David Lowery Says Canceled 2020 SXSW Allowed Him To Fully Recut 'The Green Knight'

It’s nothing new to know that a filmmaker was planning on debuting a feature at a festival before it was completely finished. We see it quite often, in fact. There are also times when a film debuts at a festival but the negative reviews cause the director to go back and re-edit. But it appears David Lowery might have dodged a bullet with “The Green Knight,” as the pandemic allowed the filmmaker the opportunity to have an extension on his editing time so that he wouldn’t have to debut a version he wasn’t proud of.

According to an interview with Vanity Fair, Lowery talked about how he agreed to show “The Green Knight” at last year’s SXSW Film Festival. However, he admits now, the film wasn’t ready to go by then. That said, it all worked out in the long run, as the pandemic canceled SXSW 2020 and Lowery didn’t have to premiere a cut that wasn’t up to his standards.

“Sometimes movies just aren’t ready,” he said, referencing last year’s SXSW.

But the delay gave Lowery plenty of time to dive fully into his film and finish “The Green Knight” the way he wanted.

“I just gave myself permission to dig back into the movie, unlock it, and rework the entire thing,” Lowery said. “I found the affection I needed to cut it with love in my heart instead of disappointment and hate. It’s different—it’s much better.”

For those not aware, “The Green Knight” is based on the poem, “ Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” and tells the story of Gawain as he aims to find and face off with The Green Knight, a legendary figure in Arthurian legend.

So what has changed in the new cut of the film? Lowery explained how the rhythm of the film shies away from the action-heavy versions of Camelot and is a “slower, more patient” version of the tale. He also said Alicia Vikander probably benefits most from the new version, with her dual characters getting more love.

In addition to Vikander, “The Green Knight” stars Dev Patel, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Barry Keoghan, and Ralph Ineson. “The Green Knight” arrives in theaters, via A24, on July 30.