Prince of Persia Movie gets Hourglass Flipped, Now Set for 2010

Shortly after filming began, Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer unexpectedly announced that the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie has been given a little push back. And by little, I mean almost a whole year. Disney’s official reason: they want more time. 
Can someone please get Disney a Dagger of Time?

Currently being filmed in Morocco, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan (Persian for “trickster”), the film was originally set for a theatrical release June 19, 2009. But due to possible post-production concerns, particularly in the special effects department, the release date has been pushed back to May 28, 2010. Do they really need that much more time to make CGI sand? Anyway, despite Disney’s official stance regarding the change, every other “expert” began theorizing their own reasons for the push from the comfort of their parent’s basements. 

One possible motive for the move focuses on the original release date, which would have pitted PoP against another little known film you may have heard of: Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, due out June 26, 2009. Squaring off against this highly anticipated blockbuster would possbily “transform” PoP’s potential box-office success into epic failure. Instead, PoP will find itself slated between two other films: Shrek Goes Forth (yes, a fourth Shrek), and Thor. Better to go up against these two as opposed to going up against Optimus Prime. Because as we all know, you don’t mess with the Prime.

There also have been rumors of a possible Screen Actors Guild (SAG) strike, which would put a serious damper on production of the film. No actors, no film. (Huh, go figure.) By pushing the release date back, Disney could potentially sidestep the effects of the strike should it resolve itself quickly enough, and still meet the scheduled release date. And after watching the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike essentially shut down Hollywood, it might not be that bad of an idea.

Lastly, speculators surmise that Disney wants PoP to have its own holiday opening weekend (Memorial Day). Doing so would allow it a better chance to establish itself as Disney’s next big trilogy cash cow. Apparently the nearly $3 billion the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy made just wasn’t enough.

Regardless, the new date has been set. While it does mean one less film to look forward to next summer, I do express a small bit of optimism. Disney and Bruckheimer appear to be taking steps to ensure that the film receives a bit more respect than your average game-based film. In turn, hopefully the extra time is used wisely. I have no problem with waiting a bit longer, as long as the end result is excellent. 

Except for you, Duke Nukem Forever! I’m done waiting for you.