Greek gods, gotta love ’em. One of my all-time guilty pleasures is Clash of the Titans, the 1981 movie about Zeus’ half-human son Perseus (Harry Hamlin) and his quest to battle both Medusa and the Kraken monster to save his love, the Princess Andromeda. Here’s the original trailer:
Ah, the beauty and splendor of Ray Harryhausen and his special effects techniques. Also starring in Clash of the Titans were a bevy of A-list Brits as the Greek gods, including Laurence Olivier as Zeus, Claire Bloom as Hera, Maggie Smith as Thetis and Ursula Andress as Aphrodite.
Now, it seems the Greek gods are returning in the film Percy Jackson. It’s about a kid named Percy who finds out he is the half-human son of Poseidon, the God of the sea, and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods, based on the book by Rick Riordan. But just like Clash of the Titans, the casting is the best part, as follows:
Kevin McKidd (HBO’s Rome) as Poseidon; Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) as Zeus, the king of the Gods; Rosario Dawson as Persephone, Goddess of fertility and wife of Hades, God of the underworld, played by Steve Coogan; Uma Thurman as Medusa, the snake-headed lady who turns folks into stone; Melina Kanakaredes (CSI:NY) as Athena, Goddess of wisdom; Pierce Brosnan as Chiron, a strapping centaur (can’t WAIT to see that!). Only the role of Ares, God of War, is yet to be cast. And as the mortals, there’s Logan Lerman (3:10 to Yuma) as the young Percy and Catherine Keener as his mom. Wonder how Poseidon seduces her?
Needless to say, I’m pretty jazzed about this one. Just can’t get enough of Greek mythology.