Hannibal

Lately, I've been reading up on Hannibal, the great Carthaginian general. For years Hollywood had discussed making a picture based on his life (probably starring Vin Diesel). The great thing is unlike Troy, or even Gladiator, this is a true story, one so exciting that no embellishment is needed.

Hannibal is most famous for crossing the Alps with elephants, but that was just a prelude to the great battles he fought against the Romans. If the film is an epic, I'd put this event at the end of the first act. (Or if it's a two-part epic with an intermission, like films they made over 40 years ago, perhaps have the successful crossing end the first half.)

What they shouldn't do, but probably will, is change around facts so the people have attitudes and prejudices closely mirroring those of today. That's one of the ways they ruined Kingdom Of Heaven. An historical epic can be entertaining, even relevant, without dumbing it down.