Percy Jackson and the Olympians Fansite

2010 is going to take a bit of thunder out of the Twilight sails and put them into Mythology. With the release of Clash of the Titans and The Lightning Thief, we will see a mythology showdown. Here’s how the Journal sizes up the two movies. And take a look at the old Clash of the Titans trailer and the new – compare!

If you know any kids who like books, or if you were a youngster in the early 1980s, you may have heard that there are two major myth-themed movies due out in 2010: the big screen version of the book “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” and the remake of the 1981 movie “Clash of the Titans.”

The release of the two movies in the same calendar year sets up a cinematic clash, as different actors take the roles of some of the same gods and goddesses. Even some of the monsters are the same–Medusa shows up in the ”Percy” books, and also makes an appearance in “Clash.” ”Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” is due out Feb. 12, 2010; “Clash of the Titans” will be released March 26, 2010.

The original “Clash of the Titans” was a kind of guilty pleasure that you didn’t have to feel all that guilty about. Sure, it starred a rather cheesy Harry Hamlin as Perseus, and an arguably cheesier Ursula Andress as Aphrodite. But it also featured acting great Laurence Olivier as Zeus, Claire Bloom as Hera and stop-motion special effects by the great Ray Harryhausen, the man behind the visual magic in such films as “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958) and ”Jason and the Argonauts” (1963). The new “Clash” features Sam Worthington as Perseus, Liam Neeson as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes as Hades, and Danny Huston as Poseidon.

“Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” is the first big-screen adaption from the book series by author Rick Riordan. The franchise is basically “Harry Potter” for slightly older kids, boys in particular, and recounts the adventures of a troubled youngster named Percy who finds out that the Greek Gods aren’t myths, and that his real father is Poseidon, god of the sea. The movie version stars Logan Lerman as Percy, Kevin McKidd as Poseidon, Uma Thurman as Medusa, Steve Coogan as Hades, Rosario Dawson as Persephone, and Pierce Brosnan as Chiron, Percy’s centaur mentor.

Myth movie fans will have to wait for 2011 to check out “Thor” with Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Chris Hemsworth as the title character.

New Clash of the Titans:

Original Clash of the Titans:

(Source: WSJ)