Monday, May 16 2005

NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK --(8:00PM-11:00PM) --(TV-14)

"Hercules"

"Hercules" -- Emmy Award winner Robert Halmi Sr. ("The Odyssey") is executive producer of NBC's three-hour movie event from Hallmark Entertainment starring Sean Astin ("Lord of the Rings" trilogy), Leelee Sobieski ("Uprising," 'Joan of Arc"), Elizabeth Perkins ("Big") and Timothy Dalton ("Licence to Kill") - with Paul Telfer (USA's "Spartacus") in the title role as the super-strong legendary Greek hero. Filmed amid the breathtaking scenery of New Zealand, the epic tale follows the spectacular exploits of Hercules who, after killing his three sons, is compelled to redeem himself by performing 12 heroic labors. With groundbreaking special effects, "Hercules" is the story of a half-god/half-man who, through extraordinary feats of strength, is elevated to the status of legend on Earth and immortality in the heavens. Astin stars as Linus, Hercules' music instructor and best friend while Sobieski is Deianeira, Hercules' lover. Perkins plays Hercules' mother, Alcmene, and Dalton stars as the strongman's stepfather, Amphitryon. Also joining the cast are Kim Coates ("Open Range") as the blind seer Tiresias, Australian actress Leeanna Walsman ("Star Wars: Attack of the Clones") as Megara, Hercules' first wife and archenemy, and actor/wrestler Tyler Mane ("Troy," "X-Men") as Antaeus, the giant known as The Cretan Bull. Emmy winner Roger Young ("The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story") directs from a screenplay by Charles Edward Pogue ("Dragonheart," "The Fly").