Brad Pitt is NOT Achilles

Word has it that Leonardo DiCaprio has been cast as Alexander himself in the screen adaptation of the great conquerer's life.

Aren't there about three Alexander movies in the works in Hollywood right now? And whatever happened to that Joan of Arc movie with Mira Sorvino?

 

This thread title confuses me. If Brad Pitt is "NOT" Achilles, then why does the article you're quoting state otherwise? ?

 

I think Mastadge means that in his eyes, Brat Pitt isn't Achilles.

I've heard that both Scorsese and Christopher McQuarrie are attempting to do an Alexander film, but rumor has it that Scorsese's film will be the "blockbuster" starring DiCaprio.

 

A movie about the Iliad? Wow, that's a pretty bad idea to begin with. But leaving the Greek gods out of it? Talk about your modern ignorant butchering of classic literature. The gods and the force of destiny is what the entire Iliad is about! The ancient Greeks simply weren't interested in character. What do these people who are making the film think the Iliad is supposed to be, an anti-war novel?

 

The movie won't even be comparable to the book if the gods are not in it. Is this a fact, has it been verified that the gods are not going to be in the film?

Every surge in battle and change in momentum is directly a result of one or more god's involvement.


Aside from Pitt being Achilles....who are some good ideas for other important characters?

Who can play Agamemnon, Menelaus, Hector, Paris and my favorite character Diomedes?

 

Frankly, I agree that making a film version of the Illiad is a terrible idea. However, I can actually see Brad Pitt as Achilles. We're talking about a guy who, by all of Homer's accounts, was a bit of a man-child, selfish as all hell, cruel and vindictive, hubristic, lacking control of his own machismo, and when he didn't get his way he (literally!) went crying to his goddess mommy.

In fact, that whole article (with its talk of how Brad Pitt dropped the ball on another project becaue it didn't have enough of him in it) seems to have an ironic tinge, spelling out exactly why he's perfect for the role. "Manin aeidei thea peleiado Achilleos..."

 

Just a few things here:

The Gods will appear from what I understand.

Brad Pitt did not drop out of "The Fountain" because of a lack of screen time. Even in the latest draft he would have been in almost every scene. He did not like the changes that Warner wanted Aronofsky to make before they would give an okay on the final budget. He thought it lessened the project.

I think he'll be fine for the role.

This isn't a direct translation of "The Illiad" because that would be extremely costly and incredibly hard to do. It will focus primarily on the portion of the tome in which Achilles makes a real appearance, as opposed to being heard about in a mythic fashion, and then on to the final Battle of Troy.

 

Well, as Achilles, he does have that little problem with the heel...so Brad bites the big one on screen. What a wonderful moment in cinematic history!

BTW, what exactly was the plot supposed to be for "The Fountain"?

 

Achilles doesn't actually die in the Iliad. Sorry to disappoint.

 

I should be played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Patroklos should be played by Sean Connery. Arrr.

 

How right you are, my good boy.

Let's go back to my tent.

 

Hmmmm, Brad as Achilles could work. Not sure who else they might've considered for the role.

And Leonardo as Alexander??? Oh, my.

Personally I thought Jude Law would have been perfect for Alexander.

R.

 

Mmmmmm... Jude Law.

 

Mmmmmm... Bithysith drooling.



Those who wish to see Brad Pitt die horribly should rent A River Runs Through It.

 

The Olympian gods are very much absent from this film, as mentioned in a review of the Beniof script posted at www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=13014... not posting an active link due to some typically vulgar talkback:

Finally, one wishes for a bolder touch in places, such as the depiction of the Greeks' and Trojans' relationship to their gods, who were so active in the Iliad but nowhere to be found in Benioff's screenplay.

While leaving Zeus and Apollo offscreen was probably a wise touch, it would have been nice to see how the characters treated them as an active if unseen presence in their lives. And it also might have been fun for Benioff to have woven into the screenplay some of the recent archaeological discoveries regarding Troy and late Bronze Age Greece (Troy's likely status as a vassal state to the Hittite Empire and pawn in an ongoing struggle between the Hittites and Mycenaean Greeks, for example).

Judging by the rest of the review, this may be a well-done film, though it and several other upcoming projects are, in typical Hollywood fashion, jumping on the Braveheart/Gladiator bandwagon...

 

Aware of that review was I and also aware that it had undergone a bit of a rewrite.

Gods might still not be in it but from what I understand, small parts have been included in this latest draft.

 

While leaving Zeus and Apollo offscreen was probably a wise touch, it would have been nice to see how the characters treated them as an active if unseen presence in their lives. And it also might have been fun for Benioff to have woven into the screenplay some of the recent archaeological discoveries regarding Troy and late Bronze Age Greece (Troy's likely status as a vassal state to the Hittite Empire and pawn in an ongoing struggle between the Hittites and Mycenaean Greeks, for example)

Sounds to me they are being more politically correct than anything else, going for what's cool instead of what's historically correct or what the story is truly about. I'm disappointed to hear about this omission of the relationships of the Gods and presence of the Gods themselves. considering "The Iliad" is one of my favorite things to read and is one of the greatest stories ever told. Leave it to Hollywood to mess this one up too

Brad Pitt as Achilles? Don't think so.

 

Brad Pitt as Achilles? Who's Hector, David Spade?

I love that they're doing a movie about the Illiad, even though the Oddyssey tops it, but they had better put in Poseidon, Zeus, etc. And they had better have a decent cast, at least a good Oddyseus.



Are they making an Alexander movie? They should cast all brits.

 

There are three Alexander the Great projects in development right now.

Oliver Stone has been working on one for ten years but he could never get the funding. It's dead in the water right now.

Christopher McQuarrie (writer of The Usual Suspects and writer/director of The Way of the Gun) was working on a script for his version that was greenlit at one point with an $80 million budget. This one had the backing of Martin Scorsese as a producer and was set to star Leonardo DiCaprio. It too is dead as of right now because.....

DiCaprio and Scorsese have attached themselves to yet a third competing project that is set to be directed by Baz Luhrmann. This one is the closest to actually being made though I'm not entirely sure it has the greenlight yet. I think they're still waiting on the finalized budget. It is the most probable at this point.

So you can envision what the various projects would have looked like with each of these filmmmakers attached. It would have been interesting with any of them but it definitely looks like Leonardo will be playing the conquerer.