Hollywood’s never met a good idea it didn’t want to have two of; from Deep Impact and Armageddon to Dante’s Peak and Volcano, from dueling Alexander the Great movies (only one of which got made) to two Alan Ginsberg movies right now (Howl is filming while Kill Your Darlings is in pre), we’ve seen double dips happen again and again.
The latest: the Roman 9th Legion. Conquering their way across Europe the mighty 9th went into the Scottish highlands and completely disappeared. Centurion, Neil Marshall’s new film, tells one story about them. Now it seems that Kevin Macdonald, former documentarian and director of Last King of Scotland and the upcoming State of Play, will be making his own version.
Focus Features will distribute Eagle of the Ninth, which takes the form of a mystery: a Roman soldier and his Celtic slave try to solve the mystery of the 9th’s disappearance 15 years earlier. Billy Elliot himself, Jamie Bell, will play the slave while Channing Tatum is considering the lead role.
I have a feeling Marshall’s story will be a little more… fun.