Two films hit theaters next spring that deal with the gods of Greek mythology.
The first one is “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.” Based on Rick Riordan's best-selling children's novel, the film follows Poseidon's son, a 12-year-old boy, who sets out on a quest in present-day America to rescue his mother, return Zeus' stolen lightning bolt and prevent a civil war from erupting among the gods.
It being directed by Chris Columbus (“Home Alone,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Harry Potter”) and stars a stellar cast including: Logan Lerman, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman and Ray Winstone.
The movie comes out on February 12, 2010
The second one is "Clash of the Titans.” It is a remake of the classic 1981 film that followed the adventures of Perseus as he rescued Princess Andromeda.
The new film follows Perseus, who is born of a god but raised as a man, as he tries to save his family from Hades, god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus and unleash hell on earth. The warrior will lead a band of warriors deep into the underworld, battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts.
The film is directed by Louis Leterrier ("The Incredible Hulk") and stars Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Pete Postlethwaite, and plenty of other great actors.
The movie comes out on March 26, 2010.
This isn’t the first time that two films with similar material have fought in theaters. Other movie cage-matches include:
“Dante’s Peak” (Feb. 7, 1997) vs. “Volcano” (April 25, 1997)
“Antz” (Oct. 2, 1998) vs. “A Bug’s Life” (Nov. 25, 1998)
“Deep Impact” (May 8, 1998) vs. “Armageddon” (July 1, 1998)
More films with the same premise will continue to find themselves in theaters within weeks of each other. Maybe the studios should work out their movie release schedules better.
Which Greek mythology film will you be seeing next spring?
