First look at Sex Education star as the villain in new historical epic William Tell

There’s a new historical epic on the horizon. And, no, we’re not talking about a certain swords and sandals sequel. Directed by Nick Hamm, William Tell is a fresh cinematic take on the fabled Swiss marksman that could do for crossbows what Gladiator did for gladius swords. Best known for shooting an apple off his son’s head and that joyful Overture later co-opted by The Lone Ranger, Hamm’s feature adaptation is a long-overdue account of a legendary folk hero’s iconic story.

Set in Switzerland in 1307 it stars Claes Bang (Dracula, Bad Sisters) as Tell, a huntsman and veteran of the crusades who returns home looking to settle down with his family. But with the country facing aggression from neighbouring Austria in their pursuit for more land, Tell once again takes up arms, putting him in the path of Gessler (Connor Swindells) – the vindictive viceroy to Austria’s brutal ruler (Ben Kingsley).

“It’s great playing a nasty piece of work like Gessler because the possibilities of what you can get away with are endless,” Swindells tells Total Film magazine in the upcoming issue, which features a preview of William Tell. “I never thought I would get an opportunity like this in my career, so I’ve taken every minute of it with pure joy.”

Take an exclusive look at Swindell’s armour-clad Gessler in the heat of battle below:

(Image credit: Crossbow Films Ltd)

Swindells – best known as fan-favourite Adam in Netflix’s Sex Education – is far from the only rising, largely British star in the stacked cast. Also appearing are Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid), Ellie Bamber and Amar Chadha-Patel (Willow), Solly McLeod (The Dead Don’t Hurt) and Jake Dunn (Renegade Nell); alongside the more established likes of Kingsley, Jonathan Pryce, Golshifteh Farahani, Rafe Spall and Emily Beecham.

William Tell will receive its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, on September 10th. There is currently no US or UK release date. You can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film featuring The Penguin on the cover when it releases on Thursday 12 September.

Read much more about the issue here, and check out the covers below:

(Image credit: Sky/HBO/Total Film)

(Image credit: Sky/HBO/Total Film)