Thomas Sangster in Doug Lefler's 'The Last Legion'. Photo (c): BFD, all rights reserved.

Since Ridley Scott’s Gladiator was crowned Best Picture at the Oscars in March 2001, directors ranging from Wolfgang Petersen to Oliver Stone have tried their hand at reviving the swords and sandals genre, with varying degrees of artistic and boxoffice success. The latest entry in the bid for genre resurrection is the film The Last Legion from Doug Lefler, based on a book by Italian archeologist and historical fiction writer Valerio Massimo Manfredi. The Last Legion is a completely fictional story set at the end of the Roman Empire and stars Colin Firth, Aishwarya Rai, Thomas Sangster and Ben Kingsley. The UK-France-USA co-production will be released in the Netherlands today, with other countries across Europe following over the summer and into early autumn.

Jonatan Spang as the title character in Jacob Thuesen's Erik Nietzsche -- de unge år (Erik Nietzsche -- The Early Years). Photo: Per Arnesen/DFI, all rights reserved.

While it is not clear whether Lars von Trier is back on track for the production of his horror project The Antichrist after a much-publicised bout of depression, what is clear is that another project of his is moving forward -- even without him. Fellow Danish director Jacob Thuesen (Anklaget / Accussed) is in fact currently putting the finishing touches on his film Erik Nietzsche -- de unge år (Erik Nietzsche -- The Early Years), based on a semi-autobiographical screenplay by Von Trier, who is credited on the project as... Erik Nietzsche.