First look at Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Prince of Persia’

By Mark Pollard | Published August 13, 2008

Celebrity web site Just Jarad has scored the first behind-the-scenes look at Disney’s upcoming feature film adaptation of the PRINCE OF PERSIA video game franchise. Several pics show a buffed up Jake Gyllenhaal in costume while walking with his gal pal Reece Witherspoon.

In PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME Gyllenhaal is playing the title character, the adventurous Prince Dastan who teams with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing an apocalyptic sandstorm upon the world.

Why should we care about yet another video game adaptation? Although originally a 2-D platformer, the game series has evolved into one of the best fighting-oriented action and adventure franchises around. Apart from the series’ winning puzzle-solving elements, the fighting action is defined by highly stylized and cinematic swordplay and acrobatics that have long been begging for big-screen treatment.

The film is in good hands with Mike Newell at the helm, the British director responsible for both DONNIE BRASCO and HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE. Newell has shown himself to be very capable of handling big-budget action and drama. As long as producer Jerry Bruckheimer doesn’t try to make another KING ARTHUR out of this, it has the potential to be a hit.

Veteran stuntman Thomas DuPont, who is credited as sword master for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 and 3 is one of the film’s fight coordinators. The list of stuntmen involved is still pretty short, suggesting that a lot of the action scenes haven’t been shot yet.

Disney recently pushed the expected release date for PRINCE OF PERSIA back to 2010 after initially eyeing ‘09.

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  • championy
    I can only see this being great as fans of the series will see it and yeh he is maybe to buff for the role but it wont exactly ruin the role because hes got mroe muscles
  • T-rex
    Metal gear solid as a movie? PUKE! I think JG looks as close to the prince as you're going to get. I,m looking forward to the film, since the game trilogy was awesome.
  • Aurixx
    Okay, first don't use this place to raz (he's an ACTOR, enjoy his job, not his personal shit). Second, most video games have a lot of side plot that doesn't really transfer well into movies hence why they don't get adapted well, if at all(I cringe at the thought of the Zelda movie I keep on hearing about). Third, although I was quite scared when I heard Gyllenhaal was cast as the Prince at first, he does not look too off. The scruffy look appears more like Warrior Within rather than Sands of Time (The muscles would make more sense there because he was fighting for his life for some time up til that point). In this one, he should be built more like a Freerunner (Parkour, the closest thing one can do to do Prince acrobatics), which means his abs would be solid but the abdomen itself would be lean. The arms are fine (think about much upper body strength the Prince actually has to have...)
  • Vahag
    Can somebody help me get Kung Fu classics ? The DVD's never get to europe. And through the internet is too risky. Help me pleeeease !
  • Nekogin
    he was so on steroids!! you can tell!! no one can look that "buff" naturally!! ITS ALL A LIE!!
  • Lionclaw
    this is going to bomb.
  • Tigerstyles
    lots os gear i think!!
  • Billeh
    This will so tank at the box office. Why do NONE of the actual big name games never get made in films??? The closet has been the attempted Halo.
    So waiting to see what happens with Sony's Metal Gear Solid live action ideas... And since those games have some of the very best choreographed fights ever seen in gaming, there's so much potential.
  • Mary
    Jake is too buff, hair is really bad.

    Reese Witherspoon is a fag hag promoting the fauxmance. How do you think paparazzi found her in the Morocco desert? LOL
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