Live-action 'Sinbad' film in the works

LOS ANGELES, July 16 (UPI) -- Hollywood's Giant Flick Films said Thursday it is in pre-production on the live-action adventure, "Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage."

Based on the "Arabian Nights" fairy tales, the movie is intended for a 2010 release.

"'Sinbad' will be reminiscent of the classic Saturday afternoon matinee films originally brought to the silver screen in the '50s by stop-motion animation legend Ray Harryhausen," the production company said in a release. "The snarls of grotesque creatures, the genie of the lamp, the hordes of rabid cannibals, the temptation posed by shrouded beauties. And the unquenchable wanderlust that drives the daring voyager over terrifying terrain and in a search of yet another greater adventure. This is the elaborate labyrinth of mystical intrigue and Middle Eastern legend that moviegoers will inhabit once Giant Flicks Film's production of the ancient tale 'Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage' hits the screen next year."

The company said casting for the flick is under way.

The role of Sinbad has gone to Persian-American actor/producer Shahin Sean Solimon.

"Shahin has the look and portrayal of a genuine Sinbad. The screen tests were magnificent," Giant Flick Films producer Sharon Wissel said in a statement.

David Winning, whose credits include "Stargate: Atlantis" and "Andromeda," is directing the film.