Seeing NINJA ASSASSIN in the theater this week reminded me that a trailer for producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s upcoming fantasy actioner PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME has been available for a while yet we haven’t featured it here so here it is.

DONNIE BRASCO helmer Mike Newell directs this life-action adaptation of Ubisoft’s 2003 video game. The PRINCE OF PERSIA video game is part of a franchise that began with the original action and adventure platformer from 1989. It put the player into the role of a nameless hero tasked with rescuing a princess from an evil vizier.

Aside from its popularity, the game is noted for being the first to make use of motion-capture technology, the same technology that is now widely used in both the film and video game industries to bring life-like movement to digitally created characters.

After two sequels, the series was rebooted with the first entry in THE SANDS OF TIME trilogy.

In the feature-film version, which is co-produced by Disney, a buffed up Jake Gyllenhaal portrays the adventurous Prince Dastan, who teams with his rival, Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) to stop an evil ruler (Ben Kingsley) from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world.

The trailer clearly shows that digital effects play a major role in the film’s epic-sized action, no doubt a necessity given the equally epic action of the game series which has come to be known for its highly cinematic, roller coaster-style free-running and swashbuckling fighting through period locations arranged like trapped-filled obstacle courses.

Not surprisingly, French-originated free running known as parkour plays a role in the film’s action with one of its originators, David Belle, coordinating. The film also boasts a sizable stunt team with lead oversight falling into the capable hands of coordinators G.A. Aguilar (ZOMBIELAND) and Greg Powell (HARRY POTTER AND ORDER OF THE PHOENIX).

With a hefty budget of $150 million, PRINCE OF PERSIA is set to be one of Disney’s major releases next year along with Pixar’s TOY STORY 3 and Tim Burton’s live-action ALICE IN WONDERLAND. The film is currently scheduled for release on May 28, 2010.

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