Jake Gyllenhaal Isn't Really a Gamer, Loves the Prince Anyway
Before stepping into the shoes of Prince Dastan in this May's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, actor Jake Gyllenjack's last Prince of Persia was the original 1989 game - he's not really a gamer these days.
It's no secret that on the whole, videogame movies tend to be pretty crappy - but if there's an upcoming movie based on a game that could potentially be good, it's Jerry Bruckheimer's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. It's starring a talented actor (Jake Gyllergorble), is directed by the guy who did Four Weddings and a Funeral [http://www.amazon.com/Donnie-Brasco-Special-Al-Pacino/dp/B00004XPPB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1278692235&sr=1-1], and has the full financial backing of Disney and Producer Jerry Bruckheimer - the same guys who turned a freakin' Disneyworld ride into a blockbuster motion picture. It's a recipe for success if ever there was one.
Last weekend at Wondercon in San Francisco, four of the key players involved in the film - Gyllenheimer, Bruckheimer, director Mike Newell and series creator Jordan Mechner - discussed the transition of Prince of Persia from rotoscoped, 40-pixel-high sprite to bare-chested movie star. "To go from that to Jake is pretty incredible," said Mechner.
As far as Jake Gargleblaster himself was concerned, he's not much of a gamer these days - though he does play the Wii in between set-ups on set, and has fond memories of games like Zelda, Metroid, Super Mario Bros. and the original Prince of Persia. In fact, he told Geeksugar [http://www.geeksugar.com/Jake-Gyllenhaal-Interview-Prince-Persia-WonderCon-7996425], part of what drew him to the role of Prince Dastan was the idea that it would be a chance to finally make a good movie based on a videogame.
"I also like the idea that it was based on a video game," said the actor. "I like to do things that people have tried their hand at and haven't succeeded. Maybe it's a riskier thing to do, but I like that. And I knew that there would be a huge audience of people that I would be trying to appease and that kinda turned me on too."
There's that, and he just plain liked the character of Prince Dastan. "I thought - at least as it was written - he was wry and funny and had a good time, but at the same time kicked some ass."
That he does, Jake. That he does.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is out at the end of May. To read more from the Wondercon panel, check out Gamasutra [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27962/Prince_of_Persias_Mechner_Not_Every_Video_Game_Should_Become_A_Movie.php].
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Before stepping into the shoes of Prince Dastan in this May's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, actor Jake Gyllenjack's last Prince of Persia was the original 1989 game - he's not really a gamer these days.
It's no secret that on the whole, videogame movies tend to be pretty crappy - but if there's an upcoming movie based on a game that could potentially be good, it's Jerry Bruckheimer's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. It's starring a talented actor (Jake Gyllergorble), is directed by the guy who did Four Weddings and a Funeral [http://www.amazon.com/Donnie-Brasco-Special-Al-Pacino/dp/B00004XPPB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1278692235&sr=1-1], and has the full financial backing of Disney and Producer Jerry Bruckheimer - the same guys who turned a freakin' Disneyworld ride into a blockbuster motion picture. It's a recipe for success if ever there was one.
Last weekend at Wondercon in San Francisco, four of the key players involved in the film - Gyllenheimer, Bruckheimer, director Mike Newell and series creator Jordan Mechner - discussed the transition of Prince of Persia from rotoscoped, 40-pixel-high sprite to bare-chested movie star. "To go from that to Jake is pretty incredible," said Mechner.
As far as Jake Gargleblaster himself was concerned, he's not much of a gamer these days - though he does play the Wii in between set-ups on set, and has fond memories of games like Zelda, Metroid, Super Mario Bros. and the original Prince of Persia. In fact, he told Geeksugar [http://www.geeksugar.com/Jake-Gyllenhaal-Interview-Prince-Persia-WonderCon-7996425], part of what drew him to the role of Prince Dastan was the idea that it would be a chance to finally make a good movie based on a videogame.
"I also like the idea that it was based on a video game," said the actor. "I like to do things that people have tried their hand at and haven't succeeded. Maybe it's a riskier thing to do, but I like that. And I knew that there would be a huge audience of people that I would be trying to appease and that kinda turned me on too."
There's that, and he just plain liked the character of Prince Dastan. "I thought - at least as it was written - he was wry and funny and had a good time, but at the same time kicked some ass."
That he does, Jake. That he does.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is out at the end of May. To read more from the Wondercon panel, check out Gamasutra [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27962/Prince_of_Persias_Mechner_Not_Every_Video_Game_Should_Become_A_Movie.php].
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