The Eagle's Kevin Macdonald on "Swords, Sandals and Celluloid"

The release of The Eagle, Focus Features' Roman adventure movie starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell, is still a few months away (it comes out February 11, 2011), but a lucky few in the UK can get an early insight into the movie.This weekend, the director of The Eagle, Kevin Macdonald, will be discussing his forthcoming film at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in England as part of a panel discussion entitled "

The release of The Eagle, Focus Features' Roman adventure movie starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell, is still a few months away (it comes out February 11, 2011), but a lucky few in the UK can get an early insight into the movie.

This weekend, the director of The Eagle, Kevin Macdonald, will be discussing his forthcoming film at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in England as part of a panel discussion entitled "Swords, Sandals and Celluloid: Mary Beard, Kevin Macdonald and Maria Wyke."

Here's the write-up on what Macdonald and company will be talking about:

From Spartacus to Gladiator, Hollywood has an enduring fascination with the blood-soaked history of Ancient Greece and Rome. What are the challenges of bringing the ancient world to life for cinema-goers? Classicists Maria Wyke and Mary Beard, and Kevin Macdonald, director of the forthcoming The Eagle and The Last King of Scotland, explore the historical reality and the modern invention behind this cinematic genre.

For more on the event, visit the Cheltenham Literature Festival website.