey), Adam Godley (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Terence Maynard (Reign of Fire), Sarah Parish (Dr. Who), Robert Maillet (Sherlock Holmes, 300), James Greene (Empire of the Sun), James Fox (The Remains of the Day), Donald Sumpter (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Melanie Hill (Stardust), David Schofield (Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean films), and John Shrapnel (Notting Hill).

Fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones have no doubt recognized several faces from MERLIN, including Charles Dance, Joe Dempsie, John Bradley and Liam Cunningham. And a number of Harry Potter alums have populated Camelot over the course of MERLIN’s five seasons, running the gamut from Harry Melling, Mark Williams and Warwick Davis to Gemma Jones, Miriam Margolyes, Ian Peck and Andy Linden.

“From the start, we had a huge list of actors we knew we’d love to work with,” adds Capps, “and we’ve had the privilege now to work with many of them. The guest cast has provided some extraordinary, truly brilliant performances that have helped elevate MERLIN to another level.”

The star-studded sorcery of MERLIN continues when “The Kindness of Strangers” debuts Friday, May 10, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, only on Syfy.

All four previous seasons of MERLIN are now available on DVD, on iTunes and on Netflix. Be sure to follow the latest news on MERLIN at the Official Merlin page on Facebook.

(Information provided courtesy of Fremantle Media.)

What’s next and what’s upcoming on MERLIN – ‘With All My Heart’

“Merlin”

Arthur Must Break Morgana’s Spell Over Gwen Before All is Lost

When MERLIN  Returns to Syfy This Friday

 
Impassioned Love, Timely Magic Take Center Stage as

the Final Five Episodes of  MERLIN Begin Airing

Friday, May 3, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy

Time is running short and only Arthur’s impassioned love and Merlin’s timely magic can stop Morgana’s spell from dooming Gwen to an eternity of evil in “With All My Heart,” the first of the final five episodes of MERLIN, which airs Friday, May 3, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy.

The series lauded by Entertainment Weekly as “an utterly charming mini-epic” barrels toward its stunning conclusion in five episodes fraught with tension, revelation – and, of course, filled with magic.

The first of the five episodes is this week’s “With All My Heart.”  In it, Merlin must act fast before Morgana’s twisted power over Gwen takes control of the queen forever. But Gaius warns him that only the most powerful magic can save Gwen – a task that will not be easy, even for Merlin

As Morgana tightens her grip on Camelot, one thing is clear: She will not give up her puppet without a fight … and both Merlin and Arthur will need to risk everything to save Gwen.

In her fifth and final season playing Gwen, Angel Coulby said she was overjoyed when presented with the storyline, and was very excited to take her character in new, wicked directions.

“It gave me a chance to do something different with a character I’d been playing for a long time – and it’s just so much fun being bad,” Coulby explains. “I’m not quite sure what this says about me, but I think there’s something liberating about playing a villain. Plus, I got to try to kill Bradley – um, I mean Arthur.”

While Coulby and Katie McGrath (who portrays Morgana) have both said they’ll miss their long-running characters when MERLIN ends, neither will be sorry they needn’t ever again return to Trefil, the South Wales village where the climactic scenes of “With All My Heart” were filmed. Over the series’ five-year run, numerous episodes have featured the renowned limestone quarries of the South Wales village. Neither actress has many pleasant memories of the location.

“No matter what the weather is like anywhere else in the world, it’s always raining in Trefil,” Coulby recalls. “It’s always raining and cold, or it’s way too hot, and it’s very exposed.”  Still, she says, “It looks fantastic on screen.”

McGrath concurs: “We were in Trefil a lot during the first seasons, then we stopped filming there – and the producers realized the high production quality of this unused quarry on the side of a mountain, so we returned. Sure, they’re sitting in an office in London with their tea, and we’re there on buses in minus-4 temperatures and hawks overhead waiting for us to die so they can feast on our bones. It was always a trial to film in Trefil.”

MERLIN fans needn’t travel anywhere but Syfy this Friday, May 3, when “With All My Heart” debuts at 10 p.m. ET/PT, kicking off the final five episodes ever of the most magical series on TV.

All four previous seasons of MERLIN are now available on DVD, on iTunes and on Netflix. Be sure to follow the latest news on MERLIN at the Official Merlin page on Facebook.

(Information provided courtesy of Fremantle Media.)

“Merlin”