Every young warrior needs an elder statesman to groom them for glory. King Arthur had Merlin. Blade had Whistler. Luke had Obi-Wan. It seems that Jack, the titular protagonist in Bryan Singer’s upcoming fantasy adventure Jack The Giant Killer, will also have a mentor of sorts to help him train for his quest to save a beautiful princess as New Line Cinema late yesterday announced that Ewan McGregor is in negotiations to join the cast of the developing Warner Bros. production (this is the first time that I’m hearing of New Line’s involvement in the project as either producer or distributor of the film).
Of course, the Star Wars actor’s prospective role in the movie is currently unknown, so it’s unfair to assume that he’ll train Nicholas Hoult’s Jack in the art of giant killing. But with Stanley Tucci already cast as the film’s main villain and a pair of actors (Bill Nighy and John Kassir) set to portray the two-headed leader of the giants, there aren’t many other fairytale archetypes to fill. And McGregor has two films worth of experience training young warriors, so my prediction stands as is until the studio lets us know what’s what.
Bryan Singer’s work holds a special place in my heart, as films like The Usual Suspects and X-Men came along at a time when I was a young and impressionable moviegoer. His movies, and those of many other directors who came onto the scene in the mid-nineties, shaped me into the film buff I am today and so I’ve been very excited to hear about any developments regarding his return to cinema (Singer hasn’t made a movie since December 2008’s Valkyrie). Jack The Giant Killer is shaping up to be a unique take on a classic tale and I’m very enthusiastic about the visual possibilities of men fighting giants.
Cameras are set to roll in mid-March and the film will be released sometime in 2012.
Source: New Line Cinema
