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The other day I was invited, along with a number of other video game and movie sites, to Jerry Bruckheimer's office in Santa Monica to watch the "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" trailer. While the trailer will be online and in theaters very soon, Disney decided to premiere the trailer to our lucky group and they also gave us twenty minutes with Jerry Bruckheimer and "Prince of Persia" creator Jordan Mechner. While I'll have a transcript of what they said next, I can tell you what I thought about the trailer right now.

My quick thought is we're finally going to get an awesome movie based on a video game. Up to now, every video game based movie has been treated by Hollywood as a joke. They never have a budget. The scripts have been terrible. Also, after you see the movie, you lose respect for the game it's based on. But from the two minutes of awesome that is the "Prince of Persia" trailer, I think more people are going to want to play the game because it looks so cool. And don't get me started on how awesome it looks when Jake Gyllenhaal uses the Dagger of Time. More after the jump:

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As you'll see in a few day, when Gyllenhaal uses the dagger, the Sands of Time start to infect his body as they swirl around his arm, then into his blood. Just trust me when I say the effect is pretty damn cool.

Also, based on the trailer, it looks like they spent a small fortune making "Prince of Persia". It's easily the most expensive video game-based movie ever made and this could be the film that shows Hollywood what they need to do to make an adaptation that works.

As I watched, I felt like they've mixed a "Lord of the Rings" type quest with the fun atmosphere of a "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. But since Jerry Bruckheimer produced "Pirates", it's clear this is made from the same cloth. I have zero problem with that.

Another thing I really liked about the footage is it showed the way the movie is incorporating aspects of the video game. In some shots you'll see Gyllenhaal jump from ledge to ledge like you do in the game.

Of course it's important to point out that almost any movie can be made to look great in a trailer. But with Jerry Bruckheimer's track record, I'm extremely confident this is going to be a huge movie next summer.  The trailer has blockbuster written all over it.

Please check back next week for the interview with "Prince of Persia" creator Jordan Mechner and Jerry Bruckheimer. If you're a fan of the game or just curious how the film got made, it's a great conversation. Also, after the interview ended, I got Bruckheimer to give me an update on "Pirates of the Caribbean 4". I'll have that online as soon as the embargo lifts.

Here's the official synopsis for the movie.

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From the team that brought the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy to the big screen, Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films present PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME, an epic action-adventure set in the mystical lands of Persia.  A rogue prince (JAKE GYLLENHAAL) reluctantly joins forces with a mysterious princess (GEMMA ARTERTON) and together, they race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time-a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

Directed by Mike Newell ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") with a cast that includes SIR BEN KINGSLEY and ALFRED MOLINA, and a screenplay by Doug Miro & Carlo Bernard from a screen story by Jordan Mechner and Boaz Yakin, PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME hits theaters Memorial Day Weekend, 2010.

Notes:

  • Director Mike Newell's credits include "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," "Donnie Brasco," starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, "Pushing Tin," "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Dance With A Stranger."
  • Among numerous other awards and nominations, Jerry Bruckheimer Films have been honored with 41 Academy Award nominations, with six wins, and 23 Golden Globe nominations, with four wins.
  • PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME was filmed near Marrakesh, Ouarzazate and Erfoud, Morocco, as well as hugely scaled sets constructed at Pinewood Studios in Great Britain.

Set in the mystical lands of Persia, PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME is an epic action-adventure about a rogue prince (JAKE GYLLENHAAL) and a mysterious princess (GEMMA ARTERTON) who race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time-a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

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