Gamers love POP film, says Bruckheimer

By Ellie Gibson Published 5 November, 2009

"Women flipped" during test screenings.

Uberproducer Jerry Bruckheimer has said the new Prince of Persia film is a hit with test audiences.

That includes games journalists who are big fans of the series, he told Comingsoon.net. "They're so excited to see this and skeptical, to be quite honest. Skeptical we picked Jake and weren't sure if he was the right for the character," Bruckheimer said.

"But when they saw this, they got very excited. They all applauded at the end of it and felt it was true to what Jordan [Mechner] had originally created. They go back to his first game and were asking me questions about a game he created in '89... So they're really into this."

According to Bruckheimer, the POP movie is best described as "an old-fashioned, romantic adventure film". He added, "It's like a Lawrence of Arabia with this kind of supernatural element added to it. But it's really a wonderful biblical story about jealousy. It goes back to all the primal fears and conflicts through history, so it embellishes upon interesting things."

Bruckheimer has been showing the movie to test audiences for a few weeks now and it's scoring "extraordinarily high", apparently.

"It surprised me because I always think these things are going to fail, but this one turned out great," he said. "I was surprised, I thought we made a terrific movie for the boys, but the women flipped over this film... There is violence, it's PG-13, [but] parents rated the film 100 per cent excellent or very good which never happens."

In fact, Bruckheimer said, POP is doing better in testing than Pirates of the Carribbean did - but you never can tell. "Testing can be very... You don't know. I've had films test, nobody showed up. We did a movie called "Glory Road" which had enormous tests. We couldn't get people to go see it. It's a terrific film but nobody showed up."

The Prince of Persia film is due out in May 2010. You can watch the trailer over on Eurogamer TV.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (26) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • JohnnyWashnGo #1 2 years ago

    Actually looking forward to this. Fingers crossed it turns out better than the majority of game to film conversions.

  • ArchiRag #2 2 years ago

    If the prince goes through the whole film without getting impaled by spikes coming out from the floor i'll be seriously pissed....

  • hulahoops #3 2 years ago

    "If the prince goes through the whole film without getting impaled by spikes coming out from the floor i'll be seriously pissed...."

    Wait, that's not how it happened.

  • ArchiRag #4 2 years ago

    ^ it did to me, but i was terrible at the original game

  • OnlyMe #5 2 years ago

    At least, let's hope we'll see him sneak/walk slowly between the spikes, after they've appeared, like you could in the original if you weren't ArchiRag. :D

  • davisorle #6 2 years ago

    @JohnnyWashnGo

    The new HD trailer looks srprisingly great to tell you the truth. I didnt expect it. Actually it looks as the most promising transfer from Game to Movie and im not kidding. I hope im not let down with a lame story or what was in the trailer being the best and only highlights of the whole movie... Happens I know :/

  • asphaltcowboy #7 2 years ago

    The trailer does look surprisingly good, in a largely mindless action adventure sort of way! Really excited to see it!

  • bodypopper #8 2 years ago

    Arterton is lovely but her performance seems as wooden as hell going by the trailer which suggests all sand and fury but signifying nothing much like the Mummy sequels.

  • hiddenranbir #9 2 years ago

    When did Prince of Persia become biblical...

  • nuanimal #10 2 years ago

    "Women flipped during test screenings"?

    Tried flipping my girlfriend during Fantastic Mr Fox... nearly got kicked out but was kinky.

  • 3william56 #11 2 years ago

    Cheggers Plays POP! Says Bruckheimer.

    God, have you actually seen the trailer? Jake G is the worst miscasting since Chris Lambert tried to pass himself off as a Scotsman, and the bint could take acting lessons from a two by four. But whee! Look! Computer graphicy shiny whizzy things!!

    /sigh

  • NGCes26294BIV #12 2 years ago

    Looking forward to this. Mike Newell is a solid director (Donnie Brasco, 4 weddings, Goblet of Fire) and Bruckheimer will bring the right budget and special effects teams to the table.

    Optimistic :-)

  • homerbert #13 2 years ago

    @Gungrave: Comedy bits have been a staple of family adventure films since before talkies came about. There are bits of the original Indiana Jones trilogy that are hilarious. Part of the reason Iron Man or Pirates were so successful was because of the lightness of the comedy.

    You could ask why they put in bad jokes, but no one sets out to make shit.

  • Bigglesworth #14 2 years ago

    Odd that this guy would come out and say things like this. Almost like he has a vested interest in the film's success.

  • Restart #15 2 years ago

    I must be in the minority then, because I think it looks rubbish. Worst of all is the bizarre English type accent that Jake Gyllenhaal puts on.

  • Doctor_What #16 2 years ago

    POPcorn movie.

    Badum tish! Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week, don't forget to try the buffet.

  • Fleeby #17 2 years ago

    "We did a movie called "Glory Road" which had enormous tests. We couldn't get people to go see it. It's a terrific film but nobody showed up."

    Try Glory Hole next time?

  • varsas #18 2 years ago

    It looks like you are Restart. I didn't expect the accent from JG and thought it was very good.

  • Shinetop #19 2 years ago

    I want the Prince to bunny-hop between the spikes. In fact I think all reviews should judge the movie on wether that is included or not.

  • Shinetop #20 2 years ago

    Looking forward to this. Mike Newell is a solid director (Donnie Brasco, 4 weddings, Goblet of Fire) and Bruckheimer will bring the right budget and special effects teams to the table.

    Optimistic :-)

    Don't forget about the fact that Jordan Mechner actually wrote the script and is heavily involved in the whole production.

  • OrangesJoel #21 2 years ago

    "It's like a Lawrence of Arabia with this kind of supernatural element added to it."
    If ever a sentence summed you up, Jerry Bruckheimer.

    Still, this has a much better chance of coming out decent than most game adaptations. Count me as another cautious optimist.

  • Eraysor #22 2 years ago

    Actually looks rather badass from the trailer.

  • KillerMonkey #23 2 years ago

    Looks like a nice mindless action movie. Can't wait :)

  • kongzi #24 2 years ago

    thank god for the coen brothers

  • Oh-Bollox #25 2 years ago

    Jerry Bruckheimer has no idea who Lawrence of Arabia was, does he.

    Either that, or Jake Gyllenhaal recruits a load of Arabs for a campaign of insurgency.

  • YourMessageHere #26 2 years ago

    Wonderful insight into the giant pool of idiocy at the heart of Hollywood, here.

    It surprised me because I always think these things are going to fail, but this one turned out great," he said. "I was surprised, I thought we made a terrific movie for the boys, but the women flipped over this film

    Why are you making it if you think it is going to fail? Why don't you know who you are making it for? Or are you just assuming some sort of ill-fitting false modesty in the hope that it makes you seem less like a profiteering hack?

    Also, Lawrence of Arabia isn't a romantic adventure. At all.

    Having watched the trailer, it looks to me like a thoroughly pulpy and crap film, very much like Pirates of the Caribbean would be without Johnny Depp.