Prince-of-Persia posts (Subscribe to this feed)
Q&A: Jordan Mechner and Jerry Bruckheimer on 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'
by Kevin Kelly 
{ Nov 4th 2009 at 12:45PM } 
The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie won't be in theaters until May 2010, but the marketing winds are already picking up with the release of the first full-length trailer (above) -- and it looks ... kinda good. What's more, the original game's creator, Jordan Mechner, has filed an application for the trademark, "Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands," suggesting that a new game could be in the works. More recent remarks, like those found in this Q&A, seem to indicate that an announcement from Ubisoft is coming shortly.
We attended a group Q&A session with Mechner and movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer last week during the unveiling of the trailer and heard about the legacy of the franchise, casting of Jake Gyllenhaal, plans for a movie sequel, Easter eggs hidden on-screen, and hints of a new game. Leap across the break for the full discussion.
Prince of Persia movie trailer looks ... kind of good
by Richard Mitchell { Nov 2nd 2009 at 4:30PM }
The first official trailer for Jerry Bruckheimer's The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is now up for all the internet to see [update: we've added our embedded version above -- and read our in-depth analysis right here]. The long and short of it, it actually looks pretty good. Of course, the trailer is comprised mainly of quick cuts of action and narration filled with cliched adventure story tropes. Then again, as a video game adaptation, maybe that's to be expected.
Still, there doesn't appear to be anything overtly awful just yet, so the hope is still alive. If Bruckheimer can turn a theme park ride into a successful film franchise, maybe, just maybe, he can do it with a game too.
Impressions: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (the trailer)
by Kevin Kelly { Oct 29th 2009 at 9:30AM }
The only hitch is that it's a videogame adaptation, and those just never seem to turn out very well. It certainly doesn't help that Ben Kingsley, the one who starred in the ill-fated and ill-conceived film version of BloodRayne, has returned in another villainous role. Still, we have to admit that what we saw (reminder: just a trailer) looks to be an exciting jaunt through swashbuckling adventure.
Read on for the highlights -- and take your time. The movie that doesn't come out until May 2010.
Jordan Mechner pitched Sands of Time film with game-derived trailer
by Griffin McElroy { Oct 13th 2009 at 1:00PM }
On his personal blog, Mechner pointed out a number of elements sparsely used in the aforementioned trailer: Time travel, sand monsters, clairvoyant visions -- basically any supernatural plot devices which were apparently cut from the pitch he presented to the studio. Without these aspects, we wonder exactly what the film will focus on. Had they been stripped from the game, it would have been approximately four minutes long.
[Via Big Download]
Jordan Mechner files 'Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands' trademark
by Ludwig Kietzmann { Oct 6th 2009 at 3:58PM }
It would be shame if that were to happen again. We quite like the ring of "The Forgotten Sands," even if the prince's knavish attitude in the last game might better suit a title like "Dude, Where's My Sand?"
XBLM Deal of the Week: Prince of Persia Epilogue DLC
by Justin McElroy { Oct 5th 2009 at 2:00PM } 
Well, friend, your moment has arrived: the Prince of Persia Epilogue DLC has bee slashed from 800
($10) to 560 ($7) as the latest XBLM Deal of the Week. If you've already purchased the content, you may want to ask Elika to rewind time and let you try again, but wouldn't that make it all too easy?Prince of Persia creator to keynote GDC China (likely in English)
by Ben Gilbert { Sep 12th 2009 at 3:00AM }
Unfortunately, those attending GDC China won't be getting the traditional, mandatory shock treatment at the show, as that has been recently banned. For shame, China! Hopefully Mechner will be enough.
Jake Gyllenhaal made plastic, portable, still dreamy
by Randy Nelson { Sep 1st 2009 at 11:00PM }
McFarlane Toys has announced that it's making a line of collectibles based on Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer's forthcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time motion picture. The movie's due out next May, and as fate (or marketing) would have it, so are the toys.
The toymaker doesn't have anything for us to actually look at yet, but there are plenty of details to be had on just exactly what we can expect to be taking up shelf space at your local toy store / comic book merchant / Jake Gyllenhaal fan club gift shop.
Unlike many of McFarlane's figures, the 4" and 6" mini-Jakes and pals will be fully articulated. We're not certain, though, if the promised "battle horses" will be as limber. A playset (yep, they still make those) is also in the works, as is something wholly non-action-figure: A replica Dagger of Time, complete with "disappearing sand," LED lighting and -- because safety trumps cool -- a "soft vinyl blade." We imagine it'll be perfect for dealing with "huggable plush sand monsters" and "Tickle Me Nizam."
The toymaker doesn't have anything for us to actually look at yet, but there are plenty of details to be had on just exactly what we can expect to be taking up shelf space at your local toy store / comic book merchant / Jake Gyllenhaal fan club gift shop.
Unlike many of McFarlane's figures, the 4" and 6" mini-Jakes and pals will be fully articulated. We're not certain, though, if the promised "battle horses" will be as limber. A playset (yep, they still make those) is also in the works, as is something wholly non-action-figure: A replica Dagger of Time, complete with "disappearing sand," LED lighting and -- because safety trumps cool -- a "soft vinyl blade." We imagine it'll be perfect for dealing with "huggable plush sand monsters" and "Tickle Me Nizam."
Prince of Persia movie pics keep getting dreamier
by Richard Mitchell { Jul 29th 2009 at 12:00AM }
But let's face it, the Gyllenhaal shrine will have to be re-done. From scratch.
Ubisoft fiscal Q1 sales slide as DS market diminishes
by James Ransom-Wiley { Jul 27th 2009 at 2:00PM }
Unsurprisingly, Ubisoft has revised its second quarter target ... straight downward. As the next three months rest on the performances of a few shaky releases, including the multiplatform adaptation of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (not a particularly promising forecast, indeed), sales expectations have plummeted 54 percent from $184.9 million (€130 million) to just $113.8 million (€80 million).
While Ubisoft's apparently failing business of selling kids their imaginations (one idea at a time), along with oodles of equally imagined, yet previously irresistible petz, is troubling for its future outlook -- "games of only good quality are not sufficient anymore," Guillemot noted -- the company insists that Wii sales of, let's call them, not-so-good-quality titles are increasing and expected to compensate for the losses in the DS market soon enough.
Prince of Persia movie getting the graphic novel treatment
by Jem Alexander { Jul 21st 2009 at 4:30PM }
There's every chance that the Prince of Persia movie, like so many game-to-movie adaptations before it, will be tripe. Having said that, the recent poster reveals – coupled with the news today that a graphic novel will be released soon after the movie – may be improving our expectations.
The book will be written by the creator of the Prince of Persia series, Jordan Mechner, and will feature cover art by comic book legend Todd McFarlane. Inside, the artwork will be completed by "some of the most talented names in comics," and will feature six self-contained prequel stories. So even if the movie does suck, at least this graphic novel should be worth picking up.
The graphic novel will be discussed during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, hosted by Mechner, McFarlane, Bernard Chang, Tommy Lee Edwards and Cameron Stewart, so expect to hear more information out of that.
The book will be written by the creator of the Prince of Persia series, Jordan Mechner, and will feature cover art by comic book legend Todd McFarlane. Inside, the artwork will be completed by "some of the most talented names in comics," and will feature six self-contained prequel stories. So even if the movie does suck, at least this graphic novel should be worth picking up.
The graphic novel will be discussed during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, hosted by Mechner, McFarlane, Bernard Chang, Tommy Lee Edwards and Cameron Stewart, so expect to hear more information out of that.
Prince of Persia film posters look decidedly unterrible
by Griffin McElroy { Jul 21st 2009 at 1:50AM }
Don't get it twisted -- the movie won't be good. It can't be good. However, its advertising looks very professional, its font choice is delightfully non-cheesy, and its Prince looks very Princely. That's an achievement in and of itself. Check out both posters after the jump.
[Via Kotaku]
Pin Jake Gyllenhaal to your waal, first official shot of Prince of Persia
by Richard Mitchell { Jul 20th 2009 at 12:15PM }
You know that empty spot on the wall, right above your bed? It's time to fill it. We've seen behind-the-scenes images of Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince. We've even seen him in motion. But this, this is the first official shot from the upcoming Jerry Bruckheimer action extrabonanza, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The photo appears in the current issue of Entertainment Weekly in glossier, more tangible form, presumably accompanied by an article as well.
If you want a copy for yourself, and we know you do, look for the issue with Iron Man on the cover.
If you want a copy for yourself, and we know you do, look for the issue with Iron Man on the cover.
Prince of Persia LEGOs spotted, adorable
by Richard Mitchell { Jul 1st 2009 at 6:00AM }
Just look at that little LEGO Prince! Look at his little hair and tiny stubble. It's just precious! The lilliputian lord of time manipulation -- part of the LEGO set announced earlier this year -- was spotted at Comic-Con, alongside many of his cohorts, by Flickr user jmenomeno. The set includes what appears to be the Vizier, plenty of generic guards and what we think is supposed to be Princess Farah. Oh, and a couple of camels for good measure. Check out jmenomeno's Comic-Con photo set for more pictures.
[Via Kotaku]
[Via Kotaku]
Ubisoft didn't want to 'water down' Prince of Persia for Wii
by Justin McElroy { Jun 9th 2009 at 2:00PM } 
Mattes said that the system just couldn't handle what his team wanted to achieve, saying "the AI of Elika was highly advanced and required a lot of processing power; the world size and dynamic loading, the draw distance, the number of polygons in the characters... If we had done a Wii version, it would have been toned down, probably linear, it wouldn't have been an open-world game, and so it would have been a very different experience. We didn't want to water it down that way."
... Plus, they couldn't have charged Wii owners $10 for the "Epilogue" DLC! No, no, we kid.
