With Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time now in post-production, Jake Gyllenhaal and Mike Newell took time to give us the low-down on the Bruckheimer sword-and-sandal epic for Empire's soon-to-hit-stores July issue.

As Dastan, Gyllenhaal is charged with battling the shadowy cult  of assassins The Hanssansin, a heroic role that the newly-buff leading man claims says him to the role. "I'm always fascinated with these kinds of stories of the hero's journey," Gyllenhaal told us. "You're playing a legitimate hero, you know? I think it's an honour to do that."

Newell, meanwhile, says there's much more to Prince Of Persia than Gyllenhaal roaming the sixth century with his top off. "This isn't just kind of kiss kiss, bang bang," stressed the Four Weddings And A Funeral director. "It's like a superheated, super-actioned Noah story. It's what happens when the gods get angry and so fed up with humans they want to rub them out and start all over again."

But Newell's promising that his leading man will have the tools to meet all this divine fury blow-for-blow. "There's this wonderful line - and I can't remember where this comes from - which says, 'So long as there is just one man, you can't kill us all...'"

For more on the dashing Dastan and his Highlander-esque exploits, click here. Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time swirls into cinemas on 28 May 2010.