I brought up the remake of Clash of the Titans a couple of weeks ago, and I just learned recently that Hollywood is releasing a very similar genre flick called War of the Gods at around the same time next year. Clash will be out first in Spring, and War in late Summer/early Fall. (See my updated post regarding release date and casting info)

Ok now, I don’t quite get the strategy behind this (if there’s any), I’d imagine they’d be eating out of each other’s box office take? In any case, the leads of both flix are largely unknown (Aussie Sam Worthington and Brit Henry Cavill), which makes it all the more interesting. Sam Worthington was probably the more recognizable of the two, having been in Terminator Salvation this past May, whilst Henry’s been doing Showtime’s The Tudors for the last 3 seasons (more on him in a bit).

At first glance, looks like Clash would have the edge too, with the all-star cast that includes Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. But War is directed by Indian native Tarsem Singh, whose last film The Fall was so visually stunning it took my breath away. Under his direction, it could very well have a distinctive flavor that’ll stand out above the rest of the pack. Having Henry Cavill as the lead can’t hurt, either.

Ok, regarding Henry, I’ve been watching this guy’s career ever since I saw him in The Count of Monte Cristo. I was working on featuring him on my blog in regards to him being dubbed the ‘most unlucky man in Hollywood’ by EMPIRE magazine, but The Playlist beat me to it. No matter, it was a great article that exemplifies how much this talented guy’s been overlooked time and time again! I mean, he’s been passed over for not one but FOUR iconic roles: James Bond, Superman, Batman (for The Dark Knight) and Edward in Twilight (despite him being Stephanie Meyer’s first choice). It’s probably a blessing in disguise regarding the last role, he’s too good to be trapped in a teenybopper’s flix like that for years (sorry Twilight fans!). I’d rather he mixes things up, doing indie films as well as big studio fares. I wouldn’t be opposed to him doing Bond once Daniel Craig’s contract is up though. He’ll be the right age then and being tall, dashing, British, and with charisma to boot, what else do you ask for? The Dunhill fashion house obviously recognized that. Check out his Dunhill fragrance commercial. Can you say, Bond, James Bond? Fingers-crossed War of the Gods will finally put him on the Tinseltown map the way 300 did for Gerry Butler.

Back to the flix in question, I’d be curious to see how these two play out next year. I love Greek mythology stuff, so I definitely be watching both of them. Let the battles begin, on-screen and off!