Wellll, as briefly as possible, The Eagle is a movie based on Rosemary Sutcliff's historical fiction novel The Eagle of the Ninth. It's about a young Roman soldier, Marcus Aquila, who sets off into the wilderness of Northern Britian with his Gaulish slave Esca. (In the book Marcus frees Esca before they leave, and they go as friends) They are searching for the eagle standard of the lost Ninth Legion, of which Marcus' father was an officer. The standard is in the hands of the tribesmen of the wild north, who will use it as a propaganda weapon if they try to drive out the Romans. Needless to say, our heroes go through a lot trying to find and steal the thing back!
The movie is rated PG-13 for violence.

Regarding the new TV spots: another reason they make me more optimistic is that they seem to focus more on the emotions and adventure than the action and fighting, which is what the trailer had too much of.

I don't know if you noticed this, but I thought that the Eagle looked a bit low budjet. It looks like it might be interesting though.

Whatever happened to the Screwtape Letters adaptation that was first planned to be released 2 years ago ?

Screwtape Letters doesn't surprise me it's been more difficult to make, if you've read it you know it's not gonna be easy to adapt. I've got no idea how they plan to do it honestly.

I just realized that IMDb removed the page for The Screwtape Letters. I think it's safe to assume it's been canceled as of this moment. Upsetting, but it does make sense as it would have been very difficult.

I'm sorry to hear about Screwtape, but as you say, it makes sense! At least we have that great Radio Theater adaptation.

aragorn2, I haven't been able to find a reliable source for The Eagle's budget, but various websites - e.g. Wikipedia - say $20 million, and another website (forgot which! Sorry. I'm on a different computer and can't find it right now!) says $15 mil. So I'd say somewhere around there. I think that is kinda low, especially for a movie with (apparently) a lot of battle scenes. But there won't be any CGI creatures/monsters.

That's too bad about the Screwtape Letters. It would have worked if they had just taken it out of letter form, and just informed the audience that they were communicating by letters. After all, You've Got Mail was about a communication by e-mail, and it worked just fine. I wonder why they couldn't just do it that way?

~Riella

With all the talk about the Screwtape Letters, I'd like to recommend anyone here who was wishing that the movie would be released to go and see the play (if it is in your area)! At first I was skeptical on how a play could really do these books justice, and how it couldn't be extravagantly boring. I went to a local showing, and boy, was I surprised! It was a great production, and I would highly recommend going to one if there's any theaters around any of you all hosting the play.

My apologies that it's not exactly movie related, but, plays are kind of close!

So I've never read the books, though they are favorites here. I have thought about reading them, since a friend on another forum highly recommended them. But I just saw on BOM that they are making a movie of The Hunger Games, I assume book 1. Set for release in 2012, (IMDb says 2013, which I assume is the old date since BOM just put that up).

Didn't know if you all know that. I searched the forum and found nothing of it.

It was already announced that Swedish Actor Michael Persbrandt was cast in the Hobbit it was unknown who he would play, but now the TheOneRing.net is reporting that he may be playing the role of Beorn the Shapeshifter!

Here is the Link
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2011/01 ... eorn-role/

Interesting! Thanks very much for sharing that information 7chronicles.
I think Mr. Persbrandt will be great for the part, except I hope he grows a big beard! And I did kind of imagine Beorn with dark hair... I'd better go back and look at the book's description of him!
EDIT: the book describes him like this:

...a huge man with a thick black beard and hair, and great bare arms and legs with knotted muscles...

IMDB has some new pictures uploaded for The Eagle. This particularly interesting one shows Marcus, Guern the hunter, and Esca, along with several unknown tribespeople.

So I've never read the books, though they are favorites here. I have thought about reading them, since a friend on another forum highly recommended them. But I just saw on BOM that they are making a movie of The Hunger Games, I assume book 1. Set for release in 2012, (IMDb says 2013, which I assume is the old date since BOM just put that up).

Didn't know if you all know that. I searched the forum and found nothing of it.

I've been following the progress of this movie myself - the release date is cool, but i'm really waiting on the announcement of the cast. Some of the names being tossed around are interesting, but a few alarm me, lol.

BTW, you're right - it's book 1. So far, anyway.

So is that fake about the girl cast as Itaril in The Hobbit?

So is that fake about the girl cast as Itaril in The Hobbit?

"That girl"? That's Saoirse Ronan! She was nominated for an Oscar a few year's back. Very good young actress. But I don't get the role, Though I like the idea of her in the movie.

She looks pretty and elvish. Haha, I don't know her from Adam. Never was into celebrities...'less they're in Narnia or LotR films. Anyway, she'd be great, I was just bummed it wasn't me. Though they said that was just a rumor,though she said she'd play the part if asked to. Time will tell, but I bet they've already talked other and she has to keep it hushed.

You don't know her from Adam? For a start, she's a girl and Adam was a man. But seriously, she's not hugely well-known (like Angelina Jolie or anything) but she was in Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones.

Speaking of Saoirse Ronan it has just been announced that she has apparently been cast in the Hobbit! Her role is still unconfirmed though.

Here is the Link:
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2011/01 ... rse-ronan/