The Romans are coming!

And the Greeks. And the Persians. The last decade began with a mighty sword and sandal epic – Ridley Scott’s Gladiator – and this decade starts off with a whole marching army of them. I thought, as befitting my years in archaeology, I’d take a chronological look.

Greeks

Actors of a certain age and with the right amount of gravitas will have had no trouble finding work over recent months filling the sandals of Zeus and Poseidon. Best to get out of the way the film with one of the worst titles. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief may be trying to remind us that it is the next Harry Potter and the Something or Other but that doesn’t make it catchy. But any potential plot flaws are as nothing against the realisation that Zeus is Sean Bean. There is indeed a god. With any luck, there’ll be a succession of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Rods. For all of us who feel affection for the first Clash of the Titans, there can be only trepidation for the new one on the way. Liam Neeson is Zeus and the frightening Ralph Fiennes is Hades and Sam Worthington – no longer blue and tailed – is the hero Perseus. 300, which I thorough enjoyed, evocative as it was of Greek red and black vase motifs – fantasy as the Greeks would know it – may be followed by a recreation of the Battle of Marathon in the next year or two. I’m hoping so.

Romans

The TV series Rome has had great success on both sides of the pond and may have something to do with the resurgance of Roman epic over the next year, both on the small screen (Spartacus) and on the big. Jamie Bell is leading the way in Eagle of the Ninth (picture below), the tale of a legion annihilated in mysterious circumstances in deepest Scotland. Meanwhile we have more Roman soldiers facing blue people (a different type of blue person – shorter) in Centurion. This features Dominic West who was also in 300. Jim Sheridan is taking on a TV and literary classic, I Claudius. I await this with great interest and a little alarm. I doubt whether Derek Jacobi and Sian Phillips can be improved upon. James Purefoy of Rome, incidentally, is being transported through a few centuries to appear in the Templar romp, Ironclad.

Persian

In Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Disney transports us back to early medieval Persia courtesy of Jake Gyllenhaal as a street urchin prince and Gemma Arterton – fresh from clashing those titans – as the feisty princess from a rival country. I will be moving into the theatres throughout June for this one – I’ve already informed my family that the phone will be off the hook and my diet will comprise popcorn, fizzy cola bottles, vanilla ice cream and Stella. It has other people in it but I won’t notice them.

Norse

In 2011 Kenneth Branagh brings us Thor and another set of gods, equally quarrelsome. Antony Hopkins and Samuel L Jackson will battle it out with Natalie Portman caught in the middle. This could be good, very good.

After all this, I’ll be ready for films with aliens in them again.