November 6 9:51 A.M.
Top producer Jerry Bruckheimer and famed Prince of Persia designer Jordan Mechner are teaming up to make the latest game-licensed movie -- and based on its debut trailer and a chat we had with Bruckheimer last week, it's looking like it could be a cut above the usual woeful video game-turned-movie fare.
Could the Prince of Persia movie be a hit?
The flick, due for release in May, takes its inspiration from 2003 release Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time; the game's original creator, Jordan Mechner, wrote the script's first draft. Soon-to-be Spider-Man Jake Gyllenhaal plays the lead (although you might not recognize him: he's obviously spent some time in the gym), while Quantum of Solace's Gemma Arterton takes on the role of the obligatory sidekick/love interest. Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina have supporting roles.
"It's like a Lawrence of Arabia with this kind of supernatural element added to it," Bruckheimer told us. "It's really a Biblical story, about an urchin who's taken off the streets and gets to be a prince of Persia, in competition with his two brothers who want the throne. It's a wonderful story that goes back to the Bible."
So is Bruckheimer aiming at mainstream moviegoers or Prince of Persia fans? "I think you have to do both," he said. "You have to really entertain an audience-- that's the key. You have to have a great story, great characters, and have recalls to the game -- and that's what we have. When you see the movie, you'll say 'Oh yeah, I remember that...they took that from the game.'"
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According to Bruckheimer, it's already performing better than his surprise hit Pirates of the Caribbean with test audiences, particularly with that all-important female demographic.
"The numbers were really good," he said. "It's one of these movies that we know [moms will] take their children to go see it, which is a huge advantage for a film."
Bruckheimer wouldn't be drawn into discussing sequels, but it's clear he's approaching the project in much the same way as he approached Pirates.
"We have no idea if it's going to be a hit. We just hope that the audience will go see it, embrace it, enjoy it," he said. "There was nothing in Pirates that we ever thought was going to be another movie, but we took -- and I think we'll do the same with this movie, if the public embraces us -- we take what's there and embellish it."
"I never set up the first Prince of Persia game for a sequel, either," adds Mechner. That series, depending on how you count it, is on its twelfth game.
Wondering how Gyllenhaal went from Peter Parker to Prince of Persia? Us too, but Mechner left us with one anecdote about Gyllenhaal's training habits. After filming with Gyllenhaal all day in the 125-degree heat of the Moroccan desert, Jake would jog several miles back to base camp rather than take the bus with the rest of the crew. If that's what it takes to be a prince of Persia, Jake, it's all yours.
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Posted: 6 Nov 2009
