Prince Of Persia: 5 Reasons Fans Want A Sequel (& 5 They Don’t)

The rise of blockbuster releases led to the adaptation of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which was the highest-grossing video game movie at the time of its premiere. While it seemed as if a sequel was in the works, this ultimately never came to pass.

However, the movie managed to garner a fanbase for itself, who would enjoy a sequel despite the long span of time since The Sands of Time’s release. On the other hand, there are glaring reasons why it’s better there was never a sequel, which, when pointed out, provide adequate context over the lack of a Prince of Persia sequel.

10 Want: Jake Gyllenhaal’s Performance

No matter what the reception of the movie was, most agree that Jake Gyllenhaal delivered a great performance. While the passage of time might have made this one of his forgotten roles for younger viewers, Prince of Persia fans won’t be forgetting his contribution to this part.

With Gyllenhaal’s return to the mainstream in Spider-Man: Far From Home, fans won’t mind seeing him return to his first venture into big-budget cinema. It would be fun to see the charm that Prince Dastan possessed once again.

9 Don’t Want: Similar Movies Have Failed

There was a time when movies like Prince of Persia could be found easily, with the best example being The Mummy. The failure of this movie prompted studios to take a step back from period settings, which doesn’t bode well for a Prince of Persia sequel.

Fan interest in such genre-based movies has taken a stumble as well, with audiences unwilling to invest themselves in this form of cinema. With many franchises like The Mummy, Pirates of the Caribbean, among others bowing out, Prince of Persia’s chances are even less.

8 Want: Incorporating The Story Of The Remaining Games

The movie took the general outline of The Sands of Time game, leaving potential for the story of the remaining games to be incorporated. The chronology includes Warrior Within and The Two Thrones, which are much grittier territory than The Sands of Time.

It would be interesting to see how Prince Dastan fared in heavy storylines like the Dahaka chasing after him and reaching the brink of madness, which is reason enough to warrant a sequel to see if this can be adequately adapted.

7 Don’t Want: Jake Gyllenhaal Won’t Be Returning

For all the praise he received for Prince Dastan, Jake Gyllenhaal doesn’t consider it as one of his iconic roles. The actor has gone on record to voice his regret at playing the part, leaving no doubt that he won’t be returning even if a sequel is made.

This leaves out most of the interest for fans, as seeing another actor continue the story wouldn’t feel like the right fit. It would be better to simply reboot the series with a new continuity rather than make a sequel that is in such contrast to the first movie.

6 Want: To See The Relationship Progress Of Dastan And Tamina

The chemistry between the lead pair should receive full marks for being a combination of funny and emotional. The ending of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time had confirmed their future, but this wasn’t shown as much as it was implied.

A sequel can portray them as an actual couple, which would make for a good parallel from their “will they?/won’t they?” dynamic from the original movie. It’s likely that the Prince and Tamina became a battle couple, something that fans will be interested in seeing play out.

5 Don’t Want: Elements Of Other Games Have Already Been Incorporated

To be fair, fans have already received a feel of what the next games would bring, as The Sands of Time incorporated many elements from the following titles. The appearance and weapon-wielding of Dastan were based on the Prince’s from The Two Thrones.

Likewise, the daggertail used by enemy assassins was lifted from the Dark Prince in The Two Thrones, whose overall story of the Prince regaining his kingdom was the basis for The Sands of Time movie’s plot as well. This means the storyline of the game trilogy has been depicted in some ways.

4 Want: For The Prospect Of A Cinematic Universe

The MCU has shown how releasing movies out of chronological order can work, which leaves room for a video game cinematic universe as well. Prince of Persia has many similarities with Assassin’s Creed, and a sequel can plant the seeds of a shared continuity.

Ubisoft’s other titles can also be incorporated in this scenario, leading to an entire cinematic universe filled with beloved game characters. Since Prince of Persia already has an established story, its sequel is placed well as a starting point should this venture be taken.

3 Don’t Want: The Story Wrapped Up Well

All things considered, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was pretty well-received for a video game-based film. A sequel will entail the characters losing the happy ending they got, thereby messing with the events of the story.

While there were many potential plot points left out, the movie can still very well on its own as a completed story. To this end, there’s probably no need to open up new scenarios when the first movie ended on such a conclusive note.

2 Want: To Detail The Boundaries Of Time Travel

For all its faults, the movie is still an underrated feature about time travel. It had an interesting take on the concept where the dagger reversed time on a smaller scale while the sandglass allowed for a grand rewind. This has left many questions over how much this concept can be pushed.

A sequel will definitely take things on a broader scale, with the likelihood of future time travel and alternate universes a definite possibility. Since no other franchises this kind of thematic quality, a Prince of Persia sequel is fans’ best bet for such a story.

1 Don’t Want: Whitewashing Of The Cast

Of course, the reason why Jake Gyllenhaal explored other movies after Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was to find roles that fit his description. While the film was a big feature, it suffered from a whitewashing of the cast as actors weren’t authentic to their character roles.

By now, Hollywood has caught on with the fact that representation should be fair since it’s rather ludicrous to see people with incorrect ethnicities playing period roles set in other locations. With this in mind, it’s probably better to do away with a Prince of Persia sequel.

About The Author

Saim Cheeda
(1348 Articles Published)

Saim Cheeda is an entertainment writer covering all of Film, TV, Gaming and Books. He’s been a writer for Valnet since 2017, contributing 500+ articles for The Gamer, The Things, Game Rant, Comic Book Resources and Screen Rant. Apart from freelance writing, Saim is a lifestyle blogger, co-owning the blog 3 States Apart.

http://3statesapart.com

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