EW: This is Hollywood, so you've probably had to come to terms early on that there would be some liberties taken with the source material. What's the number one thing about Prince of Persia that you, as its creator, feel shouldn't be changed or compromised under any circumstances?
Mechner: This goes all the way back to the original 1989 game: somewhere in the story, there has to be an hourglass.
EW: In a paper about game design you wrote a few years ago, you said that while the storyline is king in movies, it should always be subordinate to action and gameplay in videogames. What's the rule for videogame-based Hollywood blockbuster films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer? Story seems to have the clear disadvantage here…
Mechner: For a movie, it's all about the story. No matter how spectacular, the action is only gripping if it's happening to characters we care about. Otherwise, in the midst of all the Dolby fireworks and exploding horses, we'll start to get that restless feeling... you know, wishing we had our ten bucks back and that we were back home playing a video game.
A couple of new/old set photos from Morocco:
ETA: Some new old photos from IHJ. First up, an outtake from one of my least favorite Jake photoshoots ever.
You don't know what you're doing, do you?
God bless Dustin Hoffman!
It's like a family generations portrait gone wrong!(Photos courtesy of IHJ, flickr/albertstoter and flickr/petravangrieken.)
23 comments:
I thought we were about to discuss an episode of Days of Our Lives.:) :) :)
(Years ago, I came home from school one day to find Granny on the telephone crying her eyes out about some guy cheating on his wife while she was sick in the hospital, and I got all excited at finally being privy to some juicy family gossip, but she was talking about one of her soaps with my Aunt Stella. Sheesh!! Was that OT enough for ya? Sorry.)
I think Mechner is right. With a movie, everything is about the story. It sounds from this and some other interviews, that he's pretty happy about what they are doing. He seems excited and very positive. I hope Bruckheimer is excited about working with Jake. Ithink Jake is wroking hard so he can buy that diamond! :):)
Hee, that's too funny, bobbyanna. I was going for that Days of our Lives angle!
I'm glad Mechner seems on board so far. Not that I know anything about the game, but it helps for the original writer who's also the movie writer to spread the good word.
Oh, and I added some fun new/old pics, FYI.
LOL!! I was totally thinking about days of our lives too!! I haven't watched that since the days of Patch and Kayla!! Glad to hear that Mechner is excited about Prince of Persia, that's a good sign.
UV, i'm with you, that is my least favorite photoshhot of Jake, and I thought that he could never take a bad picture!
He doesn't look bad in some of the shots, I guess. But he doesn't look as good as he should! The clothes are all wrong for the setting. It doesn't look like Jake was into it. Everything about it is just wrong!
Such a shame!
I also went back and added the link to the story - oops! Sorry about that. There's not much more at the source.
Mechner sounds really excited about Pop, the more I hear about it the more I can't wait till '10, thanks for the link!
Good night, babblers!
Very good to know that they are concerned about the story and not only with special effects.
I love Dustin Hoffman! :)
Thanks for the "new old pictures" UV!!! That's Joel Schumacher, the director largely(and wrongfully IMHO,)credited with single handedly destroying the Batman franchise before Chris Nolan resurrected it.
I have always held that Joel S had a lot of help from Val Kilmer...and a rubber Batman outfit that looked like it belonged in an S&M movie. The look on Susan Sarandon's face is priceless. It's like "OMG."
I was going to go make phone calls tonight, but I have nothing to wear. I need to go to SAKS and NEIMAN MARCUS for some free clothes...:) :)
Is that Joel Schmuker one of the worst directors in HW IMO?? No wonder Susan has that look on her face! I love that pic of Jake and Dustin, and I swear i remember reading an interview with Dustin and he said that Jake and his son, whose name is also Jacob grew up together and shared the same girlfriends, that must have been interesting!
I think you are right UV, Jake just doesn't look like he is into the shoot, he looks bored.
Thanks for the link to the Mechner interview, so far he seems happy with Pop, good news.
Shop at Saks and Neiman Marcus and you too can look like a maverick!!!
Is it just me, or has the format/layout changed here?
Back to the previous post, regarding the new Reese lingerie shopping sighting....... my first thought was that every lady needs to add those special little items to her trousseau. :)
sheba baby, I remember that Dustin Hoffman story about them dating the same girls too. Very interesting!
Huh. When did our Comments page change? That's weird.
Back to normal.
Hi, I hated that photoshoot of Jake waistdeep in shrubbery,too. Seemed like it was just all wrong.
So EW did a story on PoP with nothing about Jake in it? That ain't right.
Is it time to start looking for him again? I'm pining away. (:
Reese Witherspoon in LA:
Wenn
Happy Birthday Deacon
I never get tired of looking at that picture of Jake and Dustin, love it!
That photoshoot of Jake is all wrong, the setting, the lighting, clothes, etc.
Thanks for the Mechner interview in EW, he seems pleased so far.
I had a flashback of Marlena and Roman reading this post, LOL!
Jake is back in L.A. This German site says he arived at LAX, no date but I assume it's yesterday:
http://visono.bullspress.de/bullspress/search.php
lax, thank you!
:)
Thanks for the link.
I have never seen this side before - apparently they have four pictures but you have to register to watch them. I am at work so it is not possible for me at the moment. Hopefully we will get the pics from the "usual suspects" later....
Mechner seems to be very pleased with the whole project so far. Since it so quiet on the "Brothers" and "Nailed" front I am happy to get some tidbits of the PoP project nearly every day.
Wheeee! I just knew he'd get home in time for Deacon's B'day, (today!)Halloween, and the election. At least I hoped he would. Thanks for the links.
Ouch! Reese's knee looks awful. Looks like she really slammed it. It's not just skinned, it looks bruised, too.
Gotta love x17, they mention the ring on her middle finger from the pap pics from Tuesday and then refer to when she wasn't wearing it and link to the old pics they posted,LOL!! Don't they even notice the hair??:
http://x17online.com/celebrities/reese_witherspoon/x17_xclusive_a_ring_for_reese-10222008
It looks like Jake has a bit of a break just in time for Deacon's birthday, happy birthday Deacon!!
Love to hear all the tidbits about Pop, I wasn't really excited about this movie in the begginging, now I can't wait.
Reese really banged up her knee and she still manages to have a smile, looks like she may have been shopping for Deacon.
Brothers spy said that Jake has some time off in early November as well, ity looks like the filming may be winding down.
Not a fan of that Jake photo shhot either and I love looking at all the old/new Jake pics that IHJ finds, thanks for posting!
Slightly OT, but in the eighties when my kids were little I faithfully watched Days. I finally gave up when they did the "Marlena as possessed" Exorcist type storyline.
When Marlena levitated above the bed, I said "this is just too stupid for me" and switched to General Hospital ( I don't watch that much anymore, and when i do it's just for the divine Nancy Lee Grahn.)
I liked Patch and Kayla and Jennifer and Jack on Days. :)
NEW JAKE PICTURES!!
CHECK I HEART JAKE!!!!
New pics up in the new post :)
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