Oliver Stone’s Alexander was 16 years in the making and eagerly anticipated before its 2004 release. It was piggybacking on the hype from Gladiator and included some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, making it a hugely surprising flop.
Given that Alexander the Great is one of history’s best-known figures, it may make sense for Stone or another director to have a fresh crack at the project.
Alexander the Great Is One of the Best-Known Historical Figures
Despite Alexander the Great being such a well-known figure in popular culture, he hasn’t been depicted in film since Stone’s 2004 offering. The epic film’s failure may have put other directors off from trying to create another version.
The legendary Greek figure still remains present in popular culture, though, alongside other famous faces from ancient times like Cleopatra. For example, there are slot games based on him, such as Alexander the Great: World Conqueror. Players who avail Betfair new customer offers, such as the site’s deposit match bonus, can use them on slots like this. There are other games that feature the warrior as well, with Civilization VI including him as a playable leader.
Before Stone’s movie, there was Robert Rossen’s Alexander the Great in 1956, which starred Richard Burton. That was also a major flop, and only returned $2.5 million against its $4 million production budget. With both major Hollywood offerings about the figure failing to return, production companies may be uneasy about ever revisiting it again.
Stone’s Picture Was a Shocking Failure
When Stone’s 2004 offering based on the conqueror only made $167 million against its $155 million budget, it was a complete shock. After all, the picture had all the ingredients to be a success. It featured some of the biggest stars of the time in Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, and Val Kilmer, and even included the legendary Anthony Hopkins. On top of all that, it was released in the wake of Gladiator, which had brought historical epics back into the mainstream in a big way.
According to a piece in the Hollywood Reporter, everyone involved with the film was expecting it to be a huge success and that they’d be heading to the Oscars. On the contrary, it was a critical car crash, with many people left wondering how it even made it to screens.
Will Anyone Give the Picture Another Attempt?
Around the time of Stone’s Alexander, there were other projects reportedly in progress. It was a race against time to release a film based on the ruler, which is why the final version from Stone was such a mess. Den of Geek notes how Baz Luhrmann was also planning a project with Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman set to star, but Stone’s offering got made first.
After the immense failure of both films based on Alexander the Great to date, it may be hard to find anyone wanting to go near a new version for modern audiences. It’s a shame that the iconic historical figure has never earned a movie worthy of his reputation.