The 8th Voyage of Sinbad

[Brian in Mesa]

Reeves Boards 8th Voyage of Sinbad
Source: Variety
March 9, 2005

Constantine star Keanu Reeves is set to board The 8th Voyage of Sinbad at Columbia Pictures for director Rob Cohen and producer Neal Moritz, reports Variety.

Reeves will star as Sinbad the sailor, the legendary character from "The Arabian Nights." In the film, set in eighth-century China, Sinbad and his shipmates embark on a quest to find the Lamp of Aladdin. Along the way, they meet a beautiful empress and battle fantastical creatures as well as a rebellious Chinese general who threatens the kingdom with his supernatural powers.

Charlie Mitchell is rewriting a script by Cormac and Marianne Wibberly and Tedi Sarafian.

Special-effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen took up Sinbad's story several times before at Sony with The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958 ), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977).

"Sinbad" will be Cohen's seventh film with Moritz. The director recently wrapped Columbia's Stealth and also helmed XXX and Universal's The Fast and the Furious.

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Keanu as Sinbad?

:whoa:

 

[Stout]

You had me at Sinbad...you lost me at Keanu.

 

[Chaplin]

Me too... It's about time for a cool Arabian Nights movie... but Keanu??

Of course, I'm more concerned that it's Rob Cohen directing, then Keanu Reeves acting.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Rob Cohen Reveals Sinbad Details
Source: Entertainment Weekly
April 12, 2005

Entertainment Weekly caught up with XXX and Stealth director Rob Cohen who revealed new details about The 8th Voyage of Sinbad, which Columbia Pictures will distribute and Neal Moritz is producing.

Keanu Reeves will star as Sinbad the sailor, the legendary character from "The Arabian Nights." In the film, set in eighth-century China, Sinbad and his shipmates embark on a quest to find the Lamp of Aladdin. Along the way, they meet a beautiful empress and battle fantastical creatures as well as a rebellious Chinese general who threatens the kingdom with his supernatural powers.

While setting up the project, Cohen looked up famed special-effects master Ray Harryhausen, who had told Sinbad's story several times before at Sony with The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. "I met with him and said, 'I really would be honored if you would be with me on this, since none of us would be here without you.' What Ray understood in movies like 1958's 'The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad' was how to do action-fantasy-adventure at a time there was no CG. So he's coming out of retirement to be our creative consultant, our godfather," said Cohen.

What convinced the 84-year-old veteran? Keanu Reeves. "He just went, 'Oh, that's so brilliant.' Ray thinks Keanu [could be] the greatest Sinbad ever."

The magazine adds that Cohen thinks Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero) is the one for the job of the empress. Plus, Cohen says that "Sinbad's got a crew, so it's gonna be a whole interesting group of actors. I've talked to Jet Li, Djimon Hounsou and Hayden Christensen."

Cohen also said he is looking for a PG rating. "I'm gonna make it PG, so that everyone can go!"

The 8th Voyage of Sinbad starts shooting in January.

 

[Stout]

You know, I might not even go to SEE this movie. What's the point? It's completely going to SUCK. The Matrix worked. Why? Because Keanu didn't need to act. Constantine worked. Why? Because he only had to be pissed off and not act a lot. This will NOT work, because he has to act, and act charismatic as well. TERRIBLE casting choice.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

You know, I might not even go to SEE this movie. What's the point? It's completely going to SUCK. The Matrix worked. Why? Because Keanu didn't need to act. Constantine worked. Why? Because he only had to be pissed off and not act a lot. This will NOT work, because he has to act, and act charismatic as well. TERRIBLE casting choice.

You're questioning the casting? I thought you'd be psyched about Hayden Christensen possibly being in Sinbad/Keanu's crew.

 

[Chaplin]

You know, I might not even go to SEE this movie. What's the point? It's completely going to SUCK. The Matrix worked. Why? Because Keanu didn't need to act. Constantine worked. Why? Because he only had to be pissed off and not act a lot. This will NOT work, because he has to act, and act charismatic as well. TERRIBLE casting choice.

Dangit, but you are so important to the word-of-mouth!

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Dangit, but you are so important to the word-of-mouth!

Prediction: Chap will own this someday on dvd.

:notgoingoutonalimb:

 

[FischerKing]

You had me at Sinbad...you lost me at Keanu.

shawn

 

[Stout]

Dangit, but you are so important to the word-of-mouth!

What, so now I'm not allowed to make fun of Keanu Reeves? Being put into parts he so doesn't have the talent for? Am I being too insensitive?

 

[Brian in Mesa]

From a recent article about Sony:

In another risk-reducing move, the studio pulled the plug on "The 8th Voyage of Sinbad," a planned expensive spectacle that was to pair "Matrix" star Keanu Reeves with director Cohen. While Cohen's "The Fast and the Furious" and the first "XXX" movie were global smashes, his $135-million "Stealth" was a summer flop, grossing just $32.1 million in domestic theaters and generating a Sony loss of almost $50 million.

"It didn't seem like a good idea for us to make that movie after 'Stealth,' " Pascal says of "Sinbad." Cohen declined to comment.