Jack the Giant Slayer

Jack the Giant Slayer (previously titled Jack the Giant Killer) is a 2013 American fantasy—adventure film based on the fairy tales, "Jack the Giant Killer" and "Jack and the Beanstalk". The film is directed by Bryan Singer and stars Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill NighyEwan McGregor with a screenplay written by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney. The film tells the story of Jack, a young farmhand who must rescue a princess from a race of giants after inadvertently opening a gateway to their world. and

Development of Jack the Giant Slayer began in 2005, when Lemke first pitched the idea. D. J. Caruso was hired to direct film in January 2009 but in September, Caruso was replaced by Singer, who hired McQuarrie and Studney to rework the script. The main characters were cast between February and March 2011, and principal photography began in April 2011 in England with locations in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Norfolk. Release of the film was moved back in post production to allow more time for special effects and marketing.

Jack the Giant Slayer premiered on February 26, 2013 in Hollywood and was released theatrically in the United States on March 1, 2013 in 2D and 3D. Amid mixed reviews from films critics, the film has garnered tepid returns from the box office.

Plot

In the Kingdom of Cloister, Jack, a young farm boy is fascinated by the legend of Erik, an ancient king who defeated an army of invading giants from a realm in the sky by controlling them with a magical crown. At the same time, Princess Isabelle becomes fascinated with the same legend.

10 years later, Jack goes into town to sell his horse to support his uncle's farm. There, Jack spots Isabelle and develops a crush on her, after defending her honor from a group of thugs. Meanwhile, Lord Roderick returns to his study, only to find that he has been robbed by a monk. The monk offers Jack some magic beans that he stole from Roderick as collateral for his horse. Back at the castle, Isabelle quarrels with her father, King Brahmwell, as she wants to explore the kingdom, but he wants her to marry Roderick. Likewise, Jack's uncle scolds him for being foolish before throwing the beans on the floor and leaving the house.

Determined to be free, Isabelle sneaks out of castle and seeks shelter from the rain in Jack's house. As it rains, one of the beans takes root and grows into a massive beanstalk that carries the house and Isabelle into the sky as Jack falls to the ground.

Jack, Roderick, and Roderick's attendant, Wicke, volunteer to join the king's knights, led by Elmont and his second in-command, Crawe, to climb the beanstalk in search of Isabelle. As they climb, Roderick and Wicke cut the safety rope, intentionally killing some of the knights. At the top, they discover the giants' realm and decide to split into two groups; one with Jack, Elmont and Crawe, and the other with Roderick and Wicke, but not before Roderick takes the remaining beans from Jack (although Jack manages to save one for himself).

Jack's group is trapped by a giant, who takes everyone prisoner except him. Meanwhile, Roderick's group encounters two other giants, one eats Wicke but before they can do the same to Roderick, he puts on the magic crown.

Jack follows the giant to their stronghold, where Crawe has been killed by the two-headed giant leader, Fallon, and finds Isabelle and Elmont. As the giants prepare to kill the rest of their prisoners, Roderick walks in and enslaves the giants with the crown. He tells the giants that they will attack Cloister at dawn and allows them to eat Isabelle and Elmont. Jack rescues Isabelle and Elmont as one of the giants prepares to cook Elmont as a pig-in-a-blanket. The trio makes for the beanstalk, where Jack causes the giant guarding the beanstalk to fall off the realm's edge. Seeing the giant's body, Brahmwell orders the beanstalk cut down to avoid an invasion by the giants.

Jack and Isabelle head down the beanstalk, while Elmont stays to confront Roderick. Elmont kills Roderick, but Fallon takes the crown before he can claim it and is forced to escape down the beanstalk. Jack, Isabelle, and Elmont all survive the fall after the beanstalk is cut down. As everyone returns home, Jack warns that the giants are using Roderick's beans to create beanstalks to descend down to Earth and attack Cloister.

The giants chase Jack, Isabelle, and Brahmwell into the castle, where Elmont fills the moat with oil and sets it on fire. Fallon falls in the moat and breaks into the castle from below. As the siege continues, Fallon captures Jack and Isabelle, but Jack kills him by throwing the final bean down his throat, causing a beanstalk to rip apart his body. Jack takes the crown from Fallon and sends the giants back to their realm.

Jack and Isabelle marry, and tell the story of the giants to their children. As time passes, the magic crown is crafted into St Edward's Crown and is presently being held in the Tower of London.

Cast

• Nicholas Hoult as Jack, a young farmer who leads the expedition to rescue the princess. Hoult was selected from a short list of actors that included Aaron Johnson and Aneurin Barnard.
• Eleanor Tomlinson as Isabelle, the princess who is kidnapped by giants. Adelaide Kane, Lily Collins and Juno Temple also screen tested for the role.
• Stanley Tucci as Lord Roderick, an adviser to the king with designs on usurping power.
• Ian McShane as King Brahmwell, the princess' father, who is none too thrilled about a union between his daughter and a farmer boy.
• Bill Nighy and John Kassir as Fallon, the two-headed leader of the giants. Nighy plays the big head and Kassir plays the smaller head.
• Ewan McGregor as Elmont, the leader of the king’s elite guard, who helps fight giants.

Additionally, Eddie Marsan plays Crawe, Elmont's second-in-command and Ewen Bremner plays Wicke, Lord Roderick's attendant.