[Update] Jordan Mechner's trailer commentary. Jake Gyllenhaal and an octopus celebrate Sesame Street's birthday. The Prince of Persia Q&As

[Update] I've updated the post tonight with two videos that present the Prince of Persia trailer accompanied by a truly fascinating commentary by PoP creator Jordan Mechner, courtesy of IGN. It will make you want to see the film more than ever.

More Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time News & Previews

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time at IGN.com

On with the post...

Lots going on today! So settle down and let's crack on - trailers to watch and all that... First off, the answer to a question that has long perplexed me and no doubt you as well - how do you make an octopus smile? Give him/her/it Jake Gyllenhaal to hug, that's how. I have pictorial proof (David Attenborough, watch and learn). It's not everyday you see Jake with an octopus. Can I put in a request for a seadragon?




Jake has not taken up deep sea diving (as far as I know), this is another teaser from Sesame Street which begins its 40th anniversary season next week. It is very possible, indeed likely, that Jake may feature on the opening birthday special on 10 November, along with Michelle Obama and some other starry and furry people. So keep your eyes peeled and, if you're an octopus, crossed. This would hopefully be in addition to another Jakecentric episode to follow...



The PoP Q&As

You may have noticed that we had a Prince of Persia trailer or two this week. That was (and may Lionsgate make notes for Brothers) Phase One. Phase Two is the release today of the Q&As with Jerry Bruckheimer and Jordan Mechner that we were promised. (Phase Three looks to be reports from the filmset recorded last summer and released next week - stay tuned.) This section of the post is illustrated with IHJ's amazing screencaps!


Jake impresses as the Prince

'So, why did you choose Jake Gyllenhaal for this role? Mechner: I can talk about why I think Jake is great in the role. I know that he is really into the games and took that very seriously. Bruckheimer: He trained very hard for this film. He really transformed his body. He really did. He worked really hard. He trained every single day for months, and all during filming he was training to physically look like the character. So I think that is a big part of what he was doing in his look. Mechner: I know he was speaking with a British accent in between takes. At the end of my first day on set, driving back to base camp, I saw him jogging. After this long day of 125 degree heat, he went for a jog. He had more muscles than his stunt doubles.'


'But as far as the role, as far as who the Prince is: to me the Prince of Persia has always been a swashbuckling hero in the vein of Indiana Jones, Doug Fairbanks, Errol Flynn. He is not like the kind of video game hero who is out to vanquish all his enemies. He has got like an intelligence, a mischievous streak. Sort of an underdog. He has got a vulnerability. I think Jake just embodies all those qualities and captured them in a way that is very appealing.' Joystiq.


'Bruckheimer: I always thought he was... I still think he is a huge movie star. [He's one of those guys who can be a huge hero], romantic hero. He's handsome, he's a wonderful actor. I've always wanted to work with him. We got very lucky that he A) liked the material and B) was available to do it. There was no other choice.'


'Q: Can you talk about some of the physical training that he had to go through?
Bruckheimer: A lot. I mean, he really worked hard. He worked for months and months before the movie started. He trained every single day. He rode bikes, he lifted weights, he had a very specific diet. He couldn't have any fats, and it was really a lot of protein, and all during filming, he was working in 120 degree heat. Jordan said he saw him, after a long day, around 7 at night taking a jog, running, so he kept it up through the whole movie. He had a trainer with him both here and in Morocco working with him to make sure he really kept his physical appearance the way he wanted it to be.' ComingSoon.


'Q: The casting of Jake Gyllenhaal seemed to upset some people. What did you think of his performance, and what aspects of the prince does he bring out well? Mechner: That kind of gets back to "who is the prince?" To me—and this goes back to the original game—to me, the Prince of Persia has always been a hero in the mold of Errol Flynn in Robin Hood, or Doug Fairbanks in The Thief of Baghdad, or Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. He's not this invincible warrior who is out looking for enemies to vanquish. He's more of an underdog. He fights with a sword, but he lives by his wits. He's got this sort of mischievous quality, this certain attitude and humor about him, and a vulnerability as well. You can see why the girl falls in love with him. I think Jake embodies all those qualities and captures them in a really appealing way. I think that comes through in the trailer as well. The action-hero side of the role, Jake took that very seriously. He did a lot of training, horseback riding, sword fighting, parkour, and he actually did a lot of his own stunts to a degree that movie stars usually don't. He's in fantastic shape, he worked really hard, so I think he makes a great Prince of Persia.' Nintendo World Report.


'Bruckheiemer: When he's jumping across the rooftops, that's all real. A lot of the stuff that's falling on him is all CGI but all the roof stuff, all the rooftops is all real stuff. Q: And climbing the arrows? Bruckheimer: That is a set. Q: But he's doing it. Bruckheimer: Yes, he's doing it on the set.' ComingSoon.


The women flipped...

'Bruckheimer: This is so unique, so fresh and different. We just loved the character that Jordan created. So it takes you back to old ancient periods. The movie when you see it, it's like an old-fashioned, romantic adventure film. That's really what it is. It's like a "Lawrence of Arabia" with this kind of supernatural element added to it. But it's really a wonderful biblical story about jealousy. It goes back to all the primal fears and conflicts through history, so it embellishes upon interesting things. We found, we tested the movie a few weeks ago. It tested extraordinarily high. It surprised me because I always think these things are going to fail but this one turned out great. The women, I was surprised, I thought we made a terrific movie for the boys, but the women flipped over this film. I've never had a score where the parents, and there is violence, it's PG-13, the parents rated the film 100% excellent or very good which never happens. So it's one of these movies that we know they'll take their children to go see it which is a huge advantage for a film if the parents think it's cool that the kids can see it.' ComingSoon.

Speaking as a flipping woman I'd say that Jerry clearly hadn't reckoned on the GyllenFactor...


Staying true to the spirit of the game

'Mechner: I think it is more lighthearted than some of the games, but I feel like it is true to the Sands of Time, the 2003 game, which is really the one that the movie screenplay is most based on. I feel like it is very true to the spirit of the game; to a lot of kind of the action. It is really ... the plot itself is different.... But the first time I saw a rough assembly of Jake as Prince Dastan running on the rooftops with arrows being shot at him and swinging, I just got this big smile on my face that wouldn't go away, because I just felt like it was ... like what I saw in my imagination when I played the game, back when the character was 40 pixels high and his face was four pixels square, but seeing it like real in visceral in the best way.' Joystiq.



Other stuff

Jordan Mechner's original vision of Prince of Persia was inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark, which featured Alfred Molina in an opening key sequence. He therefore has a very happy place in Prince of Persia.


There are no sand monsters. This is possibly a good thing because I've had trouble with them in the game. There are no boss fights - thank heavens.


There will probably be a Disney ride (with full size Jake models???). There will be future games. No sequel has been written, but who knows? Jake seems to have a feel of the games and is no doubt better at it than Jerry has started but not finished, which is more my level.

No news on the ostrich or camel front.

And we still have six months plus to wait - I have a feeling it will be packed full and fly by - so long as that dagger has nothing to do with it.


Many thanks to IHJ for the PoP Pics.