From Swedish Nobility to Persian Prince
After months of internet rumors and speculation, and watching a newly toned and trimmed emerged Jake in recent weeks, all signs lead to a fresh prince but not of Bel Aire, but Disney. It was made official yesterday , that Jake will be Dastan, the blue eyed Persian prince in the new movie, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
Set in the 6th century, the action adventure based on the videogame,finds Dastan teaming up with a rival Princess Tamina, (played by new Bond girl Gemma Atherton)to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world.
Picture from /film.com In the course of his journey Dastan, youngest son of King Sharaman, retrieves the Dagger of Time with help of his brothers and uncles from the holy city of Alamut. He finds out the mystical and powerful properties of his the newly acquired possession, that one can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world, while he and Princess Tamina try to stop the villainous Garvis from taking it.
Shooting starts in July in both Morocco and London, with Mike Newell ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", "Love in the Time of Cholera", "Donnie Brasco" ) directing, Jerry Bruckheimer is executive producer for Prince of Persia. This is will be the first time Jake has worked with the mega producer Bruckheimer. Who looks forward to working with Jake and was quote in Daily Variety saying, " 'He's a wonderful actor,' .....'He's someone I've been watching for a long time and somebody I've always wanted to work with.' " In a reversal of the teacher and student, it will be Austin giving Jake pointers this time. With Austin the one with the experience with Bruckheimer after working on another picture of Bruckheimer's for Disney, Glory Road .
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is slated to be Disney's big summer tentpole movie of 2009. The expectation is to turn the video game adaptation into a multi franchised deal like they did with Pirates of the Caribbean . Expect to see the full blown Disney promotion for Prince, from toys, action figures, to Happy Meals. Promotion no doubt will be a extravagance of globe hopping (ie time travel) which might start off with Cannes next spring. It will be the summer of Jake indeed.
Jake's no stranger to the wax it seems, but to avoid the screaming Kelly Clarkson when they wax those pecs and six pack, he might want to have a little liquid courage to lessen the ouch. Wax on Wax off Dastan.
No issue about Jake being told to leave the set for PoP for not enough money to cover the payroll. The only thing that could delay filming would be the SAG contract negotiations and the June 30th deadlines.
ReplyDeleteHarrison Ford waxing his chest for the environment. What about Jakey?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r87wJ1QmyYw
Looking at those pictures you put up with the post, I can really see Jake as PoP for the first time. And I'm not worried about all the criticism out there over the choice; most of the actors chosen for these types of franchices have initially been criticized. RDJ came in for a lot of grief but Iron Man is a smash. At the end of the day whether it succeeds or fails will come down to the script and how well the movie is made, not Jake.
ReplyDeleteI hope the SAG contract negotiations won't be as difficult as it was for the writers. Coincidentally, one of the issues is oing to be compensation for actors who do the voices for games. There was a story in the NYT this morning about this, and it talked about how they don't get compensated the same way, i.e., they don't get residuals or any income based on how successful the game is.
The soul patch is making me die a little. Sigh. At least he has to shave for Nailed. You all know I prefer movies that he has to shave for!
ReplyDeleteAn Anglo guy should not have gotten this role. It's not like an American playing a Brit- it's an actor playing somebody of a different race. There really were no Middle Eastern actors who could do this part? Reece Ritchie is how this guy is supposed to look, not Jake Gyllenhaal. I hope they know what they're doing.
ReplyDeleteJake needs to grow his hair some more.
ReplyDeleteMy new favorite picture of Reese
ReplyDeleteToday, only 60% of Iran is persian and they are of Indo-European descent. The first settlers of persia were Indo-European tribes who spoke indo-european languages. The rest of Iran today along with the persians constitutes of Turks, Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians etc. But it gets confusing because Armenian persians for example refer to themselves as that "Armenian Persians" They are persian, but only because Armenia was part of the great Persian Empire at one time. But Persians are not Arab which constitutes most of the Middle East, except for Turkey. So whoever said they are not do not know their history and it can be confusing and with all this propaganda on TV these days who blames them for being so uneducated about this area of the world.
ReplyDeleteReese's bikini pix made Star's cover of Worst Beach Bodies. I really hope she will take the hint and this is the last we see of Ms. Pieces in a string bikini.
ReplyDeleteJake calls his beard Reese, wonder what he's gonna call his wig?
ReplyDeletePortland elects its first openly gay mayor
ReplyDeleteHe can be legally mayor but not legally married. Wow.
OK pimping out Reeke again
ReplyDeleteGuess Reese's people got to them and forbid them to use the bikini pix.
"He can be legally mayor but not legally married. Wow."
ReplyDeleteOdd how our great nation works isn't it...
I'm really happy for Jake that he got the Dastan part. For better or worse, taking a franchise role is part of the package of being a leading actor these days. And Hollywood has realized that good acting (think Depp, Downey, or Bale) can do wonders for what would otherwise be a formula film.
ReplyDeleteI also hope that Jake is able to put some of his former playfulness up on screen in this role.
Great post today, and fitting song. ;) Yes, let's give this a chance and be happy for Jake, it's a great opportunity. Mike Newell has shown that he can make wonderful films across all genres, PoP's got a lot going for it. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's not like an American playing a Brit- it's an actor playing somebody of a different race.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but I'm not surprised at all. Remember blackface? Hollywood has done this without blinking for decades, since its inception really. "A Mighty Heart" is perhaps the most recent example of this. Marianne Pearl is half black. I recall numerous posts across the blogosphere and on imdb lamenting the Angelina Jolie casting choice. "Why not Thandie Newton or some other mixed race actress?" was the most common inquiry.
Still, I don't think Jake is an awful choice. Blonde haired, Abercombie looking Paul Walker would be to me.
Maybe I need to flush out my eyes with cleaning fluid, but I still say that Jake looks a little exotic. He at least has a darker look.
Again, there is no real character -Prince Dastan only existed in his creator's imagination. Persians and other people who are from the Middle East are not of a different race either. If so, I guess I've been bi-racial all these years and didn't know it, but that's fabulous. Look it up. But, when all else fails try to dig into the bottom of the bag for an evil arrow to throw, I guess.
ReplyDeletesorry that was me at 11;34.
ReplyDelete"But, when all else fails try to dig into the bottom of the bag for an evil arrow to throw, I guess."
ReplyDeleteDO NOT FEED THE TROLLS DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS
^^Childish, but what else would I expect from a baby who hasn't gotten its way.
ReplyDeleteI really hope we're not going to descend to the level of hurling accusations of racism where none exist - to me, it's extremely offensive and racist to lump everyone together who has Middle Eastern ancestry into one big melting pot of "Them", and "They all look alike to me" (remember that little gem, since we're going for a little ride on the Way-Back Machine). There are many religions, ethnicities and languages, to not differentiate among them is the very definition of racist. Persians are not Arabs, not all Arabs are Muslim, a Bollywood actor/actress from India or Pakistan is not a reasonable facsimile for a Persian because they all come from "Over There". The whole point of this silliness is because some people are disappointed in the outcome of the casting of this film, just admit it, and don't look for trouble where none exists.
ReplyDeleteI should sign myself as "I Got The Look 2".
ReplyDeleteJake is very, very lucky right now. PoP arrived just in the nick of time. I don't see any other films coming down the road, largely because his personal life and professional reputation are in chaos.
ReplyDeleteHe bet the farm on PoP. He certainly didn't get this film because he won awards for Zodiac or Rendition, or because Nailed or Brothers will make lots of money. Something else is going on, and we all know what it is.
PoP irrefutably proves, once and for all, that JAKE IS BEARDING. And no amount of spin from press agents, unnamed industry sources, rabid fan-girls or fawning gossip columnists can change that fact.
Jake and Reese were destined to be lovers
ReplyDeleteA must-read from Ent Lawyer.
^^So this Kenney character is saying that maybe Reese and Jake are the inspiration for the film The Atonement? ;)
ReplyDeleteNice post, offended. I was sort of surprised at the conflation of the Middle East and India too.
ReplyDeleteI'm very happy for Jake and hope it all works out for him. Shame we'll probably be stuck with Reeke until kingdom come, though.
All those weekend activities were *so convincing*!
sorry but offended, get off your high horse. I think we all know that Iranians are not Arabs, and that they are also neither Pakistani or Indian. I think we all know the differences between Beriut, Tehran and Mumbai.
ReplyDeleteI do think however, that if your conisdering the ethicity of current day Iranians they are more likely to originally have come for the east (say Pakistan / India) rather than Sweden.
who are the Iranians
And Jake's ancestors on his mother's side of the family are probably descendants of people who came from the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it, they will probably be Ashkenazi coming from Germany / Poland / Russia. I don't think he's Sephardi or Mizrahi, although I may be wrong.
ReplyDeleteDoes this actually really matter anyway?
There is one reason I thought of today that might be on the list of Pro's for Jake as Dastan. Donnie Darko. Many gamers are a fans of the cult classic. I am not saying that was the deciding factor, but I bet it was something on the list.
ReplyDeleteSigourney Weaver is set to topline and co-produce the Lifetime telepic "Prayers for Bobby," playing a deeply conservative and religious woman who begins to question her opposition to homosexuality after the suicide of her gay son.
ReplyDeleteVariety
wow ive seen alot of new words & places & ethnic names here today ive never seen before
ReplyDelete**gets out atlas**
who said omg wasnt educational..lol
They probably caught that Iran So Far SNL skit and thought "here's our guy!" :D
ReplyDeleteI do think however, that if your conisdering the ethicity of current day Iranians they are more likely to originally have come for the east (say Pakistan / India) rather than Sweden.
ReplyDeleteWell, ya thought wrong. That's not entirely true, unless you care to back up that statement. Maybe not Sweden, but more middle Asia. Again, get out a history book. Iran resembles the word Aryan, before it was bastardized, from Southern Russia and Turkistan, the Caucases, before they migrated to Pakistan/India, among other places. They are not a different race as some put it. And not all present day Iranians are Persian, so to call them all Iranian is wrong.
Sorry, but all my ancestors are horsemen and women, and I'm quite proude of it, so I will always ride my high horse. I wasn't specifically talking to you, but those who may not be as "enlightened" as you are. So don't try to shut me up, ain't gonna happen to make you feel better, 'k? ;)
BTW, the Prayers for Bobby movie sounds excellent. :)
Jodie Foster breakup because of cheating.
ReplyDeleteDlisted
Damn, Jodie really likes 'em ugly!
ReplyDeleteU Got The Look used to be one of my favorite Prince songs; it was great hearing it today! It sounds a bit dated these days, but that keyboard ending with Prince playing an amazing solo in the background still sends a shiver up my spine. I always wished it was longer.
ReplyDeleteUntil someone mentioned it, it never occurred to me that PoP could have toys and other merchandising/promos should it become a successful franchise; it's very weird to think about. PoP could become this vast ocean Jake dives into and whether he sinks or swims, I wonder where he will bob up after it's all through? (how's that for an analogy? lol)
After Elton rates the top gay movies ever made
ReplyDeleteSuggestions for the Movie Club, perhaps?
A nice change...
ReplyDeleteMy Jake G. Google alert today featured 10 Prince of Persia story links and one single Reeke mention on the "proposal" BS.
I hope and pray this is a sign of things to come... much, much, much less Reeke, fading into eventual oblivion.
Very nice change.
ReplyDeleteHell, yes, much less, please. And soon.
ReplyDeleteWicked, I meant to post in reply to your thinking that the amount of bearding seemed OTT; that Jake could probably get away with doing much less. I agree. In hindsight, it literally has been like a campaign to get Jake elected as Dastan. Now that he's secured the role, I wonder if things will calm down a bit. The way things are going, however, Reeke seem determined to stay vital and there's always something on the horizon (Four Christmasses etc.) to ramp up to.
Did anyone else come across the mention of Jake wanting to get the two families together at Martha's Vineyard this summer? Was that from OK magazine? I think someone linked it earlier. A prime example of one pot off the boil, another one immediately put on. I could see this carrying on for months and months yet.
The Babblers have put the kybosh on MV this summer, so it must not be true, right? They're thinkin' Morocco or London. Who can argue? ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat time does Jake really have for MV this summer? Not much what 2 weeks tops between Nailed and PoP. Disney has a tight tight schedule to make 2009 summer. He is going to be flat out a busy boy working.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest worry of the summer is going to be if all that waxing for PoP this summer will make Jake as smooth as McBongo for good. : )
ReplyDeleteSomehow I think there would be a cries of protests from all kinds of fans if that happens.
Pleeeeeeze, Noooooooo!!! That chest hair is beautiful. I hope they don't touch a hair. :)
ReplyDeleteBut McBongo needs his wiglet!!!
ReplyDeletelol @ wiglet!
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty certain Jake will be waxing for PoP which makes me sad, too, I love it, it's perfection in chest hair. (Pssst, PR, how about a couple of gratuitous shirtless photos before the great wax? ;)) I noticed WDW wondering if the waxing might become an extra on the PoP DVD a la the Jarhead head shave, haha!
^^I hope they don't, it might hurt Ouch! and I've always heard that waxing makes new growth come in finer, and eventually, less. Quelle Horreur! McBongo can make do elsewhere! ;)
ReplyDeleteI am not normally a fan of chest hair, but it is one of Jake's best features. Perfection indeed. But I'm kind of curious to see him without it. I always thought he did some waxing for Jarhead; his chest looks a bit less hairy in it.
ReplyDeleteThe suggestion that I have heard them at the salon say to guys was go down the street and have a couple of beers or a couple of shots and come back before they wax their chests.
ReplyDeleteIt might come in finer? D:
ReplyDeleteEnt lawyer's mention today requires a careful read. Lost in the verbiage are 2 zingers - "I guess Jake was there to make sure that all the guys were really given some one on one medical services. Really get at the root of whatever problems they might be having and to be there to inject them with what they needed." and "Oh, they're working together all right".
ReplyDeleteDon't know what R was thinking parading around in that bikini. I'm sure she is not happy about making the worst body list.
bltb said I wonder where he will bob up after it's all through?
ReplyDeleteMaybe his balls will bob back up to the surface so he can reclaim them!
I really liked Ent's zingers, m.
ReplyDeleteGreat analogy, bltb - that's why I want this to be one movie only - but the irony is the more successful it is the more likely it is to carry on to sequels and the more likely negative consequences are for Jake's serious acting career.
I hope that made sense, it's early here.
".....and the more likely negative consequences are for Jake's serious acting career."
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think so? Neither J. Depp nor Matt Damon are having problems in getting serious roles, both were in extremly successful franchises.
PoP could only have a negative effect on Jakes carreer if it is indeed a popcorn movie with boring characters, stupid dialogues...