We’ve seen this happen time and again in film land: the Subject Thunderdome. Two films with similar subject matter enter; only one can leave triumphant at the box office. Next year offers the prospect of a smack down between Twilight veteran Kellan Lutz and The Rock for Hercules. The trailer for Lutz’ effort is now online.
**Hercules: The Legend Begins **initially seems like it opts for a blend of down-to-Earth story and period elements (while The Rock is going for a strictly myth-free version), and only lets in on the Olympus-related details towards the end of the promo.
The story, set in the Ancient Greece of 1200 B.C., finds a queen succumbing to the lust of Zeus to bear a son who is promised to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the king and restore peace to a land in hardship.
This prince, Hercules (Lutz), knows nothing of his real identity or his destiny. He desires only one thing: the love of Hebe, Princess of Crete (Gaia Weiss), who has been promised to his own brother. When Hercules learns of his greater purpose, he must choose: to flee with his true love or to fulfil his destiny and become the true hero of his time.
Clearly looking to be the love child of Gladiator, 300 and Clash Of The Titans, it doesn’t so far look like it reaches the level of any of them, but that’s hard to judge from a promo. We’ll get a proper look when the film, directed by Renny Harlin, hits the UK on August 8.