WonderCon 2011: ‘Immortals’ Panel Recap

On Saturday, WonderCon and Relativity Media premiered their first trailer for their new mythological action adventure “Immortals.” Directed by Tarsem Singh (The Fall), the story re-imagines Greek mythology and stars Henry Cavill, who will play the next Superman in Warner Bros.’ “Superman: The Man of Steel.”

Both Singh, Cavill, Luke Evans and Isabel Lucas were present and the audience was shown a quick teaser trailer featuring Theseus and the other Gods. It was a montage of quick cuts that began with King Hyperion (Roruke) in his pretty awful “Russian” type accent. We are then show a scene with Phaedra (Freida Pinto) as one of the highest Oracles and then Zeus stating how gods must not intervene in the affairs of man and if they do they will suffer the consequences. We are then shown a quick scene of someone being punished by Zeus and his energy whip. It ends with a cool scene of Thesus in battle with his Epirus bow, a legendary weapon of great power that was created by Ares, the God of War. We see it being fired off with deadly precision and accuracy.

It was a good trailer and I was pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous set designs and golden costumes. Fans of “300” (by the same producer) will probably enjoy this film. It’s very “300” actually, minus the absurd comic booky madness and more of the beauty and grace. And because it’s coming out before “Superman,” it will also give fans a quick glimpse of what they can expect in terms of acting from Cavill. You cannot buy momentum like that. For fans of Tarsem (The Cell), the film has a style that’s very unique and consistent with his previous work. So if you’re a fan, then “Immortals” is something you will definitely enjoy.

During the panel discussion, Tarsem spoke about the concept of immortality and how it differs among gods and men. In his example, he spoke about how Hyperion wanted to spread his legacy through acts of violence, whereas Theseus believe that immortality comes through deeds. The notion of free will become a theme that’s constantly being explored throughout the film.

“Immortals” will be in theaters this year on November 11th in 3D.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Visionary director Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) and producers Gianni Nunnari (300), Mark Canton (300) and Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter) unleash an epic tale of treachery, vengeance and destiny in Immortals, a stylish and spectacular 3-D adventure. As a power-mad king razes ancient Greece in search of a legendary weapon, a heroic young villager rises up against him in a thrilling quest as timeless as it is powerful.

The brutal and bloodthirsty King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his murderous Heraklion army are rampaging across Greece in search of the long lost Bow of Epirus. With the invincible Bow, the king will be able to overthrow the Gods of Olympus and become the undisputed master of his world. With ruthless efficiency, Hyperion and his legions destroy everything in their wake, and it seems nothing will stop the evil king’s mission.

As village after village is obliterated, a stonemason named Theseus (Henry Cavill) vows to avenge the death of his mother in one of Hyperion’s raids. When Theseus meets the Sybelline Oracle, Phaedra (Freida Pinto), her disturbing visions of the young man’s future convince her that he is the key to stopping the destruction. With her help, Theseus assembles a small band of followers and embraces his destiny in a final desperate battle for the future of humanity.