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Movies That Are Based on Greek Myths

The myths of ancient Greece are a rich source of lore that is still used today as a reference for modern stories. Many contemporary movies have been made using Greek myths as inspiration, either indirectly, including elements of the myths, such as in "O Brother Where Art Thou?" or referencing the gods, demigods or titans of the ancient myths directly, such as in "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief."
  1. Hercules (1997)

    • The animated movie "Hercules" tells the story of the title character who is the son of Zeus but is raised by mortals. When he discovers his true heritage, he begins a quest to become a true hero. The movie stars the voices of Tate Donovan as Hercules, Danny DeVito as Philoctetes, Rip Torn as Zeus, Paul Shaffer as Hermes and James Woods as Hades.

    O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

    • This movie, set in Mississippi in 1937, tells the story of three escaped convicts trying to recover a treasure while overcoming a series of obstacles. The movie stars George Clooney as Everett Ulysses McGill, with his sidekicks Pete and Delmar, played respectively by John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson. The movie also stars John Goodman as the one-eyed "cyclops" Big Dan Teague, Holly Hunter as Everett's wife, Penny--a nod to Ulysses' wife, Penelope--and Mia Tate, Musetta Vander and Christy Taylor as three sirens singing on the rocks.

    Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

    • Percy Jackson, played by Logan Lerman, discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, played by Kevin McKidd, when Percy is accused of stealing the magical lightning bolt of Zeus, played by Sean Bean. The movie also stars Brandon T. Jackson as the half-goat, half-man Grover Underwood, Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth, daughter of Athena, Steve Coogan as Hades, Rosario Dawson as Persephone and Uma Thurman as Medusa.

    Clash of the Titans (2010)

    • This movie, based on the 1981 movie of the same name, tells the story of Perseus, played by Sam Worthington, who discovers that he is the mortal son of Zeus, played by Liam Neeson. After Perseus loses his family to an act of cruelty committed by Hades, played by Ralph Fiennes, Perseus goes on a quest to defeat Hades, save the city, save the princess and prevent Hades from taking over control of the world. The movie also stars Gemma Arteron as Io, Alexa Davalos as Andromeda, Luke Evans as Apollo and Izabella Miko as Athena.

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