from Morgana's magical prison. After a final conversation with Arthur, Merlin appears to Morgana and tricks her into speaking the Charm of Making. This exhausts her magical powers and summons a mist that envelops her camp and the battlefield. Mordred discovers her aged, true self and murders her in disgust. Arthur and his men wage war on Mordred's forces, using the mist in their favour. During the battle, Lancelot arrives, reconciles with Arthur and dies fighting. Arthur manages to kill Mordred, but the fight leaves him mortally wounded. While slowly dying, he commands Perceval, the only other survivor, to throw Excalibur into a lake, knowing that one day the sword will rise again when a worthy king comes to power. Perceval complies, and the Lady of the Lake catches the sword, dragging it into the depths. Perceval returns to the battlefield in time to glimpse Arthur being carried away on a ship, sailing towards his rest on Avalon. Cast Nigel Terry as Arthur Helen Mirren as Morgana Le Fay Kay McLaren as the aged Morgana Barbara Byrne as the young Morgana Nicholas Clay as Sir Lancelot Cherie Lunghi as Guenevere Paul Geoffrey as Perceval Nicol Williamson as Merlin Corin Redgrave as Duke of Cornwall Patrick Stewart as King Leodegrance Keith Buckley as Uryens Clive Swift as Ector Liam Neeson as Gawain Gabriel Byrne as King Uther Pendragon Robert Addie as Prince Mordred Charley Boorman as young Mordred Katrine Boorman as Igrayne Ciarán Hinds as King Lot Niall O'Brien as Sir Kay Mannix Flynn as Mordred’s Lieutenant Brid Brennan as Lady-in-Waiting Eamon Kelly as Abbot Hilary Joyalle as Lady of the Lake Development John Boorman had planned a film adaptation of the Merlin legend as early as 1969, but when submitting the three-hour script written with Rospo Pallenberg to United Artists, they rejected it deeming it too costly and offered him J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings instead. Boorman was allowed to shop the script elsewhere, but no studio would commit to it. Returning to his original idea of the Merlin legend, Boorman was eventually able to secure deals that would help him do Excalibur. Much of the imagery and set designs were created with his The Lord of the Rings project in mind, and it has been noted that certain scenes are reminiscent of Monty Python's 1975 comedy film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Production Casting