With "Stealth" wrapped and scheduled for July, helmer Rob Cohen ("xXx", "The Fast & The Furious") is moving on and is already in negotiations to direct Columbia Pictures' long-gestating Sinbad picture, "The 8th Voyage of Sinbad." says The Hollywood Reporter. Keanu Reeves is in talks to top the project.
Uber-producer Neal Moritz is set to produce "Sinbad," which has been in the works for several years and had John Singleton ("2 Fast 2 Furious", "Shaft") most recently attached to direct. The story follows the continuing adventures of Sinbad and his crew, who are marooned off the coast of China in the 8th century. Once ashore, they embark on a quest to find the Lamp of Aladdin. Along the way, they meet a beautiful empress and battle fantastical creatures as well as a rebellious Chinese general who threatens the kingdom with his supernatural powers.
The character of Sinbad has appeared in many films throughout the 20th century with actors like Gene Kelly, Shemp Howard, Sebastian Cabot, Brendan Fraser and even Lou Ferrigno all playing him in one form or another. The most memorable being the Ray Harryhausen trilogy of films in 1958, 1974 & 1977. The most recent incarnation of the character was 2003's Dreamworks animated epic "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" which featured Brad Pitt as the voice of the adventurous sailor and sadly tanked at the box-office.
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