PRINCE OF PERSIA Trailer Recalls Time When Honkeys Ruled The Middle East

A good portion of that trailer looked like culled footage from the various Mummy movies.

One hopes when Bob Iger watches a trailer like that for one of his big tent-pole releases he weeps and fires some people. But I doubt it.

I have to agree that the caucasian count for the cast is pretty ridiculous, especially given the rise of middle east cinema over the last decade.

Having said that, the trailer has me mildly interested. Oddly, I thought the best moment was Gyllenhal being tongued after being called on giving the female lead the eye.

If it's Pirates-level entertaining - which isn't a sure thing by any stretch - it'll be a win.

aside from the cgi looking like mummy 4 - i thought you were a bit harsh, Ben Kingsley is of indian stock by way of zanzibar, alfred molina is half spanish and half italian - hardly honkeys - gemma arterton however, is as white as they come and despite being easy on the eyes seems desperately wooden in everything she does (in the trailer it sounded like she was being dubbed by rachel weisz).

The thing I liked about it was jake's accent, sure - it aint persian - but that was a pretty decent english accent (I'm usually VERY critical of non-Brits trying to do a Brit accent). So - good for you Jake G - a decent accent.

Ben Kingsley's family are from INDIA.

Alfred Molina is HISPANIC.

Yes, they were both born in the UK.

This does not make them white by default, a number of people from Western Europe are not from Western Europe descent.

Although, if you want to make an issue of it, Jake G's genetic origin is theoretically closest geographically being half Jewish.

I sorta like the look of the visuals--they're more artful and realistic than the Mummy movies--but yeah, way too much CGI. And while a swashbuckler is almost guaranteed to get my money, I'm not sure I can take Gyllenhaal trying to be Johnny Depp for two hours. When she said "why else are you staring at me" and he sputtered (ha...ha?) I was expecting him to say "I'm gay, wasn't it obvious?"

I know the time travel thing comes from the games, but I really can't see it working in the movie. It seems like the kind of convoluted video game logic that dragged down the POTC movies.

This thread is going to get derailed in a strange, unwelcome way.

The film looks like it'll be somwhere between awful and charming. The accent isn't to bad though.

Quite sad really that they they had an open opportunity to make some progressive casting moves here, but decided to play it so boringly safe.

Looked like a trailer for Assasins Creed. Who knows, maybe this could turn out to be quite entertaining in a G.I. Joe kind of way.

Wow, your ignorance of history is astounding. Crap movie aside, please avoid filling people's minds with your silly white-washed sociopolitical views. Persians, not Arabs, have traditionally paler skin. Oh, and "Iran" (formerly known as "Persia") is actually just the cognate of "Aryan"...and you can't get any whiter than that. Of course, it doesn't help that Arabs are the racial majority there, so I guess it's only fair to assume an empty-headed idiot would hold to that racial stereotype.

I know Devin's looking for an angle to write about the PoP trailer but I can't get too worked up about a video game movie that barely adheres to any historical or ethnic fidelity to begin with. Let's get worked up about Aladdin while we're at it. Also Gemma Atherton looks yummy.

Eyeshadow+facial hair= INSTANT PERSIAN!

At least we're one step closer to a project I've been excited about for years:
THE LAST NIGGER ON EARTH starring Tom Hanks.

Are you kidding? I'm just stating a fact. "Iran" is the cognate of "Aryan" –look it up. And yes, Persia did change their name because they wanted to align themselves with whom they foresaw as the victor in WWII. But as for my personal sympathies, I'm definitely not an anti-semite. I was merely addressing history, racial differences (perceived or otherwise), and etymology, which should be harmless for the well-equipped.

Call somebody from Spain Hispanic and see the reaction you'll get.

As for the trailer, I think that, unless my eyes deceive me, it spoils the identity of the "demon" they're talking about (can't hide as black text, so, MAYBE SPOILERS):


******He looks like a scarred Gyllenhaal, maybe from the future (due to the traveling through time powers?).******

Well, you're right, the races of northern india wouldn't be, considering the general miscegenation of the races there.

Concerning their use of the word "aryan" –the persians employed it in the mid-20th century in an attempt to hearken back to a perceived shared heritage with the supposed "aryans" in Germany –although as you pointed out, the title of aryan really belongs to a set of ideals strongly associated with a different region once occupied by the Persian empire. Thank you for this enlightening discussion.

I really have no idea what's going on in the trailer. I've never played the game.
What's with the cgi Gyllenhaal that has a permanent OH FACE?

Not sure what's worse; the relentless CGI sand 'madness' or the attempts at cute banter.

Well as much as this does seem to be Prince Of Pennsylvania, I'm so excited at even the merest possibility of proper swash and buckle with my adventure, I'll be seeing this for sure.

...and I fear for the future direction of this thread.

22 posts in and this thread is already full of many flavors of win.

I watched this trailer, small and silent, at work, and thought, "Well, that looks pretty bad, but my hopes weren't very high anyway." Then I watched it big and loud here at home, and it depressed the shit out of me.

The whiteness of the cast is sort of surreal, like a throwback to a bad old movie serial, but the blank white Wonderbread-ness of every other aspect of the movie is just nauseating. Does it look terrible? Yes. But so much worse is the fact that it looks terrible in such a familiar way. I've sat through this same fucking movie so many goddamn times now, fooled by better cut trailers or dragged along with someone else, that even if I had liked it the first time I'd still rather have both my eyes put out with hot irons than put money down for it again. Unless the stinger after the credits is a scene where they actually rewind time back to before you paid to see this crap, why not just rent The Mummy? Hell, watching someone play the game would deliver better acting, writing, and action if that trailer is anything to go by.

Blech.

This looks like The Scorpion Gyllenhaal. Can't muster up any kind of enthusiasm or outrage.

After Keira Knightly (one of hollywood's most...flat chested actresses) helped sink that awful...Pirates of the Caribbean series, I am glad for the charming and curvier...Gemma Arterton, who looks as magical in the Prince Of Persia trailer, as she does in the pics of...The Clash Of The Titans remake, where she truly is a...Goddess!

Trailer was decent enough. Somehow, I'm digging Jake G. No homo.

Attempts at wacky banter.

Being half-portuguese half-brazilian, i can say that a very large portion of the portuguese, spanish, italians and others definetely share Arabic descendants. My last name, Reis, which means kings in Portuguese, originally comes from Barbary corsairs (Arab Pirates!) and in the Ottoman empire was a title of nobility. My father and his family like most in southern Europe share the olive complexion, noses and pitch-black hair that you would find amongst arabs. In Montreal, two my best friends were Saudi and Egyptian, and hanging out with them I was always assumed to be arab or North African as well. Even in China students assume I'm not white, some even going so far to ask me if I'm Filipino so on.

EDIT: Sorry, wrote it very quickly.

Filipino

Essentially what I'm hoping for. I don't expect it to be the least bit smart. But maybe, like GI Joe, they just said, "Fuck it" and go balls out for the fun and silliness.

So what video game of the series is the source of this movie? Having played PP 1,2,3 it looked like a mishmash of all the games.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time?

There was some stuff I saw in the trailer that came from the other games.

I really can't remember any story from the game. I remember the incredibly annoying and repetitive combat (with wave after wave of baddies), actually wishing for more of the Parkour style levels, which was the only thing I really liked about the game. And for me that's what's missing from the trailer - there's only one moment in there where he does a Ninja Gaiden style wall jump. They could've hired some of those french-algerian parkour experts that turn up in films like Yamakasi 1, 2 or Banlieu 13.

Honestly wouldn't know. Haven't played any of the games. All I got from that trailer is that Gyllenhaal spends quite a few scenes turning into molten hot, glittering sand. Flaming hot.

It's not a big deal anyways. Just curious if anyone had any more details on the movie.

Devin, as far as I recall he is sort of correct actually. Hitler appropriated the word "Aryan" and used it in a completely historically inaccurate fashion. The blond haired blue eyed germans were in no way related to the actual aryans. The aryans I'm talking about are the ones who invaded and conqured parts of India thousands of years ago.

Hitler took the basic story of the aryans, pretended they were a "white" master race, and then tossed in a bunch of norse mythology and occult BS and sold it as his nation's lost history.Think Joseph Smith and his story about how the native Americans were the lost tribe of Israel. Saying that yes, native americans exist, is different than saying Joseph Smith was in any way not a liar and completely wrong about the origins of the First Peoples in North America.


As for your point about the movie being all white people, you're right, it's a shame . There are alot of great actors out there from the region, but the unfortunate reality is sometimes it's politically impossible to cast them. Remember Leo's love interest from 'Body of Lies'? The nurse in Iran? That actress is now banned from Iran and can never see her family again, after there was an uproar over her part in that film. When casting a film like "POP" in this day and age, I'd imagine there are alot of similar casting issues.

PS: Since it looks like a stinker anyway, maybe it's for the best that cool people like Mark Strong and Alexander Siddig won't be sullied by being a part of it

Getting back on topic:

Devin has brought up an excellent point. The fact that he's been the only journalist to do so is a bit disturbing but we'll see what happens when the film comes out.

In the PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME game and its two sequels, the Prince is definitely Persian (albeit with a slight British accent) as is the female lead Farrah.

When I heard that Gyllenhaal had been cast my first reaction was "WTF?" My next reaction was one of disgust.

I've known Jordan Mechner for nearly a decade and he's about as culturally sensitive as they come. Earlier this year after he'd come back from location we talked over drinks and I asked about various aspects of the production (I'm a huuuge Mike Newell fan). Then I politely asked him about why they cast Gyllenhaal when:

1) There are many Persian, Middle-Eastern, or even Bollywood actors that would have killed for the part. (I'm sure there are many young Oded Fehr's out there)

2) The ethnicity of the Prince in the game is emphasized so much (in a positive light) that it's tantamount to the story.

Jordan's response was, "Well, I'm not sure what you're asking me." He then hemmed and hawed a bit. Based on that weird reaction, the impression I got was that the white-washing of the character was by Bruckheimer and Disney.

The irony is that Mechner recently published a PRINCE OF PERSIA graphic novel with illustrations from a noted Iranian artist whom he went out of his way to procure.

Devin, if you do the press junket for this film, you should definitely hammer Bruckheimer and Newell with the question.

This movie needs a little James Mason.

Ridiculously silly casting aside (Oded Fehr isn't doing anything and he's awesome!), I love the games and this looks like it could be a lot of fun. Nothing super awesome, but hey, maybe it could be another Pirates (maybe...). And now we begin the pool for 'Hey! Maybe this will be the best video game adaptation!'. Place your bets people, place your bets.

I can understand them wanting a "star name" for the lead (though you'd think they'd go with someone less whitebread than Gyyyllleeeenhhhaaaaaaalll), but there's really no excuse for Gemma Arterton, or the fact that everyone else is so fricking white. Ancient Persia was a pretty ethnically diverse place (Iran still is) so it's not like they had to have everyone else's skin colour match Ggyyyylll...Jake's.

Loved the games. Can't say I love this trailer. I was excited as anyone at the prospect of a big-budget PoP, but it seems every choice being made by Disney and Bruckheimer is just serving to ensure I don't fork over 12 bucks to see it in theatres. As an ethnic minority I'm always sensitive to casting choices and Bruckheimer has disappointed me here, though it was to be expected. It looks like the movie will be swamped with CGI. Hopefully the other hour, 57 mins, 30 secs will actually make use of beautiful locations, well-crafted sets, and some practical stuntwork. Hope this is more akin to Pirates one than Pirates 3.

Exactly. Hollywood is funny/frustrating in that they offer few enough opportunities for actors of color (with those roles increasingly going to singers, rappers, models, and ball players), and then they turn around and complain about the lack of big-name ethnic actors able to fill roles like this.

movie looks as disappointing as the game.. the fighting in the game is astrocious, especially the long boss battles where you just spam the same 2 moves until they die from it.. doing all this in a kingdom devoid of life save for the moss growing in the cracks.. the ending is pointless unless you pay to download the actual ending.. maybe its free now.. but hey, running along walls with infinite lives was fun and Jake could be the right doofus for the main character..

That's tenuous. I bet the average movie-goer wouldn't remember his name (see also possibly: Christian Bale). Jake's no "star", but you put that in quotes, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Shame it wasn't Naveen Andrews.

On the trailer: No amount of spectacle will make up for the lack of charm. And no way it will be as good as Harryhausen's awesome SINBAD flicks (even as similarly whitebread as they are).

Finally someone has the same opinion I have about Oded Fehr being in a POP movie!
Cant watch the trailer at work, but I though the movie was supposed to be a mix of the first two next gen POP games; Hopefully less from the second game, Dahaka aside.

Bitch and moan all you want. Hollywood and its players have the money and clout to get shit done. Yes, there are many Persian, Middle-Eastern, or even Bollywood actors that would have killed for the part. Unless, a barrier is broken within the Hollywood ranks and more stories are told with these type of actors - then there be could a change. Hollywood is influential. As well, with the likes of Dubai becoming a booming market, they could counter with a Hollywood Dubai, per se and buy the rights to these games and make them, since they have all kinds of crazy money over there. This type of movie and hero would surely help the world recognize that not all heroes have to White. Also, everything is for sale, Jaguar, the British carmaker was bought out by an Indian company. Surely, they have money in that region.

I'm not much of a gamer but when I first saw this game of my own accord, I thought to myself that it would be a fab movie with an ethic actor and help the world see that heroes can come from all places. End of the day: Money talks.

He's not that awesome.

Gee, thanks.

Obviously he's not a major star, but he's a recognizable face, a B-lister. He's sort of where Johnny Depp or Robert Downey Jr. were before POTC and Iron Man broke them out. Maybe a little lower. It's not hard to see the logic here--they're going for the same kind of star-making performance. And even if Oded Fehr or Naveen Andrews (the latter of whom doesn't really look any more Iranian--or Iraqi, for that matter--than Gyllenhaal) were on the same level of stardom, you've got to assume that they're going for the white guy. Not because Hollywood is racist, heavens no. It's because that goshdarn American public is so racist, and they apparently have to cater to them for some reason.

I hate you a little bit right now, DM. I actually would have paid to see that movie.