Greek epic Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Zak Penn Writing 'The Argonauts'
Filed under: Action », Classics », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Scripts », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
I'm digging the Greek revival in Hollywood -- I know I should sniff at it as an empty trend that cashes in on 300, but I'm just not hard hearted enough. (And I continuously hope that they'll forget about the dumb parts of Troy and greenlight The Odyssey with Sean Bean in the lead.)According to Variety, the latest Greek myth to be "remade" is Jason and the Argonauts (shortened to the pithier The Argonauts), though I'm skeptical in calling any story that's been around for thousands of years a remake. Jason hasn't sailed on the bigscreen since 1963, when he was assisted so famously by Ray Harryhausen. (There was a television miniseries in 2000 -- that was such a weird era for CGI mythology.) This time, he'll be doing his sailing for 20th Century Fox, and the movie will be written and produced by Zak Penn.
As you likely remember from your school days, this is the story of Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. Charged with its retrieval by the unpleasant king (and usurper) Pelias, Jason assembles a great group of heroes (including the legendary Heracles) known as the Argonauts. Naturally, they had all kinds of crazy adventures, encountered horrible monsters, and loved a lot of women.
Penn is writing an original take on the Greek epic -- but I imagine all the standbys like the Harpies, the Sirens, and the Symplegades will be present. And I fully expect that it will have a 300 flavor, at least in the costuming and the muscles sported by Jason and company. Just about every studio has a Greek movie they're shoving into production (including that much discussed 300 prequel/sequel/whatever), so they're all going to be vying to outdo each other. At this point, my money is on Anabasis and this one, if only for Penn might bring a bit of X2 goodness to it. What about you?
The Ancient Greeks Are Back in 'Anabasis'
Filed under: Action », Classics », Deals », Sony », Scripts », Newsstand », War »
It's rather eerie when your private wishes suddenly appear in the trades. I'm in the middle of reading Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire, which made me long for another Greek epic. Now, Columbia is giving me one. According to Variety, the studio has optioned the Greek classic Anabasis, Xenophon's firsthand account of the journey of the Ten Thousand.The tale of the Ten Thousand is, perhaps, lesser known to popular culture as the 300 Spartans (even if it did inspire The Warriors), but it's no less compelling. They were an army of Greek mercenaries hired by Cyrus the Younger to aid him in seizing the Persian throne from his brother, Artaxerxes II. His expedition proved to be a failure, and the Greeks found themselves stranded deep into enemy territory. Their Spartan general was killed, as were other senior officers, and it was up to Xenophon to try to encourage the ten thousand to make the journey home to Greece. If you're into history at all, read it, and marvel at the toughness of the ancients.
No director has been named, but the script is being penned by Robert Schenkkan, who was responsible for HBO's The Pacific. Production duties will be split by Jimmy Miller (known more for Will Ferrell comedies) and Robbie and Jonathan Stamp, who both know their historical epics. They were consultants on the outstanding Rome, that HBO series I'm constantly going on about. Apparently, just about everyone involved in this project is an ancient history nut, and is hoping this will be the first of many historical epics. Given its pedigree and primary source material, my expectations are high. Don't disappoint me, Columbia!
Is Taylor Lautner Our Next Superhero?
100 Greatest Films Beyond the Canon
'Entourage' Movie in the Works?
Spielberg Backs Out of 'Harvey'
Discuss: Should Gay Actors Stay in the Closet?
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
