undead brainspasm: Update: Age of the Dragons

The Moby Dick-based fantasy film Undead Backbrain covered earlier this year as Dragon Fire is now called Age of the Dragons (US-2010; dir. Ryan Little).

Synopsis:

Age of the Dragons is an adaptation of Herman Melville's classic novel Moby Dick. Set in a medieval realm where Captain Ahab and crew hunt dragons for the vitriol that powers their world, Ishmael, a charismatic harpooner joins their quest. Ahab's adopted daughter Rachel, beautiful and tough, runs the hunting vessel. Ahab's obsession is to seek revenge on a great "White Dragon" that slaughtered his family when he was young and left his body scarred and mauled, drives the crew deeper into the heart of darkness. In the White Dragon's lair Ahab's secrets are revealed and Rachel must choose between following him on his dark quest or escaping to a new life with Ishmael. (Koan Inc.)

Starring Danny Glover (as "Ahab"), Vinnie Jones ("Ishmael"), Corey Sevier, Sophia Pernas, Larry Bagby, and John Kepa Kruse, Age of the Dragons seeks to re-imagine Herman Melville's famous tale of the Great White Whale and the Captain obsessed with hunting it as an adventure fantasy. A major difference from the book Moby Dick is the inclusion of a central female character -- Ahab's daughter Rachel -- who was named by writer McKay Daines after the fishing boat which turns up to rescue Ishmael from the sea after Ahab's vessel The Pequod is destroyed by Moby Dick and Ahab's obsessive desire to destroy the whale.

[Actor Vinnie Jones] commented that the character [Rachel] is Ahab's eyes and ears among the crew, as well as being a seasoned dragonslayer. "She's in charge because, as I say in the script, 'She's the best damn harpoonist we've got.' Second to me," Jones said. (Herald)

Otherwise the names and most of the events of the film follow those of the novel, though there are, apparently, "a few surprises" at the end -- though Glover's Ahab will still meet his preordained fate.

The Dragon

Apparently "puppet" dragon models (see above) will be used for some scenes, though the film will not be relying totally on the hands-on approach. Executive producer Gil Aglaure has commented that roughly three-quarters of the dragons seen in the film will be CGI. (Source)

Below we have three interview videos: with Gil Aglaure and other crew members, Danny Glover and Vinnie Jones: