Cursed on Netflix: start date, cast, plot and everything you need to know (2024)

A dramatic retelling of Arthurian legend is on its way to the streaming service...

New Netflix series Cursed, which reimagines the story of the legend of King Arthur from a very different perspective, will be available to watch soon. Here's everything we know about the show.

Cursed start date: when does it launch on Netflix?

The series launches on Friday 17 July on Netflix, and all 10 episodes of the first season will be available to stream immediately.

What is it about?

Cursed follows the story of Nimue, a young woman who is not yet aware of her destiny to become the tragic Lady of the Lake. At the beginning of the series, Nimue is still learning to control her magical abilities, and rejects the plans that her mother Lenore - the High Priestess of her community - has for her.

But when Nimue's village is destroyed by the puritanical Red Paladins, who kill her mother in the process, Nimue is entrusted with an important mission: to take a sword and deliver it to Merlin. And one of the figures who helps her along her way is a young knight who happens to go by the name of Arthur...

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Who's in it?

13 Reasons Why star Katherine Langford leads the cast as Nimue, while rising star Devon Terrell plays the role of Arthur. "It's an epic journey with well-known characters that we've come to understand over time, but we see them in exciting new forms," says Devon. "It's mainly about the fight for survival of your culture and your people, and discovering the depths of your true power and your identity. The great thing about the story is that we see it through the eyes of Nimue, and Katherine's portrayal is so good. It's a really exciting new take on the story."

"Arthur becomes kind of a travel companion to her," continues Devon. "There's so much adversity that they find together, and as individuals, and they almost have to use each other to find courage to push through it."

Mum star Peter Mullan plays Father Carden, the leader of the Red Paladins, who is determined to find and destroy Fey kind - Nimue's people. Shalom Brune-Franklin - who played Private Maisie Richards in BBC1's Our Girl - is Sister Igraine, a nun who agrees to provide shelter to Nimue as a favour to Arthur.

"She's willing to help, but she's also not going to take any rubbish!" says Shalom. "She's a bit mysterious when we first meet her. We don't understand at first where she fits into this story, but it begins to make sense by the end of episode three. She has an amazing journey throughout the series - I can't wait for people to see it."

Other familiar faces in the cast include Westworld's Gustaf Skarsgård as Merlin, Medici star Daniel Sharman as the Weeping Monk, and Sebastian Armesto - recently seen in BBC1's Gold Digger - as King Uther Pendragon.

Cursed trailer: what does it reveal?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLTdy6PfotA

The official trailer for the series shows Nimue explaining how her entire community was destroyed by the Red Paladins, with Father Carden vowing that "our mission is the extinction of magic". The promo shows Lenore entrusting the sacred sword to her daughter and telling her to take it to Merlin, and Nimue realising for herself just how powerful the sword is.

The trailer also reveals that Merlin is currently without his magic and needs the sword in order to get it back, and Nimue gradually realising that she is both a warrior and a leader. It ends with a hint of just how formidable Nimue could become once she learns how to wield the sword's power...

What else do we know about Cursed?

• The series was created by Frank Miller - who previously wrote and illustrated the graphic novel Sin City, which became a hit film - and Tom Wheeler, based on their own illustrated novel.
• The drama was primarily filmed in England and Wales.