BATTLE: LA Director Jonathan Liebesman May Direct CLASH OF THE TITANS 2; Would Shoot in 3D

The would-be 3D Greek adventure Clash of the Titans made $487 million worldwide in its spring run, which is plenty to ensure a sequel that may shoot as early as January.  Before you pass judgement on a follow-up to the poorly received film (critically, that is), there are two things you should know:

• Clash 2 will shoot in 3D, rather than convert after the fact as the first film did
• Jonathan Liebesman may be placed in charge of the sequel, replacing Clash director Louis Letterier

That name “Liebesman” — with its oddly positioned second “e” — may be as unfamiliar to you as it was to me.  But I have a hunch that it won’t be for much longer.  Find out why after the jump.

24 Frames reports that Liebesman tops Warner Bros’ wishlist to helm the sequel.  The director got his start in low-budget horror fare like Darkness Falls and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (seriously folks — stay with me for, like, two more seconds).  But Liebesman is doing his best to transition into the action realm, the first effort of which resulted in Battle: Los Angeles.

Really quick, here’s the synopsis for Battle: LA

When unknown forces put the City of Angels under attack, it’s up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to come to the rescue. As the invasion hits the streets of L.A., the Marines become our first and last line of defense against a highly powerful enemy. Bridget Moynahan (I, Robot), Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar) and Michael Peña (World Trade Center) co-star alongside an ensemble cast including Ramon Rodriguez and Ne-Yo.

Sounds like it could be cool, right?  Even better, the buzz is good.  That’s enough to put him on my radar, but there’s more.

Liebesman made his way on to the Warner Bros lot with a pitch for Odysseus — a re-imagining of the classic Greek epic — which obviously puts him in the right mindset for a proper Clash sequel.  Do you realize that, for how much The Odyssey has inspired modern cinematic narrative, we don’t have a definitive film adaptation?  We have this.  That’s crazy.  It’s public domain, even!  I find Battle: LA more the more intriguing project, but taking on the Odysseus saga is a good way to make a name for yourself in Hollywood in 2010.

So if Liebesman does land the Clash 2 gig, it’s definitely not bad news.  (For the film, anyway.  For Liebesman?  Not so sure.)  That said, I thought Louis Leterrier — fresh off The Incredible Hulk — was a good get for Clash 1, and look how that turned out.

Battle: Los Angeles hits theaters on March 11, 2011.  Let’s hope it awesome.

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