Jerry Bruckheimer has been busy as of late with his Pirates franchise and his countless hit TV shows but still he has been working hard to get other film franchises off the ground. The IESB can exclusively report that his upcoming film, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, has found a director and a release date!
So I am sure you are wondering by now who Jerry has tapped to direct the adaptation of the best selling video game, right?
Bruckheimer has teamed up with him in the past to bring you Bad Boys I and II, The Rock, Pearl Harbor and Armageddon. Yes, that’s right, Michael Bay is directing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for a Summer ’09 release.
The IESB was able to confirm with Disney Studios that they are hopeful that Michael Bay will indeed direct the picture right after he is done with this Summer’s blockbuster, Transformers.
You might remember a couple of years ago when we confirmed that Bay was behind Transformers just as he was finishing The Island. So now, just as he is finishing up Transformers, we are announcing that he will in fact be behind Bruckheimer’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
This feature film adaptation is “based on the video game, which follows an adventurous prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world.”
The original creator of the game, Jordan Mechner, has said that "Rather than do a straight beat-for-beat adaptation of the new videogame, we're taking some cool elements from the game and using them to craft a new story - much as 'Pirates' [of the Caribbean] did with the theme park ride."
Mechner wrote the first draft of the screenplay for the feature film with subsequent drafts by Jeffrey Nachmanoff.
Originally developed and published Ubisoft, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a third person action adventure video game that received widespread critical acclaim.
The Sands of Time is the first of a trilogy. Released in 2003, it was followed by Warrior Within in 2004 and The Two Thrones in 2005.
Jake Gyllenhall has been cast as the Prince according to Empire by way of Variety. Despite various rumours about the casting, and a firm denial from Disney, he has now been cast - as a Persian.
For people who do not know, Prince of Persia is a successful (I'm judging by this being a Bruckheimer production akin to Pirates) videogame trilogy that - even for a sporadic gameplayer like me - a good bunch of fun. As said, Jerry Bruckheimer has the rights, Disney are behind it, and they have stated their intentions to build a franchise similar to Pirates of the Carribbean.
Gemma Arteton has been cast as a rival Princess who aids the Prince.
Gyllenhall is a fine actor, but I can't help but be disappointed, if not suprised, that Disney cast a caucasian Westerner and not a more arabic, and therefore risque choice, fellow. There's been some fine films come out of the former Persian states in the last ten years - and a wealth of work before that too - and it's a shame that a big coorporation can come in with an A-list actor without regard for the regions cinematic heritage.
KMC Community Forums
Apr 21st, 2007 01:49 PM
