Russell Crowe Takes The MASTER & COMMANDER 2 Campaign Viral

I love Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Peter Weir’s adaptation of Patrick O’Brian’s seafaring adventure is thrilling and fun and gripping and interesting and a jolly well-told story of high seas adventure. It was a film that seemed to be suited for a long string of sequels that would carry on the adventures of Aubrey and Maturin for years.

And maybe that would have been the case if anyone had seen the damn film. Big and expensive, Master and Commander was definitely not a hit. And so for the last few years hopes for a sequel have slipped away until it became obvious that there would never be a follow-up.

But wait! Russell Crowe is marshalling the troops. Perhaps sensing that his career has hit the shitter (when your 2010 has Robin Hood and The Next Three Days you are not in the best of shape), he has taken to the Twitter:

[blackbirdpie url=“http://twitter.com/#!/russellcrowe/status/11710830559109120”]

Now that’s not the worst idea. Tom Rothman was the guy who got Master and Commander: Far Side of the World made in the first place; he pushed Peter Weir’s film through despite it costing so much. Rothman, for all the shit he gets online, was a huge supporter of that film and wanted it to be a franchise.

Who knows? We’re in a year when Tron, a huge failure, has a 200 million dollar sequel in theaters. I would like to see a sequel… in 2005. Maybe if Russell Crowe gets his act together and shapes up a bit I’d be interested in seeing him play Aubrey again. Otherwise this is going to feel like William Shatner stuffing himself into a Starfleet uniform for Star Trek Generations.