New screenshots and concept art from Ubisoft's stylish Prince of Persia reboot have surfaced, showing off the upcoming title's horrors and heroes.

Marking the debut of an entirely new Prince of Persia franchise, the game will arrive on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 this holiday season. A DS version of the title, dubbed Prince of Persia: The Fallen King, is slated to release around the same time.

Alfred "Dr. Octopus" Molina (pictured left) has joined the cast of Disney's game-to-film adaptation of Prince of Persia, which begins filming this July.

Molina's character, Sheik Amar, serves as the acrobatic prince's mentor, according to Variety.

As previously reported, Jake Gyllenhaal will be playing the prince himself, with Gemma Arterton cast as the princess Tamina and Ben Kingsley performing an unknown role. The screenplay was written by Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner.

The film is due out next year, with publisher Ubisoft apparently planning to release a title based on the game-inspired flick around its release. An unrelated and cel-shaded Prince of Persia game is due out this fall.

In addition to the cel-shaded retooling of the classic Prince of Persia platforming series, developer Ubisoft is apparently planning a separate Prince of Persia title based off the upcoming game-inspired film.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot made reference to a movie-centric entry in the franchise during the company's recent Ubidays event, according to GameDaily.

Going by Guillemot's comments, the film and its accompanying game should arrive side-by-side in summer 2009. The other Prince of Persia title Ubisoft has in the works, which is entirely unrelated to the movie, is slated to hit this fall.

The film, which was written by series creator Jordan Mechner and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, is said to be loosely based on the time-traveling adventures found in Ubisoft Montreal's 2003 release of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.

Speaking on the original Prince of Persia game due this fall, creative director Jean-Christophe Guyo explained that while the Sands of Time trilogy "mixed the Arabian Nights in with historical Persia," the stuido opted "to return to the tales of the Thousand and One Nights for something more colourful."

Here's the first trailer for Ubisoft's new Prince of Persia game, in development for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The video offers about a minute of cinematic footage from the Ubisoft Montreal project.

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Also, in case you haven't seen any other media from the game you can find screenshots here and concept art here.

It's a whole new world for the Prince, and a whole new prince.

The debut of Ubisoft's stylized Prince of Persia reboot undoubtedly led many to recall the introduction of Nintendo's cel-shaded Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, after which a grinning Shigeru Miyamoto was the target of a previously unseen brand of gamer vitriol for altering the direction of the hallowed adventure series with its cartoon-like graphics.

But in an era populated by games sporting the "next-gen color palette" of grays and browns, this new, colorful Prince might seem a breath of fresh air for many exhausted by console offerings in recent years. But as Prince of Persia ... Read more

The first screenshots of Ubisoft's recently announced reboot of its long-running series Prince of Persia (PC, PS3, 360, NDS) have surfaced on several internet message boards, giving a glimpse of the game's "illustrative" art style in action.

"The previous trilogy mixed the Arabian Nights in with historical Persia," said creative director Jean-Christophe Guyot earlier this month. "We decided we'd prefer to return to the tales of the Thousand and One Nights for something more colourful."

The new Prince of Persia franchise will arrive on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS this holiday season.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming film adaptation of Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: Sands of Time will be led by actor Jake Gyllenhaal (pictured left) in the titular role of the Prince.

Gyllenhaal, whose previous film credits include Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead and Donnie Darko, is joined by Gemma Arterton as the princess Tamina.

Loosely following the events of the 2003 multiplatform game Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, the film tells the tale of the young prince Dastan—a counterpart to the game's historically unnamed protagonist the Prince—who must prevent a nobleman from possessing the legendary Sands of Time and ruling the world.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Mike Newell (Pushing Tin, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), the film is set to start filming this July. The script was written by Jordan Mechner, who created the Prince of Persia series for Broderbund in 1989.

New gameplay and plot details for the recently announced new entry in Ubisoft's Prince of Persia series were unveiled in the latest issue of French magazine Joypad.

The game is said to create a more fantasy-like game and to bring a poetic vision to the series over the previous Sands of Time trilogy, with which the new title shares no direct connection. The title's cel-shaded visual styling and revamped gameplay scheme were adjusted according to this presentational revision.

"The previous trilogy mixed the Arabian Nights in with historical Persia," said creative director Jean-Christophe Guyot in a Eurogamer translation. "We decided we'd prefer to return to the tales of the Thousand and One Nights for something more colourful."

Guyot added that the game is "Zelda-esque, old school, with very contrasting levels," set against the plot of a cursed land that must be healed by defeating boss guardians. Much like Okami, defeating the bosses will transform the world in... Read more

The next entry in the Prince of Persia franchise will arrive on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS this holiday season, publisher Ubisoft has revealed.

According to the company, the title "is poised to rejuvenate the action-adventure genre in addition to introducing a brand-new illustrative art style."

It is being developed at Ubisoft Montreal, which was responsible for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PC, PS2, Xbox, GCN, GBA) as well as the more recent Assassin's Creed (PC, PS3, X360, NDS).

Though series creator Jordan Mechner recently filed a trademark for "Prince of Persia Prodigy," no specific title was listed in today's announcement.

Ubisoft had previously mentioned the existence of a new Prince of Persia game in its financial documents, though nothing beyond a vague release timeframe was provided at that time.

Trademork reports that Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner has filed a trademark for Prince of Persia Prodigy, suggesting that the new Prince of Persia game due by March 2009 may carry that title.

Though the unnamed Mechner-written Prince of Persia film is currently in pre-production, the details of the trademark application indicate that the phrase only applies to "game software and electronic game programs."

Publisher Ubisoft has remained rather silent about the next Prince of Persia game. No platforms have been confirmed, with the company only noting that the title should arrive by the end of its current fiscal year.

Originally released on the Apple II, the platforming series was eventually reimagined by Ubisoft Montreal through a trilogy of releases for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube, with the latter title ported to the Wii and PSP as well.

A downloadable 2D remake of the original game was released via the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade last year.

Update: ComingSoon.net has word from Disney, which claims there is no truth to the rumor of Bloom starring as the Prince.

Original story: According to movie site Hollywood.com, actor Orlando Bloom (caricatured left) has been tapped to play the lead role in the upcoming film adaptation of Jordan Mechner's classic Prince of Persia series.

The English-born Bloom's previous credits include the Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogies, as well as the epics Troy and Kingdom of Heaven.

"Call him 'professional dreamboat'," said Shacknews staffer Chris Faylor. "You have to."

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Mike Newell (Pushing Tin, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), the film is set to start filming this summer. The script was written by Mechner, who created the Prince of Persia series for Broderbund in 1989.

The last release in the Prince of Persia series was a reimaginging of the original title on the Xbox Live Arcade platform. Ubisoft recently confirmed that development of a new Prince of Persia game is currently underway, aimed for release in Ubisoft's 2008 fiscal year which begins April 1, 2008 and ends March 31, 2009.

Publisher Ubisoft has confirmed that more titles in the Prince of Persia series are on the way along with a new Shaun White snowboarding game, though further details are slim.

In a financial statement released today, the company made a brief mention of the franchises, noting that both are expected to arrive within the next fiscal year, among others. Ubisoft's 2008 fiscal year begins April 1, 2008 and ends March 31, 2009.

The company also announced that its third-quarter sales surpassed its heightened expectations for that period, attributing the boost to the strong performance of Assassin's Creed (PS3, X360), Imagine: Babyz (NDS), Imagine: Animal Doctor (NDS), and other casual titles.

Using an exchange rate of 1.39069 USD to 1 EUR, the company reported sales of $625.81 million in the period between September 30, 2007 and... Read more

In an interview with entertainment industry site Collider, producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed the movie adaptation of Jordan Mechner's Prince of Persia series might begin filming in June. This depends on whether the writer's strike has been mediated by the summer, Bruckheimer said.

"Well we're not going to film until June, so hopefully the writers will come to some kind of consensus with the studios and we can continue," the producer told Collider.

Bruckheimer also revealed no actors have been cast for the film, but reiterated his faith in newly appointed director Mike Newell, known for the Johnny Depp/Al Pacino gangster movie "Donnie Brasco" and other works.

"He's a very inventive, ingenious director, and I think he's going to bring something really special to it," Bruckheimer said. "We have a screenplay, we're just starting to develop."

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell is now likely to direct the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time film, a role previously thought to be filled by acclaimed cinematic badass Michael Bay (Transformers, The Rock, Playboy Video Centerfold: Kerri Kendall).

Variety reports that Newell met with Disney last week to discuss the project, which is said to have "tentpole potential," and that talks regarding his involvement with the film should begin soon. Bay was originally considered a shoe-in to direct given his relationship with producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Young Doctors in Love).

Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner wrote the initial draft of the screenplay, which was then revised by The Day After Tomorrow writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff.

"Rather than do a straight beat-for-beat adaptation of the new videogame, we're taking some cool elements from the game and using them to craft a new story--much as 'Pirates' did with the theme park ride," said Mechner when the film was first announced.

A few games for you to play over the holiday weekend, as Ubisoft has released free, full versions of four of their games. These are ad-supported though, so hopefully you dont mind seeing a few McDonalds ads. Head over to FileShack and download:

• Far Cry full game
• Rayman Raving Rabids full game
• Prince of Persia: Sands of Time full game
• Ghost Recon full game

While you are at it, you should check out the Command & Conquer Gold full game ISOs released by EA.

Director Michael Bay (pictured left) will helm the upcoming Jerry Bruckheimer-produced film adaptation of Ubisoft Montreal's 2003 game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, movie news site IESB.net reports. The site claims to have confirmed with Walt Disney Studios that Bay is expected to direct, though the plan does not appear to be finalized.

Bay is currently directing the live-action Transformers film adaptation. If he does sign on for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, shooting will commence after Transformers wraps, with a release set for summer 2009. Action movie mega-producer Bruckheimer frequently calls on Bay to man the director's post in his films, with the pair having previously collaborated on Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Armageddon, and Pearl Harbor.

Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner, who also wrote and designed the underappreciated 1997 nonlinear adventure game The Last Express and has written and directed several film documentaries, provided the first draft of the film's screenplay. Jeffrey Nachmanoff, a screenwriter on The Big Gig and The Day After Tomorrow, is handling further revisions. The film's story is said to be loosely based on the game's, retaining the elements of the evil vizier seeking to control the sands of time, and the presence of the princess-turned-sidekick Farah. When the film was first announced in 2004, Mechner commented, "Rather than do a straight beat-for-beat adaptation of the new videogame, we're taking some cool elements from the game and using them to craft a new story--much as 'Pirates' did with the theme park ride."

Last month, Disney released three pieces of concept art and a logo treatment for the film (linked below).

According to Australian publication Hyper, Australian actor Charlie Clausen has signed on to play the lead role of the Persian prince; Clausen is also listed in the film's IMDb entry. No casting information has been officially confirmed.

Over at GameCloud you can find a Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Q&A. Ubisoft producer Ben Mattes is asked about the development team's main goals for the game, the Prince and Dark Prince characters, storyline, improved combat system, puzzles and graphics.

A new Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones video development diary is now available over at FileShack. The fifth installment focuses on the game's sound and music.

Two more Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones movies are now available, showing off more from Ubisoft's action/adventure game sequel. One movie shows some of the enemies you'll encounter while the other is a release trailer. Thanks 3D Gamers.

Ubisoft let us know that Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones has gone gold, ensuring that the game will be in stores December 1st as was announced earlier. The action adventure game sequel will carry an MSRP of $49.99. For more on the game check out our recent preview.