The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin

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The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin
The Pendragon Cycle Rise of the Merlin.png
Genre Historical fantasy
Created by Jeremy Boreing
Based on The Pendragon Cycle
by Stephen R. Lawhead
Directed by
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Original release
Network DailyWire+
ReleaseJanuary 22, 2026 (2026-01-22)

The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin is an American historical fantasy television series created for DailyWire+ . Based on the book series The Pendragon Cycle 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.

Contents

Premise

The series follows Merlin, the immortal son of the bard Taliesin and Atlantean Princess Charis, chronicling his tragic upbringing, descent into madness and shocking disappearance that lead to the legend that surrounds him. Set before King Arthur's birth, Merlin, assumed dead or a myth, reemerges in Sub-Roman Britain to unite the fractured kingdoms under threat from Saxon invaders. [1] [2]

Cast

Episodes

The series is slated for seven episodes. [3]

Production

Development

In November 2022, The Daily Wire announced its intention to produce an adaptation of the series. [4] 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+. [5]

Casting

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. [3] 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”. [6] [7]

The main cast later announced were Rose Reid as Charis, James Arden as Taliesin, Emree Franklin as Morgian, Finney Cassidy as Aurelius, Myles Clohessy as Uther, Brett Cooper as Ganieda and Alex Laurence Phillips as Pelleas. [8] [9] Additionally cast in the series are Colin Cunningham as Vortigern, Nicholas Boulton as Morcant, Daniel Fathers as Avallach, Thor Rosland as Hengist and Chick Allan as Gorlas. [10] [11]

Filming

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. [12]

References

  1. ↑ Basu, Devanshi (2025-11-20). "The Pendragon Cycle Trailer Previews Epic New Daily Wire+ Fantasy Series". ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
  2. ↑ DailyWire+ (2025-11-19). The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin | Official Trailer . Retrieved 2026-01-06– via YouTube.
  3. 1 2 Wiseman, Andreas (19 September 2023). "The Daily Wire Drama Series 'Pendragon Cycle' Reveals Lead Actor, Filming Underway In Europe". Deadline.
  4. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (21 November 2021). "The Daily Wire Plans "Most Ambitious" Project To Date With Arthurian Fantasy Series 'The Pendragon Cycle'". Deadline .
  5. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (28 July 2023). "Daily Wire Co-CEO Jeremy Boreing to Take Leave Of Absence to Direct Fantasy Series 'The Pendragon Cycle', Filming Due to Begin in September". Deadline.
  6. ↑ O'Neil, Tyler (2025-11-20). "EXCLUSIVE: New 'Pendragon Cycle' Trailer Pulls Back the Curtain on 'Intersection of Great Art and Christian Values'". The Daily Signal. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
  7. ↑ "Inside 'The Pendragon Cycle': Tom Sharp Delivers A Version Of The Merlin Never Seen Before". www.dailywire.com. 2025-12-03. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  8. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (21 September 2023). "Conservative YouTuber Brett Cooper Among Cast Revealed fr Daily Wire Series 'The Pendragon Cycle'". Deadline.
  9. ↑ Porter, Rick (2025-10-17). "Daily Wire Releases Trailer for Fantasy Series 'The Pendragon Cycle'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  10. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (2023-12-18). "The Daily Wire Rounds Out Cast On 'The Pendragon Cycle' With 'The Witcher', 'House Of The Dragon' & 'Game Of Thrones' Alums; Filming Wraps". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  11. ↑ Dsilva, Deanne (2025-11-22). "The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin - Release date news, cast details and more about the upcoming fantasy drama adaptation on Daily Wire+". www.soapcentral.com. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  12. ↑ The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin (Fernsehserie 2026– ) - Dreharbeiten und Produktion - IMDb (in German). Retrieved 2025-11-24– via www.imdb.com.
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