US poster for "Centurion" starring Michael Fassbender

Unfortunately, despite having some good early word, the film is only hitting the United States as a limited release (though I'm assuming it will be on the larger side of limited). Though the film reportedly lacks the epic scale of Gladiator or other recent sword-and-sandals films, it supposedly does a nice job of conveying the idea that neither side (Romans or Picts) is the "good" side, despite starting out on the side of the invading Romans. I'm excited to see Fassbender (quite the diverse actor as far as role choices go) back in period-action mode again, in material that will likely have more intelligence and gravitas than 300 to combat the lack of stylization. It will also be interesting to see Olga Kurlyenko (Quantum of Solace) back on the big screen, seeing as early reviews have given her standout praise. Centurion arrives in the US on August 27th.

Trailer for "Centurion" finally arrives

More Centurion Videos

More Centurion Videos

As far as trailers go, I'm not impressed. As much as I love this time period and the cast, this simply looks like that "meh" King Arthur film from 2004 with Clive Owen and Keira Knightley. Then there's that overused blue-grey filter on the lighting, which appears to be a requirement for films set in either Roman Britain or the Roman Gallic territories. The film doesn't have a US release date, and after seeing this, I can't say that disappoints me. I love the sword and sandals genre when it's pulled off correctly, and aside from the costumes, there isn't much else to indicate that Marshall and crew have done a great job. But hey, it is only a trailer; maybe the final product is more Gladiator than King Arthur.

New pictures and info from Neil Marshall's "Centurion" (2010)

I'm actually really excited about this project, because I love this time period...a time period which was in danger of dying off on the silver screen after "Alexander". Even after the success of "300", there were no signs that "sword and sandals" epics could make a comeback, unless they relied heavily on green screens. Maybe this and the more mythology-based "Clash of the Titans" (2010) can help bring this genre back to life...

Source: Empireonline.com

Is your Monday a bit grey or drizzly or lacking in heavily-armoured Romans laying the smackdown on ferocious Pict warriors? We have the answer - and it's a nice cup of tea. Or, failing that, these rather spiffy new images from Neil Marshall's brutal, balls-to-the-wall take on Roman Britain in Centurion.

The movie speculates on the fate of Rome's reputedly 'lost' Ninth Legion*, who in this take are north of Hadrian's Wall, engaged in a bloody battle and facing a bit of trouble getting out of hostile Pict country. Our hero is Fassbender's Quintus, seen in the second of these pictures with Liam Cunningham (who of course starred opposite him in the harrowing Hunger).

Said Marshall of his latest, "The Picts are like the Indians and our Romans are like the cavalry. So, a Scottish-Roman Western! Who'd have thought?!"

Said Fassbender, "There's certainly a lot of head-chopping. I guess you can always make modern-day parallels, to the occupation of Iraq. But it's the idea of someone who believes in an ethos, becomes disillusioned and comes to his own sort of beliefs. So there are parallels, and it's interesting when you take it out of our timeframe and stick it back 2,000 years."

Centurion is out in March 2010, and you'll have to pick up the new Empire for more on it. And yes, after last week's Clash of the Titans pics and Twilight: New Moon posters, we are spoiling you with new pictures. Sorry if we've ruined you forever.

*While the story that they were lost was accepted for years, it's not believed that they, er, weren't, since they turned up a bit later in the eastern Europe. But we're still looking forward to this one and to the similarly themed but more child-friendly Eagle of the Ninth.

Helen O'Hara

First picture of Olga Kurlyenko's first post-Bond role: Neil Marshall's "Centurion"

IMDB gives the following plot details: A splinter group of Roman soldiers fight for their lives behind enemy lines after their legion is decimated in a devastating guerrilla attack. Kurlyenko plays a leader of the Pictish tribe that attacks the Romans.

Call me skeptical, but it reminds me a little too much of Keira Knightley from that bizarre "King Arthur" movie from a few years ago....