Oscar Isaac, Evangeline Lilly, and Billy Zane Set to Star in Animated Epic LEGEND OF DESTRUCTION
There’s a new animated masterpiece in development that sounds absolutely fascinating titled Legend of Destruction. Directed by the talented Gidi Dar, Legend of Destruction brings together a powerhouse voice cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Evangeline Lilly, Elliott Gould, and Billy Zane.
Nine years in the making, this movie will showcase a visually stunning style, with over 1,500 original still paintings created by David Polonsky and Michael Faust, the creative minds behind the Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning Waltz with Bashir and The Congress.
You’ll experience an epic action-packed war film like never before, as these paintings are edited together to create an innovative and immersive cinematic experience!
The pic is set in 66 AD, Judea, “under Roman rule; a virtual powder keg waiting to explode. Its society is polarized, and there is rampant social injustice and corruption. When the Jews revolt against the Roman Empire, the situation quickly deteriorates into a brutal civil war and the Roman war beast is unleashed to crush the rebellion. The film ends in 70 AD with the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and the beginning of the 2000-year exile of the Jewish People – a key moment in both Judaism and Christianity.”
The story is told from the perspective of Ben Batich (Isaac), “a good hearted naïve young man who becomes a hardened zealot, a follower of the charismatic Robin Hood-like rebel leader Bar Giora (Zane).”
The director said in a statement: “This story is at the core of Jewish existence, it is one of the darkest moments of my people, yet few know it. I felt compelled to tell it.” When talking about the style, Dar said: “Movement in cinema is an illusion. There are 24 still frames per second. In Legend of Destruction, we tried to push the limits of this illusion a few steps ahead.”
Isaac said: “It is a story that has great historical sweep, but also is very intimate, it is about a personal relation between the lead character and God.” He went on to say: “I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that it was going to be told using just still images. I started watching it and suddenly, within minutes, I was completely transported, and swept up into an epic story…I felt like I was watching Gladiator.” He then said it’s “terrifyingly relevant.”
Lilly voices Queen Berenice, “the cunning last Jewish queen, who was trying to save the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at all cost.” She said the movie is “sweeping, it’s tragic, it’s really brutal and sad, but it’s true.” She added: “Legend of Destruction is Vincent meets the Passion of the Christ. It is a harrowing historic tale told through vividly living and stunning still paintings. It is riveting. We are all scared about how divided we are. we are all scared how little we seem to agree on, and yet we don’t see people reaching across the aisle and compromising”.
Gould, who voices Rabbi Ben Zakkai, “one of the greatest sages in Jewish history,” felt “very honored to have a chance to portray this great teacher and moderate man, who saved the Jewish faith”.
Zane notes that “this movie is about a polarized society, in which everybody has an angle, and together all characters are dancing to hell, unless they find some common ground.”
This sounds pretty amazing and I can’t wait to watch it and see what exactly this movie-going experience is going to be like! Here’s an original trailer that was shared for the film.
Source: Deadline