Brown Book Loft Blog

‘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 .

Until now the Battle of Agincourt has had virtually no film exposure outside remakes of Henry V, but it is a battle where the much smaller English army of mainly archers defeated a much larger and better equipped French army of knights. It is believed up to10,000 French died with a loss of only 112 English casualties. It has been noted as being the battle which brought about the death of chivalry, and is also believed to of been the origination of the English two fingered salute.

The film is to be shot on a budget of a modest $35 million, and is due to start shooting at some point in 2011, cast and location at this point are unknown.

It is currently unknown if the film will be due to be dubbed for a French release, but somehow we doubt it will do good business on the French side of the channel. We are also hoping for a film release date of St Crispin’s day which was the date of the battle in 1415, but that may be hard to do.

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