Rejected Rumor: Orlando Bloom is NOT The Prince of Persia

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on April 7, 2008

We dig rumors just as much as the next site, but over the years we have learned that when something sounds a little too good to be true, it doesn’t hurt to do some fact checking first, even if that means we miss out on breaking a story. One such story was reported this morning by Hollywood.com. They reported that Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom has landed the lead role in the upcoming Disney adventure trilogy based on the Prince of Persia video game series.

They also reported that the deal, which spanned all three films, was worth upwards of $40 million. That is where we stopped and said, “Wait, that doesn’t seem right. No one would pay Orlando Bloom $40 million for 3 movies, not even Disney.”

It turns out that my gut instinct appears to be right on this one. I sent word over to Disney and asked if there was any truth to this whole story. The response I got?

“There is absolutely no truth to this rumor.”

So there you have it. Right from the horse’s (or at least the horse’s publicist’s) mouth. So for all of you out there who are holding out hope that The Prince of Persia could turn out to be a good flick, you can breath a sigh of relief — Orlando Bloom is not (at least as of right now) going to play the lead.

As well, contrary to the report from Hollywood.com, Jerry Bruckheimer is not slated as the director of the film. He is still locked in as producer with Mike Newell (Love in the Time of Cholera, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) attached as director.

For more on the film, I would suggest keeping an eye on the official site of Jerry Bruckheimer Films. And as well, we will keep you abreast of any developments regarding Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Read the original story at Hollywood.com

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