In a move that's sure to become commonplace with studios after the success of 3-D behemoth Avatar, Warner Brothers have decided to convert their upcoming big-budget remake of Clash of the Titans to 3-D too. Sure, it'll cost them another $5 million on top of a budget already rumoured to be in the region of $70 million and push the intended release date back a week from March 26th to April 2nd, but it's a gamble that's almost certain to pay off. After all, $70 million for an epic action adventure about Greek Gods and giant insects sounds like a bargain when you consider most blockbusters these days come with a price tag of $100 million (heck, Avatar cost double that).
So what's to get excited about? Well the original 1981 Clash of the Titans had cool stop motion monsters by Ray Harryhausen but, in the cold light of 2010, otherwise seems a pretty naff film. There's huge room for improvement; something that was clear to director Louis Leterrier, a huge fan of the original and who jumped at the chance to direct the new version after Stephen Norrington jumped ship. First time around, Harry Hamlin played a pretty but pretty dim Perseus while Laurence Olivier and Ursula Andress phoned in their Gods Zeus and Aphrodite. In the 2010 update Sam Worthington plays Perseus (muscles? Check. Personality? Check) while Liam Neeson takes on Olivier's role as puppet-master Zeus, Danny Huston his brother Poseidon and Ralph Fiennes as third sibling and total badass Hades.
After Hades kills Perseus's family, the young soldier swears vengeance and sets off on a perilous journey to the underworld to defeat his uncle, fending off Scorpioks (giant Scorpions) and Harpies (bat monsters) in the style of a true Harryhausen hero. "I feel when my Perseus starts out, he should be this bombastic tank," Worthington explains. "The Gods have killed his family. He's Charles Bronson! But along the way he needs to learn to calm down, ask for help. And out of that comes the true hero."
On his travels Perseus encounters foes in the form of Jason Flemyng's Acrisius, once a mighty King but now a hideous creature known as Calibos, and friends like Gemma Arterton's priestess Lo. "She's very enigmatic," says the prolific actress, also to be seen this summer in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. "[She's a] guardian angel to Perseus in a way. Kind of like a fairy Godmother." Meanwhile as Perseus learns that Hades is planning to sacrifice princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) to the Kracken, a 300ft tall sea monster, and flies to her aid on winged horse Pegasus (white in the original, black in the remake).
One thing Leterrier was adamant on was completely redesigning the creatures. This didn't just mean the Kracken, who audiences are already familiar with thanks to the original Clash and, more recently, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, but also creating ones we haven't seen before such as the Harpies, Calibos and Charon, the skeletal ferryman who delivers souls to the underworld. Though Ray Harryhausen declined an invite to join production designer Martin Laing's new team, the legendary effects master did converse with Leterrier over the phone. "It was important for me to kiss the ring," nods the French director. And what of the infamous snake-haired gorgon Medusa? "She'll be CG but we did performance capture with (Russian supermodel) Natalia Vodianova". So instead of a creepy clay puppet or Uma Thurman we'll get a sinister 50ft snake. Can't wait!
Clash of the Titans will be released on April 2nd 2010 in Digital 3-D-equipped cinemas and on regular 2-D screens nationwide.
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Empire Magazine issue 250