It’s been a really long time since Sinbad was in a movie. No, I’m not talking about the popular 90s entertainer—though that could easily apply to him as well - I’m talking about the famous fictional character from Arabian Nights.
Indeed, the last time Sinbad graced theatergoers with his presence was in 2003 with the less-than-stellar animated feature Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, starring Brad Pitt and Catherine Zeta-Jones (so what I’m saying is, you can see why they’d wait so long to try again). Now, according to Production Weekly, that wait is at long last coming to an end, and Dwayne Johnson (the actor formerly known as “The Rock”) might be the man portraying the character.
From PW's Twitter feed:
Dwayne Johnson mentioned for the role of Sinbad in Chuck Russell's “Arabian Nights”, joining Liam Hemsworth as Ali Baba & Anthony Hopkins.
Sinbad will be one of three main characters in the upcoming 3D film adaptation of Arabian Nights, directed by Chuck Russell (who previously directed Johnson in The Scorpion King). If Dwayne Johnson agrees to play the badass sailor, he’ll be joining Liam Hemsworth (brother of Thor star Chris Hemsworth) as the main protagonist and Anthony Hopkins as the evil sorcerer Pharotu, murderer of Sinbad’s mermaid girlfriend.
And they say movies aren’t realistic anymore…
The overall plot for Arabian Nights, according to Russell (via Variety), is as follows:
“[A] young commander who, after his king is killed in a palace coup, joins forces with Sinbad, Alladin, and his genie to rescue Scheherazade and her kingdom from dark powers.”
Russell goes on to say that using top of the line 3D technology he’ll be giving audiences a carpet ride like they’ve never seen before. Really, Russell? I mean, is it even possible to top Disney’s Aladdin? Highly unlikely!
In an era known for its Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Clash of the Titans movies, a cinematic reworking of Arabian Nights is par for the period blockbuster course. And though Dwayne Johnson is certainly not Middle Eastern (as Sinbad is), at least he’s not a pale white guy either (Jake Gyllenhaal, I’m looking in your direction).
People are up in arms about the fact that Chuck Russell’s Arabian Nights sounds nothing like the original literary masterwork, but apparently I’m not so jaded. I actually enjoyed Russell’s The Scorpion King, to a small and completely un-embarrassing degree, for its light and fluffy entertainment value in the vein of those old-school Hollywood action-adventure movies. It was nothing to write home about, but it also wasn’t drenched in CGI and I could watch it more than once without hating myself forever.
Dwayne Johnson fans take note - his next movie, Faster, about an ex-con out to avenge his brother’s death, hits theaters November 24th, 2010. No word yet on when Arabian Nights, co-written by Chuck Russell and Barry P. Ambrose, starts shooting.
Source: Production Weekly