Hopkins a Villain Again in ARABIAN NIGHTS

Chuck Russell's adventure flick, Arabian Nights, is starting to round into shape. Liam Hemsworth(brother of Thor's Chris Hemsworth) has been attached to the film for quite some time, but now Anthony Hopkins is in final negotiations to play the villain, Pharotu. The story involves a young commander who joins up with Sinbad, the genie from the magic lamp, and Ali Baba to rescue Queen Scheherazade. Phatotu is an evil wizard responsible for the death of Sinbad's love.

I love 1,000 Nights but this is looking like a more action-packed retelling of that classic story. Chuck Russell isn't a name that inspires a lot of confidence in me, having directed some films I truly loathe like A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and The Mask. I did enjoy Eraser, though, because it brought Arnold Schwarzenegger back to the silly violence that made him great.

As for Hopkins, I'm just hoping he doesn't repeat the sleep inducing performance he gave in The Wolfman earlier this year.

You can read more of Heat Vision's coverage of this story here.