Anthony Hopkins is in final negotiations to play the villain in Arabian Nights, reports Heat Vision. Filming is scheduled to start at the end of the summer.
To be directed by Chuck Russell, the action adventure “centers on a young commander (Liam Hemsworth) who, after his king is murdered in a coup, joins forces with Sinbad, Ali Baba and the Genie from the magic lamp to rescue the queen, Scheherazade.
“Hopkins will play Pharotu, an evil sorcerer who killed Sinbad’s love, a mermaid, and is looking to amass more magic for himself.”
The film was written Russell and Barry P. Ambrose. Inferno’s Bill Johnson is producing with Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray of Mayhem Pictures. ROAR also is producing.
Hopkins’ upcoming projects include Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Marvel Studios’ Thor and supernatural thriller The Rite.
