“Sinbad” movie setting sail with “Game of Thrones” director

PanARMENIAN.Net - Studio 8 has won a bidding war for Sinbad, a new take on the tales of one of literature’s most enduring fantasy heroes, The Hollywood Reporter reveals.

Kyle Killen, the creator of brainy television shows such as Lone Star and Mind Games, is set to write the script, while Miguel Sapochnik, maybe best known for his work on Game of Thrones, is attached to direct.

David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville Films/TV, who count The Fighter and the Divergent movie series among their extensive credits, will produce.

First appearing in stories from the Middle East that were introduced to Western readers in The Arabian Nights, the Sinbad tales followed the rising and falling fortunes of a wily sailor who finds himself stranded on various islands or lands. After each adventure, he returns to his native Baghdad a wealthy man.

The voyages of Sinbad have made fodder for many adaptations, with perhaps the most iconic being the 1958 film, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which was known for its stop-motion monsterworks by visual effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen.

"Sinbad was a rare comprehensive and engaging pitch which lends itself to an international audience and big visual set pieces but also distinct and unique actor roles for a diverse cast of characters," Studio 8 said Wednesday in a statement. "This project is part of Studio 8’s ongoing commitment to working closely with filmmakers on the re-imagination of genres."

WME packaged the project.

Sapochnik directed the last two Thrones episodes this season, including "Battle of the Bastards" and "The Winds of Winter." Among his other extensive credits are episodes of True Detective, Fringe, House and Netflix’s upcoming Marvel show Iron Fist. Sapochnik also directed episodes of Mind Games, a show created by Killen.

Killen also wrote The Beaver, the Mel Gibson drama directed by Jodie Foster, and Death Note, the recently wrapped horror thriller directed by Adam Wingard.

Mandeville is behind Disney’s high-profile live-action Beauty and the Beast reimagining that is set for release on March 17, and also is on postproduction on Wonder, a drama that stars Julia Roberts and Jacob Tremblay.