Xenophon's Anabasis might be adapted for the big screen

Some old news (2008) http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...goryid=13&cs=1

Columbia will turn the story of an ancient Greek military expedition into an epic action film.The studio has acquired a pitch for an adaptation of "Anabasis," a memoir written around 400 B.C. by Xenophon, a Greek soldier who was among 10,000 elite mercenaries who attacked the Persian Empire and who led them back through hostile terrain after their leader was betrayed and slain.
The tale inspired Walter Hill's 1979 film "The Warriors."

Script will be written by Robert Schenkkan, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who just served as writer and co-producer on HBO miniseries "The Pacific." Jimmy Miller will team with Robbie and Jonathan Stamp to produce under Miller's Sony-based Mosaic label.

Project marks a dramatic departure for Miller, a prolific supplier of Sony comedies like "Talladega Nights" and "Step Brothers." "Anabasis" will be the first of several period dramas he will produce with the Stamp brothers, clients of his management company who are accomplished historians, authors and documentary filmmakers.

Robbie Stamp, former partner of author Douglas Adams ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"), has produced docus and co-authored historical books, as has Jonathan Stamp, a former Unesco Intl. Scholar who was historical consultant and producer on the HBO series "Rome." The brothers also have an HBO deal to develop other history-based series.

"Anabasis" is an ancient work written right after Xenophon's ordeal. Sony Pictures chairman-CEO Michael Lynton and Schenkkan both had read the book in college and sparked to the tale. The success of "300" also helped.
"Crazy tribes, brutal terrain, vicious combat, hellacious weather -- 'Anabasis' is full of astounding endurance and heroism," said Jonathan Sharp.

Miller said they chose this project to be the first of several historical pics.
The Stamps "are so knowledgeable in this world of big historical pieces, and I think they're going to be formidable in the genre," Miller said.

Imdb (Pro version) says the project is currently under development, being planned for release next year. There are no further details circulating on the Internet at this point other than rumours. I do hope this movie will eventually come to fruition.

something like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Warriors_(film)?

That is good news, except I don't want it become another 300.

Anabasis is good because it has considerable amount of description about Greek military tactic and strategy during post-Peloponnese War period.

Originally Posted by hellheaven1987

That is good news, except I don't want it become another 300.

couldn't agree more, but sadly it will...

I'll be watching this closely, I hope its not too 300esque.

Hope they dont ruin this.

The article already ed up the plot with this

"a Greek soldier who was among 10,000 elite mercenaries who attacked the Persian Empire and who led them back through hostile terrain after their leader was betrayed and slain." LeaderS were betrayed and slain. Its not special if it was just one leader. It was all of the leaders.

Xenophon's Anabasis, or There and Back Again. The story of an Athenian who gets caught up in a party that takes him far from his home, through many adventures and culminating in a great battle, before returning home with many stories to tell. Xenophon may or may not have had hairy feet.

Nothing to suggest he didnt

He was Greek so it's definitely a possibility.



As for the movie, it'll be a mix of Alexander and 300

This could be epic in many ways, but there are also many ways in wich they can totally mess this up

What sort of mix can you make out of Alexander and 300. Id prefer Alexander over the graphics in 300. Id also prefer 1000s of extras over the computer generated soldiers.

For those worrying it may be "just another 300" (which I don't see what the big deal is, 300 was entertaining, not meant to be historically accurate etc) you can take some comfort in that the writer has a good resume. The Pacific (while not as good as Band of Brothers) was still fairly well written.

Originally Posted by Last Roman

For those worrying it may be "just another 300" (which I don't see what the big deal is, 300 was entertaining, not meant to be historically accurate etc) you can take some comfort in the writer has a good resume. The Pacific (while not as good as Band of Brothers) was still fairly well written.

Perhaps, but I don't know how he is going to write the script about 10 thousands, since the whole story is very grey, which unlike Pacific War that has someone that is on the moral bad side.

Originally Posted by hellheaven1987

Perhaps, but I don't know how he is going to write the script about 10 thousands, since the whole story is very grey, which unlike Pacific War that has someone that is on the moral bad side.

well, I don't doubt that they'll portray the Persians as the antagonists (but I could be wrong), if perhaps in a bit fairer light (again, I could be wrong).

Originally Posted by Last Roman

well, I don't doubt that they'll portray the Persians as the antagonists (but I could be wrong), if perhaps in a bit fairer light (again, I could be wrong).

Ya, and Greeks were heroes who burned Persia land and raped Persian women at will.

Originally Posted by hellheaven1987

Ya, and Greeks were heroes who burned Persia land and raped Persian women at will.

Well, its simple, the Greeks are white, the Persians, less so. So clearly the Greeks are Heroes.

And unbelievebly historically accurate, so theres that.

Why does it need to be so? The guys that are fighting against the protagonist are the enemy, thats all they need to be, just warriors doing what warriors do best. obviously i dont mean drones, the character development will be there but we have to accept violence and cruelty as the norm.

Originally Posted by saxdude

Why does it need to be so? The guys that are fighting against the protagonist are the enemy, thats all they need to be, just warriors doing what warriors do best. obviously i dont mean drones, the character development will be there but we have to accept violence and cruelty as the norm.

Perhaps, but we have to accept the fact that 10 thousands were in Persia because they were helping someone to overthrow the king, then they thought they could got away from all they had done without penalty.

I hope they actually made this. I red anabasis some months ago and it was not only a great read from an academical point of view but also quite entertaining kinda mythic in a ''Troy'' sense. It's almost unbelievable that it actually happened.