Arabian Nights... It's About to Get Historical Up in Here!!

Get ready for an epic movie of legendary proportions... I have no idea what I'm saying. But seriously, read this then tell me you're not interested/excited:

This is a 3D film adaption of the historical text One Thousand and One Nights, which is alternately known in the West as Arabian Nights. The text is a compilation of stories from the Middle East that date back to the period between the 8th and 13th century AD. The first English translation of the text appeared in 1706.

The 2011 film adaptation will be directed by Chuck Russell whose previous credits include being director of The Scorpion King and executive producer of Collateral. Mahalo

Sweeeet. Starring Anthony Hopkins as Pharotu, Dwayne 'formerly known as The Rock' Johnson as Sinbad and Liam Hemsworth as Ali Baba, how could this be bad?

 

There is something about this combo of actors and the story that make me all tingly inside. I got especially giddy when I read this:

 

The 2011 film version will feature prominent characters from the original text such as Sinbad, Aladdin, and Scheherazade. An interview on the MTV Movies Blog with lead actor Liam Hemsworth indicates that rather than focusing on the overall frame story of Arabian Nights where Queen Scheherazade must tell a Persian king 1001 tales in order to keep from being killed, this film version will center on one of the specific tales told by Scheherazade.  MTV

 

Oh HELL YES. We're in.