When Battle: Lost Angeles director Jonathan Liebesman was brought on to helm Warner Bros.' Wrath of the Titans, a sequel to the 2010 Clash of the Titans remake, he expressed a desire to fashion the mythological sequel as more of a truly grounded, down n' dirty swords & sandals epic (in the vein of filmmaker Ridley Scott's Gladiator).

Today, we have some official posters/banners and a teaser trailer for Wrath of the Titans - and while they both feature CGI creatures and bombastic action aplenty, there's definitely a much more textural and unpolished look to this action-packed first look at the film (which even includes actual Titans).

Here is the official lowdown on the Wrath of the Titans, which takes place a decade after the events of Clash:

Dangerously weakened by humanity’s lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus (Liam Neeson), Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Poseidon (Danny Huston). The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld.

Perseus (Sam Worthington) cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

Now check out the official Wrath of the Titans trailer below (NOTE: you'll have to watch it on iTunes for the time being) and some official promotional banners/posters for the sequel below:

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Head over to Apple.com for the HD version

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Liebesman seems to have embraced a (literally) dirtier aesthetic with Wrath of the Titans; everything from Zeus' onetime shimmering armor to the muted color scheme of the ancient Greek setting in this theatrical promo looks and feels much more grizzled in design, despite the abundance of (surprisingly imaginative) digital monsters parading about. Even the brief bits of acting featured here seem somewhat more understated and "authentic" than the often-hammy performances that pervaded throughout the critically-derided Clash of the Titans remake.

While Battle: Los Angeles failed to wow many a professional critic and casual moviegoer alike, that film was overall pretty well-directed (its failings were arguably due more to a weak script). This time around, Liebesman will be working from a screenplay that features contributions from people like Green Lantern story writer Greg Berlanti, Orphan and Red Riding Hood scribe David Leslie Johnson, and Oscar-nominee Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things, Eastern Promises); hopefully, that motley crew has provided their director with better material to work with.

Lastly - based on the steady-handed cinematography and slower-paced editing (ignoring the trailer's cuts, that is) in this preliminary Wrath footage, the film should actually look decent in three dimensions... or, at the least, far better than the infamously subpar post-converted 3D version of Clash did.

We will see if that is indeed the case when Wrath of the Titans hits 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D theaters around the U.S. on March 30th, 2012.

Source: iTunes Movie Trailers