Newcomer Tom Sharp as Merlin in The Daily Wire’s ‘The Pendragon Cycle

85247

The Daily Wire has just unveiled the rising star who will front their most ambitious project to date, “The Pendragon Cycle.” Deadline.com first broke the news, and now Worth it or Woke is here to give you the inside scoop!

Tom Sharp The Pendragon Cycle
Tom Sharp

Meet Tom Sharp, the newcomer who has scored the lead role in this highly anticipated series. “The Pendragon Cycle” will be a seven-episode epic that’s set to reimagine the legendary tale of King Arthur in a whole new light. The thrilling reimagining will unfold against the backdrop of post-Roman Britain, a time when pagan tribes, Saxon invaders, and Pict invaders clashed fiercely. In the midst of it all, Tom Sharp’s character, Merlin, embarks on a quest to unite Briton in peace and create the fabled ‘Kingdom of Summer.’ But, as you can imagine, this dream isn’t without its fair share of challenges. To succeed, Merlin must confront ancient evils, navigate the fall of the Roman occupation, and witness the rise of Christianity, all while searching for a leader who can unite the Island of the Mighty.

A true newcomer to the scene, Tom Sharp won this coveted role after a search that spanned months and nations. Sharp, described as “a blue-collar kid from a working-class community,” submitted a self-taped audition through the UK-based Spotlight casting service. The rest, as they say, is history.

X Marks the Spot - Follow us Today!!

Behind this casting coup were the casting directors David Guglielmo (“Run Hide Fight”) and Jeremy Zimmermann (“Tar”). But it didn’t stop there. Sharp underwent multiple rounds of auditions and interviews before signing on. Then, it was off to Budapest, Hungary, for Sharp, where he underwent rigorous fitness training, rehearsals, horseback riding lessons, and even a stunt boot camp to prepare for the role.

Before this big break, Tom Sharp had a minor role in the 2017 Gerard Depardieu comedy “Nobody’s Perfect!” and a few short film credits, including a 2017 film titled “Lancelot.”

In the words of director and producer Boreing, “Pendragon is the most ambitious project we’ve ever taken on, and we are thrilled to have a true talent in Tom Sharp as our lead. His depth as an actor makes him the perfect choice to bring the legendary hero to life. Merlin is one of the most iconic characters of all time, and I have no doubt this will prove to be a breakout role for Tom.”

But that’s not all! Daily Wire’s streaming service, DailyWire+, is gearing up for its most significant budget production to date in Europe. Jeremy Boreing, Co-CEO, is temporarily stepping away from his role at the right-leaning media organization to direct this seven-episode series, a project close to his heart.

Boreing has shared his deep passion for this project, saying, “I have dreamt of bringing Stephen R. Lawhead’s books to the screen for twenty-five years. Based on perhaps the most impactful myth in Western tradition, the Legend of King Arthur, this series helped shape my worldview since reading it as a teenager. Yet it is bittersweet, as to bring this project to screen means to leave the country and temporarily step down from my role as co-CEO of The Daily Wire.”

Mark your calendars because “The Pendragon Cycle” is set for an exclusive release on DailyWire+ in 2024. In the meantime, Daily Wire has exciting plans, including its release of “Convicting a Murderer,” a 10-episode series hosted by the dynamic Candace Owens. Stay tuned, folks!

During Boreing’s temporary absence, Caleb Robinson will take on the role of CEO at Daily Wire until Boreing returns to his co-CEO position.

James Carrick

James Carrick is a passionate film enthusiast with a degree in theater and philosophy. James approaches dramatic criticism from a philosophic foundation grounded in aesthetics and ethics, offering insight and analysis that reveals layers of cinematic narrative with a touch of irreverence and a dash of snark.

8 comments

  • Clayton

    September 20, 2023 at 11:47 am

    5 out of 5

    Looking forward to seeing Lawhead’s work get this kind of treatment.

    Reply

  • Cody

    September 20, 2023 at 11:57 am

    5 out of 5

    Looking forward to this one!

    Reply

  • Kim E.

    September 20, 2023 at 3:49 pm

    5 out of 5

    Holy buckets! I love that book series! I am excited to see this news about turning the material into a show. Maybe it’s time to sign up for a DailyWire subscription…

    Reply

  • Rick K.

    September 20, 2023 at 5:50 pm

    5 out of 5

    Dang, I was kind of hoping for a treatment of Bernard Cornwell’s King Arthur trilogy. I guess I’d better bone up on Lawhead’s work.

    Reply

    • Nigel

      September 20, 2023 at 11:52 pm

      There is one being made as we speak. But get ready for a woke series headed by a black Merlin

      Reply

  • Thom

    October 2, 2023 at 4:32 pm

    5 out of 5

    I just started the first novel in the series. Already hooked!

    Reply

  • Rick K.

    October 3, 2023 at 4:47 pm

    5 out of 5

    Hilarious! My county library has audiobooks 2-5 of this series available on Hoopla. And only 4 and 5 on Libby, but only in ebook format. What the…? I guess I’ll buy #1 on Kindle (or use a credit at Audible), I’ve already got Kurt Schlichter’s new book Overlord on my Kindle to read. It’s just that I’ve fallen for listening to books while driving, walking the dog or on sleepless nights. Very handy.

    Reply

    • Rick K.

      October 3, 2023 at 4:59 pm

      ps, Book #1, Taliesin, appears to be out of print at Amazon. BUT, if you’re an Audible member you can add it to you library and download it free…which I did. So, yay! I’m about to start this book series.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Posts

 

X Marks the Spot - Follow us Today!!

 

 

'; win.document.open(); win.document.write(html); win.document.close(); return true; } function escapeHtml(str){ return String(str || '').replace(/[&<>"']/g, function(ch){ return ({'&':'&','<':'<','>':'>','"':'"',"'":'''})[ch] || ch; }); } function renderShareOptionsWindow(win, landscapeUrl, squareUrl, shareUrl, heading){ if (!win || win.closed) return false; var safeHeading = escapeHtml(heading || 'Share options'); var safeLandscape = escapeHtml(landscapeUrl || ''); var safeSquare = escapeHtml(squareUrl || ''); var safeUrl = escapeHtml(shareUrl || ''); // Keep this HTML script-free. A nested script tag inside this inline footer script can break under Cloudflare Rocket Loader. var html = '' + safeHeading + '' + '' + '

' + safeHeading + '

'; win.document.open(); win.document.write(html); win.document.close(); try { var doc = win.document; var btn = doc.getElementById('copyLinkBtn'); var status = doc.getElementById('shareStatus'); var field = doc.getElementById('shareUrlField'); var urlToCopy = String(shareUrl || ''); function setCopied(){ if (status) status.textContent = 'Link copied.'; if (btn) { btn.textContent = 'Copied!'; win.setTimeout(function(){ btn.textContent = 'Copy link'; }, 1500); } } function focusField(){ if (!field) return; field.removeAttribute('readonly'); field.focus(); field.select(); field.setSelectionRange(0, field.value.length); field.setAttribute('readonly','readonly'); } function legacyCopy(text){ var ta = doc.createElement('textarea'); ta.value = text; ta.setAttribute('readonly','readonly'); ta.style.position='fixed'; ta.style.top='0'; ta.style.left='0'; ta.style.opacity='0.01'; ta.style.pointerEvents='none'; doc.body.appendChild(ta); ta.focus(); ta.select(); ta.setSelectionRange(0, ta.value.length); var ok=false; try{ ok=!!doc.execCommand('copy'); }catch(err){} doc.body.removeChild(ta); return ok; } win.__wiowCopyShareLink = async function(){ if (!urlToCopy) { if (status) status.textContent='No share URL available.'; return false; } focusField(); try { if (win.navigator && win.navigator.clipboard && typeof win.navigator.clipboard.writeText === 'function') { await win.navigator.clipboard.writeText(urlToCopy); setCopied(); return false; } } catch(err) {} if (legacyCopy(urlToCopy)) { setCopied(); return false; } if (status) status.textContent='Press Ctrl+C or Cmd+C to copy the selected link.'; focusField(); return false; }; if (btn) btn.addEventListener('click', function(e){ e.preventDefault(); win.__wiowCopyShareLink(); }); var nextBtn = doc.getElementById('nextComboBtn'); if (nextBtn) nextBtn.addEventListener('click', function(e){ e.preventDefault(); if (win.opener && win.opener.__wiowRefreshShareOptions) win.opener.__wiowRefreshShareOptions(win); }); var mainBtn = doc.getElementById('mainComboBtn'); if (mainBtn) mainBtn.addEventListener('click', function(e){ e.preventDefault(); if (win.opener && win.opener.__wiowResetShareOptions) win.opener.__wiowResetShareOptions(win); }); Array.prototype.slice.call(doc.querySelectorAll('.preview-frame img')).forEach(function(img){ img.addEventListener('click', function(){ var overlay=doc.createElement('div'); overlay.className='overlay'; var full=doc.createElement('img'); full.src=img.getAttribute('data-full') || img.src; full.alt='Preview'; overlay.appendChild(full); overlay.addEventListener('click', function(){ overlay.remove(); }); doc.body.appendChild(overlay); }); }); } catch(err) {} return true; } async function buildShareImage(container, options){ options = options || {}; var postId = container.getAttribute('data-post-id'); var sharePage = container.getAttribute('data-share-page'); var kind = (container.getAttribute('data-share-kind') || 'critics').toLowerCase(); var posterUrl = container.getAttribute('data-poster-url') || findPosterUrl(); if (!posterUrl){ posterUrl = ''; } var isRatings = (kind === 'ratings' || kind === 'ratings-admin' || kind === 'ratings-question'); var isAudience = (kind === 'audience' || kind === 'audience-teaser' || kind === 'audience-question'); var action = isRatings ? 'wiow_build_ratings_share_image' : (isAudience ? 'wiow_build_audience_share_image' : 'wiow_build_share_image'); var payload = new URLSearchParams(); payload.append('action', action); payload.append('post_id', String(postId)); payload.append('poster_url', posterUrl); payload.append('share_context', kind); if (options.force) { payload.append('force', '1'); } if (options.reset) { payload.append('reset_combo', '1'); } if (kind === 'ratings-admin') { payload.append('admin', '1'); } if (kind === 'ratings-question' || kind === 'audience-question' || kind === 'critics-question') { payload.append('questions', '1'); payload.append('mode', 'questions'); } if (kind === 'audience-teaser' || kind === 'critics-teaser') { payload.append('mode', 'teaser'); } var res = await fetch('https://worthitorwoke.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', { method: 'POST', credentials: 'same-origin', headers: {'Content-Type':'application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=UTF-8'}, body: payload.toString() }); var data = await res.json(); if (!data || !data.success || !data.data){ throw new Error((data && data.data && data.data.message) ? data.data.message : 'Share build failed.'); } return { image_url: data.data.image_url, share_url: data.data.share_url || sharePage, cycle_image_url: data.data.cycle_image_url || '', poster_url: data.data.poster_url || posterUrl || '' }; } async function buildShareSquareImage(container, cycleImageUrl, posterUrl, options){ options = options || {}; var postId = container.getAttribute('data-post-id'); var sharePage = container.getAttribute('data-share-page'); var kind = (container.getAttribute('data-share-kind') || 'critics').toLowerCase(); var isRatings = (kind === 'ratings' || kind === 'ratings-admin' || kind === 'ratings-question'); var isAudience = (kind === 'audience' || kind === 'audience-teaser' || kind === 'audience-question'); var action = isRatings ? 'wiow_build_ratings_share_image_square' : (isAudience ? 'wiow_build_audience_share_image_square' : 'wiow_build_share_image_square'); var payload = new URLSearchParams(); payload.append('action', action); payload.append('post_id', String(postId)); payload.append('share_context', kind); if (kind === 'ratings-admin') { payload.append('admin', '1'); } if (kind === 'ratings-question' || kind === 'audience-question' || kind === 'critics-question') { payload.append('questions', '1'); payload.append('mode', 'questions'); } if (kind === 'audience-teaser' || kind === 'critics-teaser') { payload.append('mode', 'teaser'); } if (cycleImageUrl) { payload.append('cycle_image_url', cycleImageUrl); } if (posterUrl) { payload.append('poster_url', posterUrl); } if (options.force) { payload.append('force', '1'); } if (options.reset) { payload.append('reset_combo', '1'); } var res = await fetch('https://worthitorwoke.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', { method: 'POST', credentials: 'same-origin', headers: {'Content-Type':'application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=UTF-8'}, body: payload.toString() }); var data = await res.json(); if (!data || !data.success || !data.data){ throw new Error((data && data.data && data.data.message) ? data.data.message : 'Square share build failed.'); } return { image_url: data.data.image_url, share_url: data.data.share_url || sharePage, cycle_image_url: data.data.cycle_image_url || cycleImageUrl || '', poster_url: data.data.poster_url || posterUrl || '' }; } window.__wiowRefreshShareOptions = async function(win){ if (!wiowCanAdminNext || !window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext || !window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext.row) return false; var ctx = window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext; var row = ctx.row; var heading = ctx.heading || 'Share options'; var targetWin = win || ctx.win; try { renderShareOptionsLoadingWindow(targetWin, heading); var built = await buildShareImage(row, { force:true }); var builtSquare = await buildShareSquareImage(row, built.cycle_image_url || '', built.poster_url || '', { force:true }); if (!built || !built.image_url || !builtSquare || !builtSquare.image_url) throw new Error('Share build failed.'); window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext = { row: row, heading: heading, win: targetWin }; renderShareOptionsWindow(targetWin, built.image_url, builtSquare.image_url, built.share_url || row.getAttribute('data-share-page') || '', heading); } catch(err) { if (targetWin && !targetWin.closed) { var msg = (err && err.message) ? err.message : 'Could not build next combo.'; targetWin.document.open(); targetWin.document.write('

Could not build next combo

' + escapeHtml(msg) + '

'); targetWin.document.close(); } } return false; }; window.__wiowResetShareOptions = async function(win){ if (!wiowCanAdminNext || !window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext || !window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext.row) return false; var ctx = window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext; var row = ctx.row; var heading = ctx.heading || 'Share options'; var targetWin = win || ctx.win; try { renderShareOptionsLoadingWindow(targetWin, heading); var built = await buildShareImage(row, { force:true, reset:true }); var builtSquare = await buildShareSquareImage(row, built.cycle_image_url || '', built.poster_url || '', { force:true, reset:true }); if (!built || !built.image_url || !builtSquare || !builtSquare.image_url) throw new Error('Share build failed.'); window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext = { row: row, heading: heading, win: targetWin }; renderShareOptionsWindow(targetWin, built.image_url, builtSquare.image_url, built.share_url || row.getAttribute('data-share-page') || '', heading); } catch(err) { if (targetWin && !targetWin.closed) { var msg = (err && err.message) ? err.message : 'Could not build main combo.'; targetWin.document.open(); targetWin.document.write('

Could not build main combo

' + escapeHtml(msg) + '

'); targetWin.document.close(); } } return false; }; // Unified capture-phase share handler. Chrome incognito can allow the visual // pointer animation while another script prevents the later bubbling click // handler from ever running. Handle all top-level share buttons here first. document.addEventListener('click', async function(e){ var targetEl = e.target && e.target.nodeType === 1 ? e.target : (e.target && e.target.parentElement ? e.target.parentElement : null); var btn = targetEl && targetEl.closest ? targetEl.closest('.wiow-share-btn') : null; if (!btn) return; // Ignore the Audience modal "Rate" button (it also has wiow-share-btn class in your CSS usage) if (btn.hasAttribute('data-wiow-audience-open')) return; var row = btn.closest('[data-wiow-share="1"], .wiow-share-row'); if (!row) return; var platform = btn.getAttribute('data-platform'); // Public top-level controls must work even when AJAX generation or membership-gated data is unavailable. // Options still uses the full image-builder path below. if (platform === 'x' || platform === 'link') { e.preventDefault(); e.stopPropagation(); var quickStatus = row.querySelector('.wiow-share-status'); var quickUrl = btn.getAttribute('data-copy-url') || row.getAttribute('data-share-page') || row.getAttribute('data-post-url') || wiowShareFallbackUrl(row); if (!quickUrl) { if (quickStatus) quickStatus.textContent = 'No share URL available.'; return; } if (platform === 'x') { openPopup(btn.getAttribute('href') || btn.getAttribute('data-wiow-x-intent') || wiowShareXIntentUrl(row)); if (quickStatus) quickStatus.textContent = ''; return; } if (quickStatus) quickStatus.textContent = 'Copying link…'; var copiedQuick = await wiowCopyShareText(quickUrl); var quickLabel = btn.querySelector('.wiow-share-btn__label'); var quickOriginal = quickLabel ? quickLabel.textContent : 'Copy link'; if (copiedQuick) { if (quickStatus) quickStatus.textContent = 'Link copied.'; if (quickLabel) { quickLabel.textContent = 'Copied!'; window.setTimeout(function(){ quickLabel.textContent = quickOriginal || 'Copy link'; }, 1500); } } else { if (quickStatus) quickStatus.textContent = 'Could not copy link.'; } return; } e.preventDefault(); var previewWin = null; if (platform === 'copy') { previewWin = openShareOptionsWindow(); var preloadKind = (row.getAttribute('data-share-kind') || 'critics').trim().toLowerCase(); var preloadHeading = (preloadKind === 'audience' || preloadKind === 'audience-teaser' || preloadKind === 'audience-question') ? 'Audience share options' : ((preloadKind === 'ratings' || preloadKind === 'ratings-admin' || preloadKind === 'ratings-question') ? 'Ratings share options' : 'Critic share options'); renderShareOptionsLoadingWindow(previewWin, preloadHeading); } var statusEl = row.querySelector('.wiow-share-status'); if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = (platform === 'link') ? 'Copying link…' : 'Preparing share…'; try { var publicShareUrl = wiowShareFallbackUrl(row); var publicPostTitle = (row.getAttribute('data-post-title') || '').trim(); if (!publicPostTitle) publicPostTitle = 'this'; var publicShareKind = (row.getAttribute('data-share-kind') || 'critics').trim().toLowerCase(); var publicUpperTitle = publicPostTitle.toUpperCase(); var publicLineTwo = (publicShareKind === 'audience' || publicShareKind === 'audience-teaser' || publicShareKind === 'audience-question') ? 'See what the audience is saying.' : ((publicShareKind === 'ratings' || publicShareKind === 'ratings-admin' || publicShareKind === 'ratings-question') ? 'See the Worth it or Woke score.' : 'See what sane critics say.'); var publicBaseText = 'Is ' + publicUpperTitle + ' Worth it or Woke?\n\n' + publicLineTwo + '\n\nFollow @worthitorwoke for more.'; // Public top-level X and Copy Link controls should not depend on AJAX image generation. // The share URL itself carries the OG/Twitter metadata; scrapers can generate/fetch the image from that URL. if ((platform === 'x' || platform === 'link') && publicShareUrl) { if (platform === 'link') { var copiedPublicLink = await wiowCopyShareText(publicShareUrl); var publicLabel = btn.querySelector('.wiow-share-btn__label'); var publicOriginalLabel = publicLabel ? publicLabel.textContent : ''; if (copiedPublicLink) { if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Link copied.'; if (publicLabel) { publicLabel.textContent = 'Copied!'; window.setTimeout(function(){ publicLabel.textContent = publicOriginalLabel || 'Copy link'; }, 1500); } } else { if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Could not copy link.'; } return; } openPopup('https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=' + encodeURIComponent(publicBaseText) + '&url=' + encodeURIComponent(publicShareUrl)); if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = ''; return; } var built; var builtSquare = null; if (platform === 'copy') { // Build the landscape first so it chooses exactly one featured/gallery cycle image, // then pass that same image to the square builder. This prevents two square // outputs or mismatched gallery states in the Share Options window. built = await buildShareImage(row, { force:true }); builtSquare = await buildShareSquareImage(row, built.cycle_image_url || '', built.poster_url || '', { force:true }); if (!built || !built.image_url) { throw new Error('Landscape share build failed.'); } if (!builtSquare || !builtSquare.image_url) { throw new Error('Square share build failed.'); } } else { built = await buildShareImage(row); } var shareUrl = built.share_url; var postUrl = (row.getAttribute('data-post-url') || '').trim() || shareUrl; var postTitle = (row.getAttribute('data-post-title') || '').trim(); if (!postTitle) postTitle = 'this'; var shareKind = (row.getAttribute('data-share-kind') || 'critics').trim().toLowerCase(); var upperTitle = postTitle.toUpperCase(); var lineTwo = (shareKind === 'audience' || shareKind === 'audience-teaser' || shareKind === 'audience-question') ? 'See what the audience is saying.' : ((shareKind === 'ratings' || shareKind === 'ratings-admin' || shareKind === 'ratings-question') ? 'See the Worth it or Woke score.' : 'See what sane critics say.'); var baseText = 'Is ' + upperTitle + ' Worth it or Woke?\n\n' + lineTwo + '\n\nFollow @worthitorwoke for more.'; var textWithUrl = baseText + '\n\n' + shareUrl; var postTextWithUrl = baseText + '\n\n' + postUrl; var encodedUrl = encodeURIComponent(shareUrl); var encodedBaseText = encodeURIComponent(baseText); var encodedTextWithUrl = encodeURIComponent(textWithUrl); if (platform === 'link') { var copiedLink = await wiowCopyShareText(shareUrl); var label = btn.querySelector('.wiow-share-btn__label'); var originalLabel = label ? label.textContent : ''; if (copiedLink) { if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Link copied.'; if (label) { label.textContent = 'Copied!'; window.setTimeout(function(){ label.textContent = originalLabel || 'Copy link'; }, 1500); } } else { if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Could not copy link.'; } return; } if (platform === 'x'){ // X gets the URL through the intent URL parameter, so do not also duplicate it in the tweet text. openPopup('https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=' + encodedBaseText + '&url=' + encodedUrl); } else if (platform === 'facebook'){ // Facebook sharing has been intentionally removed from this plugin flow. if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Facebook sharing is currently disabled.'; } else if (platform === 'copy'){ var heading = (shareKind === 'audience' || shareKind === 'audience-teaser' || shareKind === 'audience-question') ? 'Audience share options' : ((shareKind === 'ratings' || shareKind === 'ratings-admin' || shareKind === 'ratings-question') ? 'Ratings share options' : 'Critic share options'); window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext = { row: row, heading: heading, win: previewWin }; var shown = renderShareOptionsWindow(previewWin, built.image_url, (builtSquare ? builtSquare.image_url : ''), shareUrl, heading); if (!shown) { var copied = false; if (navigator.clipboard && window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText){ try { await navigator.clipboard.writeText(shareUrl); copied = true; } catch (copyErr) {} } if (!copied) { var ta = document.createElement('textarea'); ta.value = shareUrl; ta.setAttribute('readonly', 'readonly'); ta.style.position = 'fixed'; ta.style.opacity = '0'; document.body.appendChild(ta); ta.focus(); ta.select(); ta.setSelectionRange(0, ta.value.length); copied = !!document.execCommand('copy'); ta.remove(); } } } if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = (platform === 'copy') ? 'Ready.' : ''; } catch(err){ if (previewWin && !previewWin.closed) { previewWin.close(); } if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = (err && err.message) ? err.message : 'Could not share.'; } }, true); })();