Liam Hemsworth, who will next be seen as “that guy standing next to Miley Cyrus” in The Last Song, is going from melodrama to action-adventure with his next film, Arabian Nights.
Co-written by director Chuck Russell and Barry P. Ambrose, the 3-D period epic centers on a young commander (Hemsworth) who, after his king is murdered in a coup, joins forces with Sinbad and Aladdin to rescue Queen Scheherazade.
Filming is targeted for an end-of-summer start.
If the name Hemsworth sounds familiar, Liam’s brother is Chris Hemsworth, who played Kirk’s father in Star Trek and is currently shooting Marvel Studios’ Thor with Kenneth Branagh.
The Pulse: Chuck Russell’s directing career has been relatively quiet after the release of 2002’s The Scorpion King. But the man has delivered in the past with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Mask with Jim Carrey and Eraser with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Arabian Nights is an opportunity to bring back a rousing action-adventure. While the Pirates of the Caribbean series presented plenty of perilous action and swordplay, they don’t quite compare to Martin Campbell’s take on the Zorro character with The Mask of Zorro. I’m hoping Russell goes more in that direction instead of the overbloated and way-too-expensive Pirates saga. But as a period epic that will be presented in 3-D, I am doubtful. Though, I’m still interested to see who they get to play Sinbad and Aladdin.
