PercyJacksonAndTheLightningThief Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Chris Columbus' 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Looks VERY Familiar
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », 20th Century Fox », Family Films », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Harry Potter », Trailers and Clips »
They've gone beyond hoping and just jumped into "blatantly ripping off" as evidenced by the teaser trailer. The first look at Percy Jackson has premiered over at Moviefone, and there's nary a glimpse of ancient Greece in it. Instead, Olympus has happily borrowed its exterior design from that ancient English institution known as Hogwarts. In fact, I think they may have just copied and pasted our beloved School of Witchcraft and Wizardry right into the film. Even kids will snicker at the blatant Potter name-dropping that merges straight into that shot, and then into a title card that might as well have lightning bolts in it.
The comments we've gotten on all the Percy Jackson stories prove Rick Riordan's series have quite a few fans, and I mean no disrespect to them or the series they enjoy. I know they like the books for what they are, and must have a distinct impression of its mythological Greek world. Does that world really look like the wizarding one? The fans and the film's cast (which is very good) deserved an adaptation that was original ... which it still might be. I guess we'll see when the film hits theaters in February of 2010.
Watch the trailer after the jump
Catherine Keener Is Loved By the Gods and 'Percy Jackson'
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », 20th Century Fox », Family Films », Newsstand », Harry Potter »
I don't know if Chris Columbus' Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief will be the next Harry Potter, but it certainly has a cast that can rival the one living at Hogwarts. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the latest to sign on is the always lovely Catherine Keener, who will be playing Sally Jackson, mother to Logan Lerman's Percy. Of course, Sally isn't just any ordinary single mother, she's one beloved by at least one Greek god. A forbidden love affair with Poseidon produced Percy, who just might be the boy to fulfill a prophecy. Sally tries to conceal Percy's identity from the gods and from himself, but of course that never works.
The Olympians cast so far include Uma Thurman as Medusa (I know, right?), Pierce Brosnan as Chiron, Melina Kanakeredes as Athena, Kevin McKidd as Poseidon, and Sean Bean as Zeus. They're still looking for a Hades and probably annoyed Clash of the Titans nabbed Ralph Fiennes as theirs.
I share Peter Martin's doubts that this will be the next Potter (I think that's a one time thing), and I'm so-so on the story because it flouts mythological convention and gives the man-disdaining Athena a daughter. But I am a sucker for a lot of the cast members (especially McKidd and Bean), and the idea of McKidd and Keener being so overcome with passion that they flouted the decrees of the gods? That is the stuff Greek myths are made of, so who knows? It might be pretty fun.
Is the Next Harry Potter a Dyslexic New Yorker?
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Deals », 20th Century Fox », Family Films », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Where, o where, will the next Harry Potter come from? Could it be from New York, via Texas? Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, and Sean Bean have signed up for Percy Jackson, according to The Hollywood Reporter, an adaptation of The Lightning Thief, the first book in a series by former Texas schoolteacher Richard Riordan. After the failure of various projects to become "the next Harry Potter," the news prompted Entertainment Weekly to wonder, "Could this finally be the next big family fantasy franchise?"
Based on the premise, Percy Jackson stands a good chance of appealing to a wide market, but much will depend on the script, since Chris Columbus is still on board to direct. As Christopher Campbell wrote two years ago, Columbus "may have been the least inspired director involved with the Harry Potter franchise," so big questions remain. Can he deliver a good-enough movie that won't disappoint fans of the books and whip up enthusiasm among non-readers for seeing a series of movies in the same vein?
The 12-year-old titular hero, to be played by Logan Lerman, appears to be "just another New York kid diagnosed with ADHD, who has good intentions, a nasty stepfather, and a long line of schools that have rejected him" before he discovers that his father is Poseidon (the Greek god, not the doomed ocean liner). He sets off on a cross-country journey to retrieve Zeus' lightning bolt, "the original weapon of mass destruction," which his father has been accused of stealing. Kevin McKidd will play Poseidon, which is inspired casting. Fox is aiming for release in February 2010.
Will you mark your calendars? Will Percy Jackson do better by avoiding comparisons with Harry Potter?
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