The upcoming movie Arthur the King is based on the remarkable true story of Mikael Lindnord and a stray dog named Arthur as they go on an adventure race in the Dominican Republic. The film is based on Lindnord’s real race in Ecuador, focusing on how the dog brings the team together through the tough parts of the race. Despite Arthur’s death from cancer in 2020, his memory and legacy are the focus of the film and bring attention to the lives of stray dogs everywhere.
Arthur the King’s cast includes Mark Wahlberg as Michael Light and Juliet Rylance as Helena Knight. The film follows the story of a stray dog who accompanies Michael’s team on an endurance race through the Dominican Republic. Eventually, Michael decides to name the dog Arthur in honor of the king of Camelot. Directed by Simon Cellan Jones and written by Michael Brandt, the film is due to be released in March 2024, and its true story will likely bring deep emotional memories for any dog owner and the racers involved in Arthur’s story.
Arthur The King Is Based On The True Story Of Mikael Lindnord & The Dog Arthur
The upcoming movie is based on Mikael’s 2016 memoir Arthur – The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home. As part of the Adventure Racing teams, Mikael was the team captain for Team Peak Performance and had been racing professionally since 1997. At the time of Arthur’s discovery, Mikael was competing as part of the Adventure Racing World Championship, where racers hike, bike, and kayak through the Amazon rainforest over a 430-mile course.
As a team sport, adventure racing has races based on every continent except for Antarctica. Races most often feature more than one sport, including hiking, mountain biking, and sometimes even white-water rafting (via USARA). Every race is different based on location, and each race has its share of surprises, something that Mikael learned during his race in Ecuador (the Dominican Republic in the upcoming film).
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Mikael & Arthur Met During The Adventure Racing World Championship
Arthur and Mikael met during the 2014 Adventure Racing World Championship. While racing alongside his team, Mikael met a stray dog and gave him some meatballs. Despite being badly injured, the dog followed Mikael and his team for the rest of the race. Inspired by King Arthur, Mikael decided to name the dog Arthur due to his king-like appearance. Despite some scary moments, including Arthur struggling with swimming during the kayaking, the team finished the 430-mile race with Arthur at their side. Arthur was injured before the race but not wanting to abandon him, the team immediately took him to a vet for treatment afterward.
Arthur’s story soon became big news around the world, with major news websites picking up the story and the famous picture of Mikael feeding Arthur trending everywhere on social media. Crowds soon flocked to the race to watch Arthur and cheer on him and the team. The story was picked up everywhere, including BBC and USA Today, and even a short documentary on ESPN was produced titled Arthur. With the help of a Twitter campaign and a PayPal account to raise money for Arthur, the team was able to bring Arthur back to Sweden and take care of legal paperwork to ensure that he could stay.
What Happened To Mikael & Arthur After The Race
Mikael Lindnord retired in 2015 and eventually wrote a few books about his time as a racer and Arthur’s story. This included the book the 2024 movie was based on, and another book titled Arthur and Friends: The Incredible Story of a Rescue Dog, and How Our Dogs Rescue Us that came out in 2017. Shortly after the race ended in 2014, Arthur was eventually allowed to come home with the Swedish racing team after quarantining for 4 months and undergoing treatment for injuries he got before he met the team (via The World). Arthur eventually came to Sweden and lived with Mikael and his family.
The problems for Arthur were not over yet, however. Shortly after Arthur got adopted by Lindnord, an Ecuadorian man named Vicente Quiñonez came forward in the Ecuadorian newspaper El Comercio, claiming that he was Arthur’s real owner and that Arthur’s name was Barbuncho. Quiñonez also asked for compensation to get another pet, saying that Mikael kidnapped Arthur from his rightful family. This caused a massive backlash for Quiñonez, and it wasn’t until animal activists began threatening him that he backed down out of fear for his family’s safety.
Arthur raced alongside Mikael again in 2015 in the Wings for Life World Run in Kalmar, Sweden, running over 11 miles in support of spinal cord injury awareness. Mikael also founded The Arthur Foundation in 2014, which focused on giving more rights to wild dogs living in Ecuador, including promoting animal welfare rights and responsible adoptions for anyone interested in adopting a dog. Sadly, in December 2020, Mikael announced on his Instagram page that Arthur had died after being diagnosed with a malignant tumor shortly before filming on Arthur the King started.
Sources: USARA, BBC, USA Today, ESPN, The World, El Comercio, the Wings for Life World Run,
Arthur the King
Arthur the King is an adventure movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Simu Liu. Based on a true story, Wahlberg plays Michael Light, a pro-adventure racer who connects with a stray dog named Arthur. On his journey to win a final race, Light learns the true meaning of victory and friendship as his endurance is pushed to the limit.
- Release Date
- March 15, 2024
- Studio(s)
- Entertainment One
- Cast
- Mark Wahlberg , Simu Liu , Juliet Rylance , Nathalie Emmanuel , Ali Suliman , Bear Grylls , Paul Guilfoyle
