First Look At Ben Kingsley in Prince of Persia

Defamer has a first look at Sir Ben Kingsley as Nizam in Prince of Persia gear for the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures’ flick ” Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” which is based on the popular video game.

In the film, Jake Gyllenhaal will play Dastan, a young Prince who teams with an exotic princess named Tamina (Gemma Arterton) on a mission to stop “a villainous nobleman from possessing the Sands of Time, a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world,”

Ben Kingsley will play the villain Nizam, who plots to kill his brother King Shahrman and blame it on Prince Dastan so he can take the throne.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time hits theaters on May 28th 2010.

“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” Set Photos

The Prince of Persia Moroccan Set

New photos from the Moroccan set of “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” have popped up over at Korben.info.

All pictures let out are focused on the uniquely designed Moroccan structures with its earth brown and blue colors. Exposing that the set is still under construction, most of the pictures are taken from the distant, giving the idea of how the sixth century Persia will look like in the video game adaptation. “Prince of Persia” will also film in UK’s Pinewood Shepperton studios.

“Prince of Persia” will star Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsley. Mike Newell is leading direction, based on a screenplay by Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard, Jordan Mechner and Boaz Yakin. Read the rest of this entry

“Elegy” - First Five Minutes

Take a look at the first five minutes of “Elegy,” directed by Isabel Coixet, based on Pulitzer Prize-winner Philip Roth’s short novel “The Dying Animal” starring Academy Award-winner Ben Kingsley and Oscar-nominee Penelope Cruz, with extraordinary supporting performances from Dennis Hopper, Patricia Clarkson and Peter Sarsgaard.

In the movie, cultural critic David Kepesh (Kingsley) finds his life, which he indicates is a state of “emancipated manhood,” thrown into tragic disarray by Consuela Castillo (Cruz), a well-mannered
student who awakens a sense of sexual possessiveness in her teacher.

Jake Gylenhaal’s First Photo As Prince of Persia

Take a look at these first images of Jake Gylenhaal on the set of his new movie “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” which is currently filming in Morocco and will be released on May 28, 2010.

Jake Gylenhaal as Prince Dastan

Directed by Mike Newell, based on a screenplay by Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard, Jordan Mechner and Boaz Yakin, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” starring Jake Gyllenhaal (Prince Dastan), Gemma Arterton (Tamina), Alfred Molina (Sheik Amar) and Ben Kingsley (Nizam).

In the fantasy adventure based on Ubisoft’s popular video game, Gyllenhaal will play Dastan, a young prince in sixth century Persia who must join forces with Tamina (Arterton), a feisty and exotic princess, to prevent a villainous nobleman from possessing the Sands of Time, a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” Pushed Back to 2010!

Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer has decided to move the release of fantasy action feature “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” from June 19th, 2009 next summer to one year later on May 28th, 2010.

This means that instead of going up against “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” next summer, the adaptation of the best selling video game will instead be appearing in theaters a week after Shrek Goes Fourth and a week before Thor.

Officially, Disney said it wants to allow plenty of time for post-production considering that the tentpole will require extensive special effects to create its fantasy world and setpieces.

Decision to delay the release by a year caught some by surprise, although the calendar could continue to see major reshufflings because of the ongoing labor strife in Hollywood. Studios may want to allow for extra cushion in case of any production delays. Read the rest of this entry

Wackness Director Jonathan Levine Keeping Busy

Jonathan Levine, whose upcoming comedy-drama “The Wackness” features an infamous kiss between Ben Kingsley and Mary-Kate Olsen, has set up two new projects.

He will write and direct “Positive,” a romantic thriller set on Martha’s Vineyard. He’s also penning the screenplay for “Echelon Vendetta,” an espionage thriller based on David Stone’s novel; the project has been set up at Sony.

“Positive” centers on a twentysomething who takes a trip to visit his fiancee’s family off the coast of Massachusetts only to be seduced by her younger sister. The indie film is aiming for a mid-2009 start date.

“Vendetta” centers on a “cleaner,” a CIA operative in charge of keeping dirty laundry from being aired in public, who after the death of a friend begins to investigate the mysterious deaths of several agents.

Levine has concentrated on indie projects, but said he’d like to strike a balance between studio and indie gigs. “I want to have a lot of the creative freedom that comes from (indie films), but I also don’t want to be broke,” he joked.

“Wackness,” which Sony Pictures Classics opens this weekend, examines a teenager coming of age in New York circa 1994. It scored audience awards at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and at the recent Los Angeles Film Festival. [via Hollywood Reporter]

First Look: Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island”

The Boston Herald has a first look at Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s drama thriller “Shutter Island.” The photos are of Leonardo DiCaprio, showing him with the director and carrying a rifle.

Shutter Island is set in 1954 and follows DiCaprio’s character, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, as he searches for a female murderer who has escaped from a psychiatric hospital and is believed to be hiding on the mysterious Shutter Island.

It is the fourth time DiCaprio and Scorsese have worked together. Their last project, The Departed, won four Oscars including Best Director for Scorsese.

“Shutter Island” also stars Sir Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo and Michelle Williams. The movie began filming in March and is scheduled to hit theaters on October 2nd, 2009.

Meanwhile, it has been suggested DiCaprio could be the latest star to portray a comic book character on the big screen.

He is the favourite to play Captain America in “The First Avenger: Captain America” a project still in development stages.