Disney made the most of their WonderCon time this weekend, treating fans and curious spectators alike with two exclusive clips from the Prince of Persia‘s fabled world of 1,001 Nights.

I gotta be honest with you, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Newell and Bruckheimer have already spoken at length at WonderCon about their sensitivity to bringing this adaptation to the big screen, and on paper, it doesn’t seem like an odd bet. Bruckheimer certainly struck gold with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and given what Newell was able to do with the much beloved world of Harry Potter, I wasn’t as skeptical of his helming as I was at the odds of something getting completely lost in translation.

That being said, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time looks like it’s going to be a fun ride. The debut clip was an attack on a heavily fortified city and clearly shows off Gyllenhaal’s much talked about stuntwork (thanks to his acrobatic and Parkour training). There’s lots of sneaking around, last minute ingenuity and, of course, swordfighting (the hallmarks of any swashbuckler adventure film), but everything doesn’t always go according to plan. Yes, this is an action flick, but this is also a Newell film.

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During the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time press conference at WonderCon this weekend, it was evident that all major players delighted in each other’s company and thoroughly enjoyed bringing the swashbuckling action adventure to life (especially Jake Gyllenhaal, who appears to have developed a fondness for stuntwork). During the course of the interviews, Jerry Bruckheimer (Producer), Mike Newell (Director), Jordan Mechner (Writer / Creator, POP Franchise) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Prince Dastan) all talked about the challenges and joys of bringing the popular gaming franchise to the big screen, and whether or not Prince of Persia will become a franchise.

In preparation for his role as Prince Dastan, Gyllanhaal revealed that he stepped outside his “normal” process for getting into character. “I’ve never done research playing video games. I’ve never played video games as research before. Sometimes I’ve read books, or I’ve hung out with Marines, but you know, playing video games is great fun.” Gyllanhaal also related that he has been a fan of the game since it was first released in 1989, when sidescrolling play was a prominent feature.

“I played the original when I was a kid, and then I only started playing the game pretty intensely when we were doing research, particularly for stunts. I’d be in the middle of shooting and  I’d see a move and then I’d call the stunt guys and say ‘check out this move, can we try that?!’ I continue to play it to this day.”

Although the gaming franchise provided a jumping off point (literally) for the live-action flick, Newell was quick to point out that they weren’t interested in retelling and rehashing what has already been visualized in the game, or elsewhere in movie lore.

“What we wanted to do was based on a storyline, but we wanted to make it emotionally real,” Newell explains.  “We did a huge amount of work at the script stage and at the rehearsal stage to make it absolutely real. Even the fights have an emotional reality. The big pressure was to take it to an area where a game couldn’t go, while not destroying the game side of it. I believe that we went very carefully back to 6th Century Persia. We looked at the style, we looked at the behavior, how cities were made and so on, and I hope that we were faithful to it and didn’t come in and jump all over it without a certain sensitivity.”

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We’ve been trying to cover the brand new Disney epic from the creators of the Pirates of The Carribbean trilogy, with the little promotional material that the studio has already released. That seems to have changed in the past few days, as the first trailer for the film has finally hit the ‘net.

The film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Star Trek’s Gemma Aterton, is based on the classic action/adventure video game about a A rogue prince who reluctantly joins forces with a mysterious princess and together, they race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time—a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

The film is directed by Mike Newell, director of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and also stars Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina. Check out the first full trailer, thanks to our friends at Trailer Addict, after the jump. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time hits theaters May 28th, 2010.

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With both historical fantasies and video game adaptations hot properties to snatch up in Hollywood, how could a new film starring Jake Gyllenhaal as an “adventurous prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world” NOT be an amazing idea for a movie? Well, if this new picture tells us anything, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time may actually be a fun flick.

Entertainment Weekly had the pic up over the weekend (bigger size after the jump), which is the first of probably many to come. The film features only a few other names besides Gyllenhaal, which is surprising given the nature of the film, and the fact that it’s a Disney and Bruckheimer project. These include Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, and rising star Gemma Arterton (Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace).

UPDATE: The first poster for Prince of Persia has also been released online. Check it out after the jump!

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