Russell Crowe as Maximus preparing for battle during an early scene in Gladiator (2000)
In an interview ahead of the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash, director James Cameron revealed that the studio was gunning for Channing Tatum to land the lead role in the epic franchise. The actor had a higher profile at the time than Sam Worthington, who was eventually cast in the role of Jake Sully.
Cameron said that Tatum did well for himself anyway, and that he shouldn't beat himself up about it. It was perhaps at the same time that he was cast in what might just be his strangest — and certainly his most uncharacteristic — role. Tatum broke out with the Step Up movies and rose to stardom with roles in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Magic Mike, and 21 Jump Street. None of those films would suggest Tatum would star in a period drama set roughly a century after the birth of Christ. But that's exactly what Tatum did in the early 2010s. A couple of years after the release and success of Avatar, Tatum headlined a historical drama in which he played a Roman centurion who goes on a quest to recover a lost artifact. The movie also featured Jamie Bell, Mark Strong, and Donald Sutherland, and was directed by Kevin Macdonald. The decision to cast American actors as Romans was deliberate. Hollywood films have often cast British actors in such roles, although the most famous movie set in the Roman Empire, Gladiator, featured the New Zealand-born Russell Crowe. Related Remembering the Icons of Film — Collider Movie Quiz We pay tribute to the talents who helped define Hollywood. Posts By Macklen Makhloghi Here's the Forgotten Channing Tatum Movie That's Dominating Global Streaming The movie in question is The Eagle, based on the 1954 novel by Rosemary Sutcliff. It was released only a year after the similarly themed film Centurion, starring Michael Fassbender and directed by Neil Marshall. Centurion received more favorable reviews, although it was a bigger box-office flop than The Eagle, which grossed under $40 million worldwide against a reported budget of $25 million. The Eagle now holds a 39% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads,"The Eagle has a pleasantly traditional action-adventure appeal, but it's drowned out by Kevin Macdonald's stolid direction and Channing Tatum's uninspired work in the central role." After 15 years, the historical drama is seeing a sudden surge in viewership. It was the number one movie on the global HBO Max chart this week, according to FlixPatrol, outperforming blockbusters such as Dune and Sinners. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates. The Eagle Like Follow Followed PG-13 Adventure Drama Release Date February 8, 2011 Runtime 114 Minutes Director Kevin Macdonald Writers Rosemary Sutcliff, Jeremy Brock Cast See All
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