In this splashy follow-up to the successful 1998 miniseries, Sam Neill returns as Merlin, who grooms an awkward young thief (John Reardon) into a bona fide sorcerer so that he can find the Holy Grail and save Camelot from utter ruin. Miranda Richardson (who appeared in the original production as the evil Queen Mab) co-stars as the enchanting Lady of the Lake, who helps the scheming Rauskaug (Alexander Kalugin) invade Camelot.