Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 2:03PM Neeson Joins Returning Cast for 'Wrath of the Titans:' Somewhere, the Gods Weep.
Maybe there should be a new section called “News that Makes Me Confused, and a Little Sad,” because this would be on it. Today, Academy Award nominee and all around excellent actor Liam Neeson has confirmed that he is officially in for 2012’s Clash of the Titans sequel, Wrath of the Titans.
For Zeus, it's all about the dollar signs.
Honestly, Sam Worthington I expected (Perseus just wouldn’t be the same if he weren’t played by that wooden, emotionless man,) and even Gemma Arterton’s return wasn’t that surprising, she’s an up and comer who should try for as much screen time as possible in the coming years. But first Ralph Fiennes signed back on, and now his Schindler’s List co-star is on board too, and it’s all a bit mind-blowing. Maybe everyone’s hoping the sequel will be the true remake of the campy 80’s original film we saw on network TV every year as kids, or maybe everyone’s just looking for a quick dollar, even though the first film didn’t come close to breaking even on it’s budget.
The confusion comes from me, and a good amount of people (I hope), expecting a lot more from the first film. It was a re-vamp of a film that’s unabashed ridiculousness made me squeal with glee as a youth, and when the new film hit theaters, it was jarring to see it attempting to take itself so seriously. To be truthful, and risk some raised eyebrows at my personal standards, Prince of Persia did it better, taking an old story (this time a surprisingly difficult Nintendo game from 1992) and making it into a feature film that didn’t take issue with poking fun at itself. It made for a more enjoyable, though still ridiculous, ride.
So now Fiennes and Neeson are back for a second go-round at the Titans “franchise.” I suppose it’s worth it to hope their willingness to try again will give the filmmakers more confidence in creating a better story, but it’s risky all-around. Perhaps we’ll get more interplay between the two, whose scenes in the first film together seemed the most promising. And maybe, just maybe, taking the story seriously will finally work this time around. So long as no one has Neeson mention anything about that damned Kraken again.
Reader Comments (4)
Yeah, Clash of the Titans was pretty awful, but then again, maybe Neeson just likes to stay busy. There are plenty of actors who sign on for sequels to bad movies just to fill up their calendar.
By the way "Academy award winner"? He was only nominated, wasn't he?
Yes, it was just the nod for Schindler's List, same as Fiennes got. I must have subconsciously slipped "winner" in there. Cos he totally deserved it! I'll get it fixed, cheers!
I didn't like the new Clash of the Titans at all!
I seriously enjoyed Disney/ Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and Bruckheimer/ Newell's Prince of Persia far better. I sure hope that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time gets a sequel.
I enjoyed the Clash of the Titans remake on blu-ray when I watched it. It felt like a movie of "God of War" (the video game) more than a remake of the (very) campy movie from the early 80s, though.
I'm scratching my head at why it needs a sequel, though. I agree, I'd rather see more Prince of Persia movies.