| The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin | |
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| Genre | Historical fantasy |
| Created by | Jeremy Boreing |
| Based on | The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen R. Lawhead |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
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| Original release | |
| Network | DailyWire+ |
| Release | January 22, 2026 |
The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin is an American historical fantasy television series created for DailyWire+ . Based on the book series by Stephen R. Lawhead, namely the first two books Taliesin (1987) and Merlin (1988), the series is a retelling of Arthurian legend set in Roman Britain and especially its original milieu, Sub-Roman Britain.
The series is set before Arthur's birth in the wake of a Roman-occupied Britain, as the Roman withdrawal leads to the onset of the Anglo-Saxon conquest. As the various kingdoms and tribes of Celtic Britons fall into conflict with each other and with Angles, Saxons and other Celts, the figure of Merlin (Myrddin), son of the bard Taliesin and a princess of lost Atlantis, arises in the midst of conflict. [1]
The series is slated for seven episodes. [4]
In November 2022, The Daily Wire announced its intention to produce an adaptation of the series. [5] In July 2023, it was announced that The Daily Wire Co-CEO Jeremy Boreing would be taking a leave of absence from the company, to co-direct the series. It was also revealed that the series would source its filming and production in Italy and Hungary, and would premiere on DailyWire+. [6]
In September 2023, British actor Tom Sharp was announced to have been cast in the series' lead role as Merlin, as filming began in Europe. [4] Executive Producer Dallas Sonnier recalled Sharp independently auditioned for the title role “To discover Tom Sharp off of a casting tape that was self-submitted without an agent, direct to us, and to find a future movie star out of nowhere is such a cool thing”. [7] [8]
Filming took place from September to December 2023 in Budapest, Trento, Priverno (at the Fossanova Abbey), in the Gran Sasso d'Italia mountains and at the Cinecittà film studio. [9]
The main cast later announced were Brett Cooper as Ganieda, Rose Reid as Charis, James Arden as Taliesin, Emree Franklin as Morgian, Myles Clohessy as Uther and Finney Cassidy as Aurelius. [10] [11]