Yahoo! Movies has some newly released pictures from Kevin Macdonald's upcoming The Eagle of the Ninth. In case you haven't heard, the film stars Channing Tatum as 2nd century Roman soldier Marcus Aquila, who sets out to solve the mysterious disappearance of the Ninth Legion (which was commanded by his father) from Scotland some 20 years before and, in the process, to retrieve the legion's lost emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth. The film co-stars Jamie Bell, Mark Strong, and Donald Sutherland. While there's nothing terribly illuminating about the images in question, this bundle does feature a number of pics to add to your collection of Channing Tatum stills including such instant classics as "Channing on a horse," "Channing on a rowboat," and the ever-elusive "Channing conversing with Donald Sutherland."
Hit the jump for the pics, the official film synopsis, and click here to read an excerpt from Steve's interview with Eagle co-star Mark Strong.
There's really nothing here that affects my interest in this flick one way or the other. What does pique my interest, however, is the name I mentioned at the top of the page: Kevin Macdonald, aka the director who brought you The Last King of Scotland and State of Play, both of which I enjoyed very much. The saga of Marcus Aquila is certainly intriguing, and the fact that it's in Macdonald's capable hands makes this a film to look forward to in my book. The Eagle of the Ninth is currently in post-production and set for release some time in 2010.
For those just tuning in, here's a brief synopsis:
In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (Tatum) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.