ALL SCI-FI

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Ray & Charles Schneer planned this as their next production following The Clash of the Titans.

The working title was Aeneas.

Based loosely on Virgil's Aeneid, it told the story of Aeneas, warrior and Prince of Troy.

Among the key sequences were the fatal flight of Daedalus and Icarus, a colony of cyclops, Furies, jackal men, The Sphinx of Phrygia, the evil goddess Hecate, (possessing three hideous faces and six hands, each holding a different weapon) and Scylla and Charybdis (a monstrous mutation of octopus, triton, and sea serpent), the wooden horse of Troy, and the Four Horsemen.

Industrial Light & Magic would do sections of the Sphinx and Pandora's Box in order to take some of the burden off Ray's shoulders.

The project gained some interest at MGM, but in time that interest waned.

Man, certainly sounds like one ambitious production with everything Ray packed into it. Perhaps too much?

I also see that he is repeating himself with some of his ideas for this movie.

A colony of cyclops (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad), Hecate (The Golden Voyage of Sinbad), Scylla & Charybdis ( It Came From Beneath the Sea and The Clash of the Titans).

Perhaps Ray would have re-imagined these various creatures and make them different from his previous films so that they would be fresh & original.

Perhaps he wouldn't and for we great admirers of Ray there would have been a seen-it-all-before reaction.

Who can say?

This movie sounds exciting in some ways and repetitive in other ways. With mythological creatures Ray could go in so many different directions that I'd hate to see him go down a path where he has already been before.

[Bud Brewster]

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Great Scott, I just found this at rayharryhausen.com! I believe it was posted in 2018, so I'm not sure if the exciting project it describes is still active.


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The foundation established by legendary special effects visionary Ray Harryhausen is pleased to announce a joint effort with Morningside Productions, the company of late film producer Charles Schneer. Discovery of new materials in the vast archives of the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation will be the basis of a spectacularly new and original theatrical motion picture in the style of such Harryhausen/Schneer classics such as Clash of the Titans, the duo’s most significant box office collaboration from 1981.

This project, tentatively entitled Force of the Trojans, is based on a screenplay by Beverley Cross, and original production art and sculptures conceived by Ray Harryhausen that are on par with some of his most iconic screen creatures.

Force of the Trojans will embody the spirit of the original Harryhausen films with all the fun, vibrant action, epic scope and dedication to craftsmanship that has made Ray Harryhausen’s films timeless.

Unlike other revisits to the fantasy adventure genre, Force of the Trojans will bring together stop-motion animation with the photo-real world of CGI, marking the first time that a monster battle will mix both techniques on screen in a major motion picture. In homage to a bygone era, this film will bring both worlds crashing together. For the first time, we can put on screen sequences that were not possible for Ray due to the limitations of special effects photography at the time.

The Harryhausen Foundation oversees and curates a vast creative archive of 60 years’ worth of artefacts in its 50,000-strong collection from the father of animated special effects, making this the most complete and comprehensive fantasy cinema and animation collection anywhere in the world. We are excited and challenged to have unearthed this lost gem and a look forward to creating a film that will delight both the fans of Ray Harryhausen and moviegoers everywhere.

John Walsh
Foundation Trustee, filmmaker and friend of Ray Harryhausen
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There's even a short video about that discusses the project.

Giant Monster News: Ray Harryhausen's FORCE OF THE TROJANS Announced


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So, we may-or-may-not get this new movie that blends stop motion and CG!. I sure hope we do.


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If all this talk of Ray's work has you suddenly yearning for a quick "stop motion fix" — this video will fix you up nicely.

___________The Ray Harryhausen Creature List


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)