Jake Gyllenhaal the Magnificent! Prince of Persia is well worth the wait

What can I say? We have pictures... (that pause is because I've got to try and roll my tongue back up into my mouth). Here we have Jake Gyllenhaal on set in Morocco and now we can set the record straight on that one matter that has been concerning us ever since Prince of Persia was announced - Jake is unwaxed. For that, I am truly grateful and forever indebted to Jerry Bruckheimer. And just look at that body. We also have hair, and muscles, and hair, and abs, and hair, and interesting footwear, and hair, and jewellery - oh, and hair. And muscles. It's just as well the release date has been postponed to 2010 because it's going to take me nigh on two years to prepare myself for the opening curtain.


According to Just Jared, Jake and Reese spent the 'weekend at the exclusive luxury Moroccan hotel Amanjena' and had a tour of the sites. Does this mean there are more pictures to come? All I can say is, if that was me walking by, hanging onto the hand of Prince Dastan, I would have a grin from ear to ear and you would be able to hear my heart beat from across the ocean. So what do we think of the Prince? I'm so relieved that Disney has taken our costume suggestions to heart... And very much liking the belt. My eyes are drawn to it.



Well worth the wait...

There is a lot of interest still, out there, about why Disney decided to delay Prince of Persia by almost a whole year - two possible theories remain the perceived double threat of transforming robotos and striking actors. However, it has also been mentioned that it could be that there is too much at stake here, financially, for Disney to want to rush this one through.


The original release date of June 2009 would have left meagre months for all that CGI and tweaking that will make us believe that Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't just look the part, but that he really is the Prince of Persia, leaping from wall to wall in spectacular medieval cities, battling real and fantastical baddies, while turning back the sands of time.


According to this interesting discussion, a possibility is that Disney is still buckling under the memory of the cost of finishing the two Pirates sequels that were locked into release dates - 'We're talking about tens of millions of dollars being spent on overtime, bonuses and incentive payments -- just to make sure that all of those effects shots were in place once these 'Pirates' sequels were released to theaters...'


'That really cut into the profit margins on those 'Pirates' sequels. Which is why -- just as production was getting underway on 'Prince of Persia' -- Disney & Bruckheimer decided that they weren't going to make the same mistake again. This time around, they were going to allow themselves enough time to get all of this film's visual effects done at a reasonable price. Not pay through the nose for any more rushed-at-the-last-minute shots.'


As for the cost of setting the film back by a year: 'But in the long run, the money that these two will save on FX this time around will really be worth it. Particularly given the huge number of visual effects shots that there are in "The Sands of Times," we're talking about an enormous cost savings here. So this isn't about Disney or Bruckheimer getting cold feet on 'Prince of Persia' or anything like that. This is more about how these production partners finally got smart about how they handled their visual effects budget.'


It is also suggested that Disney's expectations for PoP are soaring into Dark Knight realms - 'Mouse House executives just wanted more time in order to co-ordinate a company-wide plan. So that every possible platform at Disney's disposal (i.e. Disney Consumer Products, Disney Parks & Resorts, ABC, the Disney Channel, ESPN, Disney.com et al) could then be used to elevate "POP" from just being this garden variety summer blockbuster to then become ... Well, a "Dark Knight"-like phenomenon.'


So, one can argue that the longer we wait, the fewer compromises may be made with post-production and marketing, resulting in a better realised film for the producers and audiences alike. It could also mean that there will be time to produce a life-size Prince Dastan figure for each and everyone of us - an essential feature for every home in May 2010.


Includes pictures from IHJ and Just Jared.