[Photo: Nicholas C.J. Pappas, Professor of History – Sam Houston State University]
Columbia Pictures is set to turn the story of an ancient Greek military expedition into an epic action film, according to Variety Asia. The script will be written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrite Robert Schenkkan.
The film, called “Anabasis,” will be based on the memoirs of Xenophon, a Greek soldier who lived about 2600 years ago (400 B.C.E.) and was one of the 10,000 elite mercenaries who attacked the Persian Empire. He then took charge and led his men back from that hostile land after their own commander had been betrayed by one of their own and killed.
Jimmy Miller (“Step Brothers”), Robbie Stamp, (“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”) and brother Jonathan Stamp will produce. The siblings served as historical consultants for the HBO series “Rome.”
“Crazy tribes, brutal terrain, vicious combat, hellacious weather — ‘Anabasis’ is full of astounding endurance and heroism,” said Jonathan Stamp.
“[The Stamps] are so knowledgeable in this world of big historical pieces, and I think they’re going to be formidable in the genre,” Miller said.
It’s all Greek to me?!?
I just hope it’s more like 300 or Alexander than Troy.
Its interesting that the film makers are keeping the original title of Xenophon’s account. I would have thought they would have gone with something more Hollywood like “March of the Ten Thousand.”
I am guessing this will less cartoony and more historically accurate then 300. Whether Anabasis will be any good is of course another question. Despite its historical inaccuracies 300 was a lot of fun.