| Tales of an Ancient Empire | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Albert Pyun |
| Produced by | Nicholas Celozzi Cynthia Curnan Sazzy Lee Calhoun |
| Written by | Cynthia Curnan |
| Starring | Kevin Sorbo Whitney Able Victoria Maurette Lee Horsley |
| Music by | Anthony Riparetti |
| Release date(s) | 2010 |
| Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Tales of an Ancient Empire is a 2010 fantasy film, starring Kevin Sorbo, Whitney Able, Victoria Maurette, and Lee Horsley, directed by Albert Pyun. It is the sequel to Pyun's directorial debut, The Sword and the Sorcerer.
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Queen Ma’at (Jennifer Siebel Newsom) finds her kingdom of Abelar under attack when treasure seekers accidentally open the tomb of vampire queen Xia (Whitney Able). The Queen sends her half-sister, Princess Tanis (Melissa Ordway), to the outlaw city of Douras to find her real father so he can save the kingdom. Meanwhile, servant girl Kara (Victoria Maurette) - who shares the same father as Tanis, but her mother is Xia - discovers her true nature as a vampire and begins hunting Tanis. Once in Douras, the Princess finds her half-brother Aedan (Kevin Sorbo) and convinces him to help her. Together they locate half-sister Malia (Sarah Ann Schultz), half-sister Rajan (Janelle Giumarra) and her daughter Alana (Inbar Lavi). With this small group they plan to stop the vampire queen Xia before it is too late.
The sequel was originally announced in the end credits of The Sword and the Sorcerer.
Director Pyun announced to the movie news website Ain't It Cool News in August 2007 that the sequel was in preproduction.[1]
After over two decades of gestation, the production officially beginning with the writing of the script in November 2007.[2] Numerous locations including Argentina, Bulgaria and Poland were considered for filming.[2] Argentina was finally chosen with shooting to begin in May 2008 on a proposed budget of $450,000.[3] Despite sets being built for the film in Argentina, the production ultimately chose to not film there.[3] Instead, most of the principal photography was completed in California.[2]
According to director Pyun, actors considered for the film included Yancy Butler, Kari Wuhrer, Mark Dacascos, Val Kilmer, Steven Seagal, Olivier Gruner, and Christopher Lambert.[2]
The film ends with a cliffhanger and the promise of a second sequel entitled Red Moon.
The film had its official North American premiere at the Fright Night Film Fest during July 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky.[4]
Pyun briefly toyed with the idea of releasing the film direct to DVD independently through his website in limited collector's editions in March 2010.[5] While pre-orders were taken, the idea was eventually cancelled and refunds issued.
The film was released on DVD in Thailand and Scandinavia in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Despite being an officially licensed releases, director Pyun maintains these versions are not his final cut and that the eventually United States release will feature a new beginning and ending.[6]
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