Respected Actors Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina Join Cast of “Prince Of Persia”

Two “respected” actors have joined Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton in the cast of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Disney has announced that Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina are both on board the summer tentpole pic.

Disney’s live-action adaptation of the popular action adventure video game series follows an adventurous prince Dastan (Gyllenhaal) who must join forces with Tamina (Arterton), a feisty and exotic princess, to prevent a villainous nobleman from possessing the Sands of Time, a gift from the gods that can reverse time. Molina will play Sheik Amar, a mentor to the prince. Kingsley is rumored to be playing Vizier, the main villain of the film.

The casting of two notable and respected “actors” ratchets up the prestige factor of the film a notch or two. I personally think this trend of casting “up” for summer blockbusters is a very welcomed change of pace. In the past there wasn’t a lot of thought put into trying to get the best actors for a summer tentpole pic as much as there was trying to get bankable actors.

Batman Begins probably began the latest trend by having a cast list that reads more like an Oscar nomination list than a list of the actors in a summer superhero action film: Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Watanabe. And that film was directed by Christopher Nolan who was first recognized as a good filmmaker and not as an action filmmaker.

Other films have followed suit including the smash hit, Iron Man, which cast the actor’s actor, Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role and brought in Jon Favreau, not really known for action films, to direct this very action-oriented movie. We all know how well that worked out. The Incredible Hulk and The Dark Knight will follow the same pattern later this summer. Many think Heath Ledger has a real chance at a posthumous Oscar nomination for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight.

I’m not saying Prince Of Persia is exactly reaching these lofty goals just yet, but adding Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina will go a long way in that direction. Bringing in Mike Newell as director was a smart move as well. Sure, he directed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but he also directed Four Weddings and a Funeral, Donnie Brasco, Mona Lisa Smile, and Love in the Time of Cholera – not the typical action director’s resume.

I’m not exactly a Jake Gyllenhaal fan, but I find that I’m starting to look forward to seeing what they do with this movie. Video game adaptations haven’t fared well in the past, but I’m thinking this film could be the one to break the curse.