Jake Gyllenhaal stops traffic in Pittsburgh, and how to order a drink with an accent

From the sound of it, Pittsburgh is becoming gridlocked, not due to various worldleaders dropping in for a global gathering, but because of Jake Gyllenhaal. The set of Love and Other Drugs might be closed (as reports tell us) but if you're in any doubt as to where Jake might be filming today, here are the clues:


1) Look out for the lines of extras getting kitted out in 1990s garb. At least 12% of a sizeable city's population may be an extra in this movie, and, if they're not, you can bet their car is. 2) Watch out for cougars (but ignore those who want to gush to Jake about how good Spider-Man 3 was). 3)Look out for vehicles with Love and Other Drugs written all over them. 4) Road restrictions - fortunately, the local media is on the case.


We're lucky that a fair number of the extras, crew and observers are keen tweeters. One such tweeter has recorded taking part in a dining scene at which Jake has to give a speech about Pfizer's Zoloft and she was able to get some photos of the scene including Jake's stand in. As I know from painful personal experience, if Jake's in front of your camera, a strange phenomenon occurs and the molecules of the camera are transformed to jelly (I'm being suitably scientific here, as befitting a post about a film about viagra). But I'm very grateful for the attempt.


Another fortunate person managed to get a picture of Jake up on to Flickr, although, as is often the case with Jake, he is fleet of foot. Thanks to them and it's good to hear that Jake had been posing for photographs.

There are also sightings and reports on IMDb: 'They filmed at the Omni William Penn Hotel, and it's a closed set. I got to be right behind Jake Gyllenhaal in a hotel hallway scene (where Gabriel Macht was also there, I think) and then later in a hotel bar scene.'


There was a fun anecdote about Peter Sarsgaard by Carey Mulligan today, which also throws light on the difficulty of ordering a drink in a foreign accent. '"There's a lot of things that, to say it with an American accent, you have to reverse the way your tongue moves. (In Wall Street 2) I have to say a line, 'Futures commodities marginalization act' and I spent two hours with a voice coach on that. In An Education, Peter Sarsgaard has a line, 'You slam your glass down on the bar and ask for more.' And he struggled with that. He nailed it in the end, but I remember on set trying that line with an American accent and everything is reversed."' I'll be looking out for it (the photo below, from PopSugar, shows Peter and Mggie out for a bite yesterday in NYC).


Talking of Nailed, that most worrisome of Jake's movies got a mention today, courtesy of David Ramsey who appears in the movie and doesn't appear to be writing it off... 'Q: We see you have some movies coming up, too. Tell us a little about them. DR: Mother and Child is a great piece, amazing cast. I'm playing Kerry Washington's husband—give me a break! And Nailed is a political satire. I'm kind of playing Jake Gyllenhaal's nemesis. It's another fun, fun role.' For once, I actually would like to see Jake meet his nemesis (if you see what I mean...).


Edited to add: Having Jake Gyllenhaal in your music video may be something that many singers aspire to - I mean, is there any better motivation for having a record out? I'd say not. Here, Matt Alber is interviewed about his debut album: 'Q: Speaking of your video, if you could have cast any famous male actor to dance with you, who would you have picked? MA: Oh, man. My honest answer is I wouldn't have changed a thing. It turned out exactly how I wanted it to turn out. We talked about trying to cast somebody who was a famous actor, and we realized that would just take away from the story we were trying to tell and it would be "it's that video with Jake Gyllenhaal and that guy" it would just be about that instead of being about the story. Q: So is that your roundabout way of saying "Jake Gyllenhaal?" MA: That said, I definitely wouldn't have minded a few rehearsals with Jake Gyllenhaal. I definitely would have gone to those rehearsals.'

Includes pictures from IHJ and links. Thanks to the people of Pittsburgh for involving us all in the shoot!

Jake Gyllenhaal heading for Ireland? And 'Do I look like Tobey Maguire?'

Time to dust off the Lucky Nike, charge that camera battery and dose up on anti-flu remedy! We have premieres! Contrary to what I had feared, Jim Sheridan isn't going to release Brothers accidentally this winter and just hope someone somewhere notices and maybe buys a ticket. Instead, Jim has decided that he's going to help perk up recession-stricken theatre audiences by giving them what they want. That can mean only one thing - Jake Gyllenhaal is the official Gloom Buster!


Jim tells us that the movie will get its big premiere in New York City (as one had hoped but not entirely expected) but, with a shout out to his homeland, Jim intends to bring the stars to Ireland for red carpets and, if they're lucky, a pint of the black stuff and some of that famous Irish hospitality.


'Oscar-winning director Jim explained how the release date had now been set for his long-awaited movie, which he described as a "love story", and he hopes to be rolling out the red carpet in Ireland. "Its official release date is December so we're going to have a proper premiere in New York for that, but what I really want is to have a premiere in Ireland as well, probably in late November... We filmed the movie in New Mexico and it stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Toby Maguire," he said. He added how a glitzy premiere with some of the movie world's biggest names was the "perfect tonic" to all the doom and gloom that has prevailed in Ireland over the recent months.'


You can read more here - how good it is to see Brothers in the news - may we have more soon... One of the film's actors, Clifton Collins Jr, has also been talking about appearing in the film - you can see the video of that interview here. Please forgive the zombies - this video is infested with them.

Jake on set!

Meanwhile, back in the 'Burgh, it's great to get a set photo (courtesy of Timesonline) and see that Oliver Platt is making Jake laugh and that a good time is being had. This article covers two scenes that were filmed on Monday, one of which involved Jake getting very wet indeed - an expected bonus, I feel, for every Jake movie. In a scene reminiscent of more than one Zodiac scene, Jake had to run across the asphalt in Aliquippa while having water chucked over him. A slight exaggeration perhaps but wetness is the result.


'Only a handful of spectators witnessed the action on the closed set, though plenty of locals saw an earlier scene, where Gyllenhaal sits in a black Mercedes Benz with driver Oliver Platt (“Dr. Doolittle”) at the wheel. The car was stationary, towed by a trailer behind an Aliquippa police escort, though in the movie it’ll look like they’re cruising down Mill Street.'


'They made three trips up and down Mill Street, bringing traffic to a crawl. For about 15 minutes, the car and its trailer were stopped on Calvert Street, near the CVS Drug Store, while film crew workers made adjustments. That gave a few onlookers a chance to speak with Gyllenhaal. “Hey Spider-Man,” said Joey Hages, 19, of Aliquippa, who shook Gyllenhaal’s hand. “Did you like ‘Spider-Man 3’?” Gyllenhaal asked politely, not letting on that it was Tobey Maguire who played that superhero role.'


For crying out loud, people!! I hope and pray that, if Brothers doesn't confuse everyone completely, Prince of Persia will at least clear some things up. Good for Jake though for being such a great sport. I suspect that he and Tobey have some kind of bet going.

Meanwhile, Atticus was in a trailer while Reese was in a tent being observed by several policemen. Reese's representatives have yet to comment on claims that she was engaged in helping them with their enquiries. You can read it all here. It's great to see that Jake's Toucher and possibly a Retoucher is being gainfully employed once more.


Tweets today suggest that Jake, and Love and Other Drugs, may be causing some excitement and more traffic troubles in downtown Pittsburgh.

Includes pictures from Timesonline and LAOD trucks courtesy of Flickr.

[Update] Jake watches the Pirates... Jake Gyllenhaal tells kids to read (very loudly indeed) and Jake's a hit in the 'burgh

[Update] It's good to learn that the sports fans of the US are keeping up the good work and doing their bit for us by spotting Jake in the crowd. Last Saturday, Jake (and Ed Zwick) watched the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Dodgers and (not for the first time this season) lose. But who needs a sports victory when you have the chance to hear Jake Gyllenhaal philosphise in person?


'Sitting directly behind us was actor Jake Gyllenhaal of ”Brokeback Mountain” fame, along with some other Hollywood types, including director Edward Zwick... I am not a starfucker by any stretch of the imagination, but it was hard not to eavesdrop on some of the dialogue unfolding behind us. At one point, one of the guys in Gyllenhall’s entourage noted that the Pirates have the least errors of any team in the National League but are still mired in last place. “That’s just like life,” Gyllenhall replied. “If you aren’t willing to make mistakes, you’re never going to get anywhere.” I can’t quit you, Jake!' On hearing that, who could? More here.

On with the post... With apologies to everyone who had a heavy night last night, here is Jake Gyllenhaal yelling very loudly indeed.



The Electric Company is part of a new campaign to get kids reading and, possibly as part of Jake's new association with Sesame Street and the Electric Co, Jake's one of the shouting stars. So, less time on the net, more time reading books - that's just for kids, right Jake? Thanks to BBMISwear for the headsup!


Jake Gyllenhaal is winning over the 'Burgh!

Not that I had any doubts but it's good to get it in writing. 'He's been out and about, so much so that it seems as if everyone -- or their friend -- has spotted the Hollywood star...' And he's a hit.


'From a Peruvian restaurant in Shadyside to a Downtown bar, with Whole Foods in between, Mr. Gyllenhaal isn't shy about sampling life in the 'Burgh. Filming continues in the coming weeks, with one of Mr. Gyllenhaal's "Brokeback" co-stars, Anne Hathaway, due to arrive early next month. After Miss Hilko and her friend, Rachel Moynihan, finished their late breakfast, she couldn't resist asking the hunky actor to pose for a photo: "I grabbed his arm but not like a stalker ... he was, like, 'Sure.''


'Seems Mr. Braunstein was the barista when Mr. Gyllenhaal and two young women entered the cozy restaurant. "He was dressed like a normal guy: T-shirt, jeans, boots," Ms. Siebert said, noting the actor made no attempt at the dark-glasses-and-hat disguise routine.' No hat? Excellent.


Peter and the holidays

Thanks again to BBMISwear for sending along and scanning this Peter article from Parade. In it, Peter talks about his family dividing the religious holiday between his side of the family - for Easter - and Maggie's - for Yom Kippur and Hanukkah. I wish them and everyone else who celebrates a Happy Holiday!


Includes pictures from IHJ and Parade. Many thanks to BBMISwear.

A Tale of Three Films - video of Jake Gyllenhaal on the LAOD set, Moon SFX and a Persian Palace

Yesterday, we had the first photo of Jake Gyllenhaal on the Pittsburgh set of Love and Other Drugs thanks to Talituna and now she's done it again! But this time it's even better - a video of Jake arriving on set and (I might be wrong but it looks like it) taking photos himself of those gathered to take photos of him. Thank you Talituna! Keep it up!



Film no.2 - The Unnamed Moon Project may not have a name yet but, thanks to Doug Liman frequently confiding in the Ninjas, we're in the privileged position of watching a movie take shape. In order to get funding, Doug has to give the studios a realistic estimate of its budget, not least because he has been known to go over. Doug admits this with disarming honesty and it's clearly something he wants to avoid with Moon even though, to be fair, the films Doug mentions have all been big successes. The difficulty with Moon is, appropriately, the Moon.


A film like this would fall at the first hurdle if the moon looked like a lump of gouda. Much as I cherish the Clangers, I don't want to see Spandexed Spaceman Jake having a heated argument with an Iron Chicken or taking some time out from colonisation to make soup with a dragon or constructing dens out of saucepan lids. For the benefit of those outside the UK who did not grow up with the Clangers, I've done some research:



Therefore, Doug Liman has been pricing each special effect and it's very exciting to be privy to the process. 'We’re actively doing what’s called the “Effects Breakdown” for my untitled Moon film in order to budget the movie, given how effects-intensive it is. Kevin Elam and I go through the script and come up with every single effects shot we anticipate might be in the film. Obviously, it’s a guess right now because we’re so far out from shooting the film, but you read a line in the script and you think: How many shots am I going to need to make that idea work onscreen? Then you come up with this list of probably 1,200 shots. That list then goes to someplace like ILM (the mother of effects houses) and they bid, and that probably takes a couple of weeks. This is one page of the list that we put together. We’ve blacked out the numbers, but it’ll give you an idea of what we’re working on: Visual Effects Breakdown.'


'As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, I don’t think anyone’s ever done the Moon to the level of realism that I’m going for, so all of this bidding is really so that the studio and I can agree on a budget number for the movie. We almost certainly will not spend the money in precisely the way we’re currently talking about it, since we need a certain amount of creative exploration to figure out how we’re going to get what we want. But to even have a conversation as to how much this movie might cost, we need a starting place.' You can read more with the Ninjas.


And finally, film no. 3 - Prince of Persia the movie is being accompanied by a bonanza of goodies, including a new graphic novel based on the film. One of the artists, Cameron Stewart, has today released a snippet. Again, as with Love and Other Drugs and Moon, we are being allowed to see the process. It's a good feeling.

Pictures, with thanks, from links.

[Updated] New set pics... Cougars? COUGARS? A Pittsburgh report, a pic and George Segal is Jake Gyllenhaal's dad

Updated to add new pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal from the set of Love and Other Drugs in Pittsburgh, taken on Thursday. Thanks Gretchen! Is that Oliver Platt?



A report from Pittsburgh: 'The Jake Gyllenhaal-Anne Hathaway movie "Love and Other Drugs" continued production at a rented home in the East End. Less than a dozen people gathered to watch the film crew but the scenes were all being shot inside, out of view. Ellie Feibus, 22, who lives in a carriage house nearby, has glimpsed Mr. Gyllenhaal and even got a wave from actor George Segal, who plays his father.'

'"Yesterday there was a whole group of cougars standing there waiting for Jake," Ms. Feibus said, referring to some of Mr. Gyllenhaal's older female fans. "It was cool but I'm over it."' Full report here.


Meanwhile, one very lucky and happy girl, Talituna, met Jake Gyllenhaal on set yesterday and, thanks to her, we at last get our wish - a picture from Pittsburgh and it's a great one!

Picture from Talituna, post by a Cougar.

30 (or so) out of 35 people said that they enjoyed Prince of Persia's preview

Today the first preview review (if there can be such a thing) of a rough cut of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time appeared on the net. This preview was watched in Jerry Bruckheimer's own screening room by 35 people and of those 35 people, '30 or so' said they enjoyed the film. While this should be greeted as a great response, typically, and frustratingly, the one preview review is posted by one of the four or so who not only didn't like it but would have preferred the movie if it ended with everyone getting slaughtered.


I was rather bemused by his judgement that the actors 'all speak in a quasi-british accent, but since everyone is doing it, it was fine.' Correct me if I'm wrong but Gemma Arterton, Sir Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina and Toby Kebbell are actually British, not 'quasi-British' and if anyone can tell me what a 'British accent' is like when it's at home, I'd like to hear it.


However, I did like this bit: 'As mentioned above, they did get many things right. The actors are all fine in their roles and there is a nice camaraderie with Dastan and his two brothers, as well as good chemistry between Dastan and Tamina. The movie was a little over two hours and it moved at a very good pace with only a couple of slow spots, but nothing really needs to be cut or added to this movie. The cinematography was good as well with some pretty epic shots that will come together nicely when the cgi is done.'


'The action is very parkour-esque with a lot of running and jumping off of walls, etc. There is quite a lot of action, but some of it is action for action sake and doesn't serve the story, but is interesting and entertaining nonetheless. Finally, we get to the coolest part of the movie, the dagger of time. Every time the dagger is used (about three or four times throughout the film) it becomes the next bright spot of the film. It is a very cool effect and creates some very good scenes. I really wished that they had used it more in the film because it really brought the quality and creativeness up a notch.' While we wait to hear from the 85% or so who did enjoy this film, here is the review in question.


While we wait for one movie, filming is getting underway for another. Love and Other Drugs has another addition to the cast, a musician-actor called Margot B. She's a lucky lady to get the role because when asked who her celebrity crush is, there can be only one answer: 'Jake Gyllenhaal'. Here is the interview.


Maggie Gyllenhaal, meanwhile, continues to fend off the same old questions about her brother: 'Q: Jake Gyllenhaal is your younger brother – do you have any sibling rivalry with him? M: I’m so bored with that question. I don’t feel competitive with him any more. Q You and Jake did Donnie Darko together. Would you like to work together again? M: We’re not planning to do it right now, but maybe at some point in the future. It was a lot of fun before.'


Includes pictures from IHJ, Lego and here.

Pittsburgh auditions - Love and Other Drugs gets busy and Jake Gyllenhaal's ace

Never has a glass of Heineken looked so refreshing. This post is illustrated with new pictures from Jake Gyllenhaal's extremely distracting appearance at the US Open a couple of weeks ago. These pictures were taken during one of the many 'Who'll swap seats with me' breaks. Many thanks to IHJ for these ace shots.


In years to come, when people sit down to discuss the multi award winning success Love and Other Drugs, they will remember the extraordinary fact that approximately 87% of Pittsburgh's population appeared in the film (along with 68% of the city's cars). It appears that the centre of Pittsburgh has been turned this week into an open audition. If you walk down the street and look like a doctor or a patient (or even a person) then it's very likely that you're already cast.


Love and Other Drugs is set to employ '3,000 extras' and its producers have narrowed down their search to adults. It will also help if you look like Jennifer Aniston: 'Shenot said that people should style their makeup normally but dress in business casual attire. The movie takes place in 1997, so Shenot recommends girls wear ’90s hairstyles with a lot of body — like Jennifer Aniston from the sitcom “Friends.”' I'm trying to remember 1997 and whether I should be worried about Jake's hairstyle. Filming finishes around 1 December - just in time for Brothers. More details here. And here are the experiences of one person who took some cars to audition yesterday.


The evidence that a good proportion of Pittsburgh skipped work today can be found on Twitter. Tweets abound of people auditioning, being signed up or going to wardrobe fittings. There are also reports of filming locations for the next few days - therefore the few people who don't get a part in the film may at least go and see it filmed (and take photographs).


A little extra snippet is that the costume designer for Love and Other Drugs has been named as Deborah Scott, who was also the designer for Avatar, Transformers and Titanic. Another of the actors playing one of the film's pharmaceutical reps has also been named - Jaimie Alexander - who will then appear in Thor alongside Natalie Portman.


And finally...

Some more clips from An Education...

House is not Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie to host Independent Lens, and shirts on display

You know you're a hot movie star with big blue eyes, a cheeky smile and a bunch of charm to boot when you get a reference in a popular TV drama. Apparently, House is keen to clear up some confusion - he is not Jake Gyllenhaal. Had me fooled for a bit...


If you live in the US you can also see (and vote for) Jake's cameo in the SNL Iran So Far tribute at the Huffington Post. Thanks not very much at all for protecting the rest of us from seeing it.

While we wait for everyone in Pittsburgh to be issued with a camera to capture those golden Jake Gyllenhaal filming moments, not to mention the first shot of Jake and Anne Hathaway together, it's time to catch up with Maggie who has been grabbing all the headlines today. In addition to pictures of Maggie walking a very grown up Ramona around NYC, there is news that Maggie is to host the new PBS series Independent Lens, which will debut on October 13.


The series will showcase a broad range of independent movies, which suits Maggie down to the ground. 'I'm a passionate believer in the power of independent film. 'Independent Lens' filmmakers ignore the rules of commercial programming and spend years pursuing diverse stories about people not normally seen on TV. I am truly honored to present their work as the new host of 'Independent Lens,' she said.



Maggie has also been talking some more about what it's been like for herself and Peter to work in England, revealing that during the last year, both she and Peter (and Jake for that matter!) have been getting to grips with the English accent. One can imagine the conversations and the practice sessions... '“I’ve loved being in England,” she says, “I shot The Dark Knight here about two years ago, and then last year Peter shot An Education [which opens at the end of October], so we’ve been here once a year, for a substantial period of time, for the past two years.”


“It’s funny because in the movie I have an English accent and sometimes I keep it going,” says Gyllenhaal. “Peter and I were saying that we are going home and we are going to say little English things and our friends are going to think we are super pretentious!” I would love to hear those 'little English things' (flashbacks of bat/paddlegate...).

And while we're talking about Britain, a well known British film magazine, Empire, is giving us a chance to decide on our sexiest film star. A difficult choice, I realise. Let me jog your memory...


The Brokeback shirts

It's wonderful to have a video of the Brokeback shirts going on display at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles and it's moving indeed to hear the warmth and love of their reception.



Meanwhile that lively little gal Anna Faris has recently briefly mentioned her experience of working in Brokeback Mountain: 'Q: I wanted to ask about a couple of directors you’ve worked with, first, Ang Lee with Brokeback Mountain. What was it like to be a part of that masterpiece? Anna Faris: That was amazing. That was also terrifying (laughs). I auditioned for the Anne Hathaway role.'


'Q: No kidding… Anna Faris: Yeah, and then they offered me the other role. I’d do anything to work with Ang Lee. I flew up to Calgary and the first shot, we started with me. I’m with Jake Gyllenhaal and Ang started with my coverage. We just have done the line about 15 times. I thought, “I’m doing this all wrong. Oh my God I’m ruining the movie.” (Laughs) Jake just told me that is how Ang does it. It was really a special film to be a part of.'


Includes pictures from links, Disney and IHJ. Thanks to Monica for the heads up on House.

New pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia

There's nothing like new pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal as a leaping, rolling, parkouring Prince of Persia to wake one up on a hungover Sunday morning. Many thanks to Disney for updating the Prince of Persia website and providing the perfect cureall and making my heart beat a little faster. If you click on the Sands of Time dagger menu options you will see the prince in action. Amazing.



Love and Other Drugs need your old bangers

If only I lived on the other side of the pond, then my trusty and reliable Percy the Peugeot could have fulfilled his potential and been the star I know he is. Yes! Love and Other Drugs is looking for cars with character - as I like to call them. Thanks to Monica for the heads up.




And finally...

Doug Liman happened to mention to the Ninjas: 'Fair Game isn’t done yet; I’m still working with editors to finish it, and we’re editing with the same intensity we had when we were shooting, so combining that with starting to prep Moon, it means I’m working night and day. I really love it. Instead of depression, I’m in the other mindset where I’m looking forward to going through nothingness and depression after the Moon project. Of course, that’ll be in about two years …' In other words, Moon could launch Jake Gyllenhaal into our cinemas in 2011. Good news!


Pictures from Disney.

Jake Gyllenhaal goes back to work - and looking back: finding films and loving films

It may be Friday, but for Jake Gyllenhaal it's a case of back to work to start filming Love and Other Drugs in Pittsburgh. It's already made the local Pitt News. 'Jake Gyllenhaal, Hank Azaria and about 300 other people will be on campus filming a romantic comedy today... Production crews arrived at the Pitt Athletic Association, next to Alumni Hall, around 4 this morning to begin setting up equipment and testing lighting. Filming began several hours later and will continue until at least 7 p.m.'


'Around 10 a.m. this morning, crews were filming in the Athletic Association's bowling alley. Azaria was on set, and a sea of extras in black shirts reading "Doc's" surrounded him. Stand-ins for Gyllenhaal and Azaria stood behind the cameras waiting for a gap in the filming, when they'd be asked to stand still for an hour, or sometimes more, holding positions so crews could check the lighting.'


'Scott Levine, a publicist for the film, said he thought today would probably be the only day the crew was on campus. He said he expects thinks the film will come out in 2010, but that it's too early to tell for sure. Filming, he guessed, would probably end shortly after Thanksgiving.'


Memory Lane

A wonderful new profile of Jake Gyllenhaal landed on YouTube today. Full of clips I've never seen before, and snippets from interviews some of which I've not heard before, it's a delight for the senses. It starts at the beginning and charts an incredible ten-year career and hints that, with Prince of Persia, Jake is on the edge of something very big indeed.



On Brokeback Mountain's sexual content: 'But it was written in such a way that it wasn't vulgar or obvious. It was a real physical connection between these two people, and I have a real issue with films when sexuality or sex is used as a kind of thing to just watch. This had real meaning. It really pushed the story along and to me I will do pretty much almost anything if the story is beautiful enough and says something important enough. I'll take that risk cos I feel like it's just not worth it unless you take these risks.'


'These are two people who are lonely and looking for a connection and happened to find it with each other at a certain time when it's just not ok but love is found in the oddest of places. And I think that's what it's about and that's really what it was about for me when I read it.'


On Jake's films of 2005: 'I care a lot about the films I've done in the past year and they mean a lot to me. And it's a really great feeling. Comfortable? I enjoy hearing and worry about hearing what people feel about them as they mean a lot to me but yeah it feels comfortable.'


On his different way of working from David Fincher: 'My preference is love. My preference is working in the emotional world. David works in another way, which is definitely obsessive and that's what this movie's about. That's why it was amazing to make. That's why I think... ultimately, I say that's my preference but you always have to go to places that you're afraid of and the world of David Fincher was definitely something I was afraid of. And so I gravitate towards that in terms of having the ability to learn from that. David's world is procedural, this world that he's created is very procedural and lengthy and slow-paced and eats at you and it's a slow painful death this movie in a lot of ways - in the best possible way! Because it asks a lot of its audience.'


'I assume the audience to be very intelligent. Maybe that's not necessarily the smartest thing on my part but I really think they are and I think that an audience finding a movie or loving a movie isn't necessarily in the present moment always. And I've had that experience a lot of times too.'


And finally...

We're heard about the McFarlane fully articulated toy figures of Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan. Well, here we get a glimpse of a six-feet tall version. Needless to say I'll take at least one. Finding room for a life-sized camel may be more awkward.


Jordan Mechner, the creator of Prince of Persia, has had a sneak preview of the movie trailer and happily tweeted that it was 'awesome'. One wonders if the trailer will be around in the holiday season.