HISTORIC sites near Dorchester, including Maiden Castle, could become the backdrops in a £85m blockbuster about King Arthur being shot by Hollywood mogul Steven Spielberg.

The American producer and director is considering locations in Dorset and the West Country for a controversial mini-series based on the legendary warlord due to go into production next spring.

The series, which is backed by US production company HBO, aims to demolish the 'sword and sorcery' myth of King Arthur and recreate the historical reality of the time.

Spielberg achieved similar gritty realism with his mini-series Band of Brothers, set in the Second World War.

The new series would be based around the sixth century, when Arthur was thought to have existed, but avoid fictional trappings such as the Round Table, shining armour, the Holy Grail and the magical sword Excalibur.