Anthony Hopkins in final negotiations for Arabian Nights villain

Heatvision is reporting that Anthony Hopkins will play the main villain in the upcoming Arabian Nights adaptation. Now this is pretty cool! I loved his casting as Odin in the upcoming Marvel picture, Thor. Funny connection here. Hopkins will play Odin alongside Chris Hemsworth, who is playing the title character of Thor. In Arabian Nights, Hopkins is set to play alongside Liam, Chris Hemsworth's brother.

'Nights' is set to be directed by Chuck Russell, director of The Scorpion King, Eraser, and The Mask. Pretty good resume for a special effect-heavy picture like this one will be.

Here's how Heatvision describes Hopkins' character:

Hopkins will play Pharotu, an evil sorcerer who killed Sinbad’s love, a mermaid, and is looking to amass more magic for himself.

I'm super excited about this adaptation, and will keep you posted as more news is released.