Young Arthur was pitched at the age 12-34 demographic, modeled after two 2001 properties: the medieval comedy film A Knight's Tale and teen superhero series Smallville.
A talent-agency source told Electronic Media that NBC hoped to find a lead actor akin to Heath Ledger or Tom Welling, those properties' respective leads: "They're looking for a young, heroic hunk who can be a brand to the network."
They ultimately chose two 19-year-old actors, Julian Morris and Paul Wasilewski, to play Arthur and Lancelot respectively.
[1] Remi Aubuchon and Graham Yost wrote the screenplay, and Sweden's Mikael Salomon directed the episode.
[1] NBC, which was in the middle of cost-cutting, chose the overseas filming location in part to reduce labor costs.