Clash of the Titans (1981)

Clash of the Titans is a 1981 fantasy and mythology movie based on the myth of Perseus. Stop motion animation is used to a large extent in the film to animate the various monsters. The special effects creatures were created by Ray Harryhausen, who retired from filmmaking shortly after the movie was released. Stephen R. Wilk wrote in 2000 that "most people today who are aware of the story of Perseus and Medusa owe their knowledge to the 1981 film Clash of the Titans."

Clash of the Titans was released on June 12, 1981 (Raiders of the Lost Ark was also released on the same date). The movie was a box office hit, grossing $41 million domestically alone, on a $15 million budget. It was the 11th highest grossing film of the year.

A remake directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Lawrence Kasdan is due for release on March 26, 2010. Sam Worthington is starring, with Alexa Davalos as Andromeda, Gemma Arterton as Io, and Mads Mikkelsen as Draco, leader of the Praetorian Guard. Leterrier noted Clash of the Titans inspired the setting for the climax of his previous film The Incredible Hulk – a burnt down courtroom with temple-like columns – and has compared modern superheroes to Greek mythology. Leterrier sought Ray Harryhausen's involvement. Shooting will take place in London, Wales, Ethiopia and Iceland. Filming in May and June 2009 will take place at the Canary Islands, where Tenerife and Lanzarote were scouted. The budget is $80 million.

The project began development in 2002 under producer Adam Schroeder and writers John Glenn and Travis Wright, who wanted to drop the element of the gods playing chess.Producer Basil Iwanyk revived the project in 2006 with a rewrite by Travis Beacham, a fan of the original. Kasdan and director Stephen Norrington signed on in 2007. But Norrington was unsure about his direction for the project, because he did not grow up with the original. Leterrier, who did, contacted Norrington through their shared agent about replacing him by June 2008. Once Leterrier was hired, writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi were brought in to rework the script for him.