The Next Big Franchise?

With what's likely to be the final Pirates of the Caribbean film setting sail in 2011, you can bet the suits at Disney have been searching high and low for another action-adventure series they can pin their hopes (and revenue projections) to after Captain Jack Sparrow has hung up his natty tricorn.  What they found was Prince of Persia, a video game franchise launched in 1989 that has been handled by several different developers over the years. In 2004, Pirates' producer and frequent Disney collaborator Jerry Bruckheimer secured the rights to one version of the game in particular: Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which came out a year prior. 

By mid-2008, Jake Gyllenhaal had landed the starring role of Dastan, a very Aladdin-like character who finds himself working with a princess (played by Gemma Arterton, "Strawberry Fields" in Quantum of Solace) to keep a time-controlling artifact away from the bad guys.  I'll hold my opinions on this first look until after you've watched it...

Hmm, I'm not really feelin' it. I like a lot of Gyllenhaal's work, but he's one of those actors that I just don't buy with an accent. And there was waaaaay too much slo-mo going on in this trailer. Not too mention waaaay too much sand blowing around. In fact, the whole thing reminded me a lot of The Mummy, which is the only movie I ever came thisclose to walking out of in a theater. That's not a good sign.

However, I was really skeptical about the first Pirates movie, too, and I ended up loving it. (The following two sequels? Not quite as much.)  So I'm pretty sure I'll end up seeing Prince of Persia no matter what, solely out of curiosity if nothing else.  But if I were one of the suits at Disney, I'd keep searching for other material to inspire The Next Big Franchise.

Comments

[Clint M]

I played the video game awhile back and, while I don't remember the story real well, it seems that they have changed the story from the game. The game also had a lot of slo-mo so maybe that's why the movie has so much? It doesn't look spectacular or anything, but it might be watchable.
I too was opposed to The Mummy once, but then my wife liked it so much that I sat down and watched it and found it was a pretty good movie. Even with Brendan Fraser.

[Trevor L.]

The trailer heightened my expectations slightly just for the fact that the scenery looked amazing. I like beautiful movies, that's what made me love the Pirates movies (even the 3rd was still nice to look at). It's still a video game movie, so I'm still a little skeptical.

[Rebecca]

I like Jake Gyllenhaal. I like the first "Pirates" movie. But I don't know that I can see Jake Gyllenhaal starring in a "Pirates"-like movie. It's not the accent, which didn't sound too bad from the little that I was able to hear over the music. It's just that I have a hard time buying him as an action hero. However, I wouldn't have bought Johnny Depp as an action hero until he showed me he could be quite a good one in "Pirates." So I'm sure I'll check it out to see if he pleasantly surprises me.

[Livia]

I hear of Jake Gyllenhaal in magazines, friends, etc. I didn't watch the video but I read a comment though about it. Jake Gyllenhaal looks great-when I see him magazines.

[Daniel Ferguson]

Wow.... you all have it all wrong. Let's look at Jerry Bruckheimer's acheivements.... The Rock, Con Air, Top Gun, CSI, Armageddon, Gone in 60 Seconds, etc. etc... There is no length that Jerry can produce an action hero out of a runt. But.... let the utter failed practices of Uwe Boll be a precursor... while there have been rather "okay" reproductions of video games into movies.. they've all strayed themselves from the story. The ones that were utter remorse... are ones that carried too close to the original script. However, and I say this with as much emphasis on the man than the studios... Jerry can make a popcorn-worthy flick. So can he produce a major blockbuster. He could be the first one to actually develop a franchise out of a media that has been so haphazard in the realm of film.

[Paul]

I'd rather see a Bruckheimer/Disney version over a
Michael Bey "I'm so hip" version.. that way my 13+ year old kids can see a film that isn't full of potty-mouth humor and inappropriate sexual nonsense...I'm sure Disney knows who butters their bread..

[FarSpace]

I don't remember seeing any of the actors any ware except the old guy who looked like he was playing and evil dude.

I bet I'll like it and buy the DVD directors cut :) mostly because it looks like a nice movie to relax and watch in bed and go to sleep after. mostly because it looks cool and have a god rolling story it seems like.

both men and women should like this one at least for one thing imo. As long as it has lots of story that doesn't slow down. and whatever else.

Congrats on the nice artwork in it too to whoever did it.

[Tiffany Cagle]

I really liked the trailer...it had Pirates,Lord of the rings all rolled into one epic film...I am excited and looking forward to see if the entire film will impress me as the trailer has..

[Kataggers]

k, I like Bruckheimer's vision for fantasy films and some of his more grittier characters, I'm not so sure a "Persian" with a faux British accent is one of them.
Too much of a stretch I guess to find a leading man who could carry the character and sell at the box office. At least it wasn't a Jonas Brother!

[Yolanda]

It seems rather disingenuous to review a film clip from a movie entitled "Sands of Time" and then complain about the use of sand. I know you are compelled to have something to write but considering the nature of the film and its intended adolescent audience, I don't see any need to pan it as you did. No, not a Jake fan, but I appreciate the hard work and time put into making any film and think reviews should contain a bit more substance.

[Islander]

I definately will go see this movie, excellent director. But...we need another "Pirates of the Caribbean" please!! :o)

[angel]

Looks like it is going to be another Disney Hit Movie
to me. I really enjoyed seeing the trailer, it has an interesting and exciting story line and plot. Just the kind of action / romance movie that will lure the mass's in to see it.
I predict it will do very good!

[Bebhionn]

I agree with Daniel. Jerry Bruckheimer is artistic and visionary. When, not if he pulls this off, it's a testament to his genius; making a so-so video game, into a hit.
True, Jake G. isn't your action hero stereotype, they should have chosen someone less "boy next door", I don'tbelieve Jake could scare a fly, let alone make you believe he's an action hero. If Jake Can really pull it off, then it shows he really is an actor

[Tiffany]

It looks okay, but I'm not sure Gyllenhaal is the right actor to play Dastan. I have watched my brother play all the Prince of Persia games for hours, and he's a much harder character than Gyllenhaal portrays. (Not to mention that Gyllenhall has too much of a babyface for the role.) I like a lot of his work, but he just doesn't seem the strongest choice for this role. I will probably end up taking my brother to go see this anyway, so I'll be able to judge it further later. But I think that based on the overall feel of the trailer so far compared to the games, the only thing that feels wrong is Gyllenhaal... I will reserve further judgement for after I see it.

[Don]

Disney + Bruckheimer = Success...

[blake]

transformers?

[Steve]

Jake Gyllenhaal sucks. Should've gone to Orlando Bloom, eh? Or maybe an up and coming actor, some one a little more rough around the edges. Not a never was like Gyllenhaal...

[Ryan]

Lame, this will be a definite "wait until Redbox". Gyllenhaal as an action hero, I don't buy it, and I don't think most people will. Will that stop people from waiting in line for hours to see this, probably not, but to be fair,everyone knows that Bruckheimer movies aren't intended for an intellectual audience.

[Aly]

Wow- That preview almost showed the whole movie (no surprise)!

Gyllenhaal with long hair..? Uhhh.. That makes me iffy to begin with! I don't know if he quite fits this role. I never pictured the guy as super buff and able to play such an athletic role. I mean, I can't even picture him normally having a good sword fight (I didn't see him really fighting in the preview?). He has had some good roles, don't get me wrong, but I don't think he's the type of actor to star in an action adventure. As for the actress choice- she seems like a good fit surprisingly!

Movie success: I think the story/game as a whole can't even compare to Pirates in the fact that the target audience will not exactly be the same. I still can picture younger boys seeing the film, but it doesn't seem like there will be as much comedy nor family elements to appeal to girls nor families as a whole. Sure, there's the Disney stamp of family approval, but is that enough? I mean the movie is based on a game where you have to kill tons of people to get by..? Maybe parents won't know that, but unless they spruce/change of the story a lot and make it more family-oriented, it surely won't do as well. Also they need quirky characters for comedic relief like Pirates had to appeal more to kids. =P I MAY see this one depending on reviews. I didn't like Pirates much (especially not the sequels)!

[lala plz]

It looks to be another Disney epic, but, how someone can pan and write an almost hateful review of a movie based on a short clip is outrageously unprofessional.
The power of the critic is too much these days when they can make or break a movie without even seeing it and turn around and proclaim Oscar winners without so much as walking into the theatre to watch the entire movie.

I, for one, can't wait for this movie. I would rather spend my money on a movie that takes me away from all the trouble in this world then go see movies that constantly keep shoving it down my throat.

[Reeve]

I've played all three games for the Nintendo and it appears that they are meshing those three together. I can't see them making this a franchise based on making one movie that has the three games. The cities do look similar to the ones in the games and it appears to follow the same plot lines of the games. The movie looks interesting to say the least and I believe jake looks closest to the video game character overall but they need to scar up his face and harden him a a bit to really capture the look form the game to the movie. It will be interesting to watch and has potential to be a good movie.

[Edward R. amirian]

These movie based on games keep getting changed and they don't keep up with the story line of the game.Just like transformers they didn't keep up with the story line either,but it was pretty damn good made

[Dean]

It looks Awesome! Some of you spend way to much time in the digital world if you think this show looks boring. Get outside and live.

[Doom187]

I do believe you are all forgetting the role the Jake is playing. PRINCE of Persia, not hard gritty ass kicker. So of course he's going to be boyish and just look at the role as though it's his transition into manhood.

[Pete Clark]

Looks good to me! How could u not like "The Mummy"? Open up a little!

[Mark]

I agree, Pete Clark (just above)! The Mummy was AWESOME fun! It's escapist fantasy at its best. Movie critics need to stop taking themselves so stinking seriously. They bore the crap out of me.

[John]

At first I thought this was going to be a movie for Assassin's Creed with him perched high up ready to jump down into the wagon. This does seem to have a nice feel to the movie as it doesn't seem to stray so far from the original game. I haven't played the other games but I've heard they weren't as good as the first. Hopefully the movie will be better than the games and we won't have to worry about it being good.

[JLStoker]

The good news is they won't have to stress about making a video game to go along with this one XD
I'll watch it, even though I haven't played the game.

[Icarus]

Gyllenhaal as an action hero, why not? Honestly how many of us really thought Toby Maguire would be a good Spiderman? I didn't and I was glad to be proven wrong. I will give him a chance and hope that he pulls it off.

[Mike]

Why couldnt there be middle eastern guy that actual looks darker and like the character other then a white guy.

[Howie]

Sure most video game-based films are usually not as desirable as most people would like... but keep in mind Pirates 1 was not a video game, but a Disneyland attraction... A ride, essentially, that lead to a film starring Johnny Depp that grossed over $650 million and lead to a franchise that has, so far, netted nearly $2.8 billion for the trilogy (just box office sales, mind you). I don't like seeing childhood memories getting mutilated on the big screen, and I'm sure there could have been a better choice that Jake Gyllenhaal to assume the role of a Persian starring character, but hopefully they all pull it off. Of course, this also means more video games.

[Kelsey]

I just can't buy Jake Gyllenhaal as a Persian. No doubt he is a good actor, I'm just not sure if I like him playing this part.

[Lori]

Boy I'm glad I'm not one of you "intellectuls" who really don't plan to enjoy this movie even if it really is good. Come on, how can we sit here and judge it or Jake Gyllenhall without even watching it first. I'd like to wait and see it before I judge the movie or the actors performance.

[Sister Fuchsia]

I agree that Jake does not "seem" an appropriate choice for the role. However, who thought Michael Keaton as Batman was a good idea? He rocked it and and I'm sure Jake rocked Persia as well. I am quite confident that Disney and Bruckheimer wouldn't dump a bunch of money into this if they doubted he could cut it. I trust their professional judgment.
Furthermore, I think Jake looks much better with the hair and muscle.

[dvdwatcher]

I'm not a Gyllenhaal fan either, but you have to admit he rocked in Jarhead and a little in Rendition... Not so sure about his ability to be an action hero; this could end up something like Nic Cage in any action flick he's ever attempted - sucking like a 1950s Hoover.

[Kris]

As for the review, I take it that the reviewer doesn't like this sort of movie, and so decided in advance he wouldn't like it. As for the rest, well...it's a what, 2 minute clip?? I'll wait 'till i see it to judge it.