William Tellhas quickly become one of the biggest streaming hits of the summer, topping charts on both Netflix and Prime Video around the world, as well as Hulu’s top 10 in the United States. The film, written and directed byNick Hamm, digs into the 14th-century legend with agritty new spin— and it also brings back two familiar faces for fantasy fans.
The movie follows Tell, the famous marksman, who finds himself pulled back into conflict just as the Habsburg king, played by Oscar-winnerBen Kingsley, tries to crush Switzerland with brutal taxes. At first, Tell wants nothing to do with another fight, but when his people are pushed too far, he’s forced to take up his crossbow and lead them into battle. Of course, no version ofWilliam Tellwould be complete without the legendary Apple scene.Hamm told Colliderthat while most people know the image — a boy with an apple on his head — they don’t always know the story behind it.
“At the center of the movie is this extraordinary scene, as you’ve seen, Steve, which is the apple scene. People have some sort of cultural reference to the apple. They don’t know what the apple is. They don’t know why it is. They just know there’s a kid with an apple on his head. But when you look at, and you diagnose that scene, and you go into it, and you think, ‘Okay, what’s that actually about?’ That’s about power. That’s about who has it and who doesn’t. And it’s about the public execution of a young boy.”
Hamm added that his goal was to keep the film entertaining while also making it feel like a story about power and survival that still connects today.
Who Else Is in ‘William Tell’?
The cast is packed —Jonathan Pryce(The Crown),Connor Swindells(Barbie),Golshifteh Farahani(Extraction),Jonah Hauer-King(The Little Mermaid),Rafe Spall(The Big Short), andEmily Beecham(1899) all show up. But for fantasy fans, an additional draw has been the reunion betweenEllie BamberandAmar Chadha-Patel, who last appeared together in Disney+’sWillow.
Seeing the two share the screen again has been a treat for viewers who wanted more afterWillowwas canceled in 2023. Paired with Hamm’s gritty take on a classic legend,William Tellhas turned into one of those rare historical dramas that’s actually crossing over to a big mainstream audience.
William Tellis on Hulu now.
William Tell
