Aeneid (film)

Aeneid is a historical adventure film that is based on Vigeil's epic poem, The Aeneid. It takes place in the Ancient Rome Cinematic Universe (ARCU). It is unknown when exactly it takes place, but somewhere between 1000-980 BC may be correct.

This film also retcons the 2004 movie, Troy, into the ARCU. Troy takes place just before the events of Aeneid. The actors who play Andromache, Hector and Helen in Troy reprise their roles in this movie. Scenes from the Sack of Troy are also included.

The film stars Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Paola Nunez, Jessica Lucas, Braeden Lemasters, Eve Torres, Jon Voight, and Andrew Pleavin. Like the rest of the ARCU, the film is mostly historically accurate, with some minor adjustments in order to make it cinematic.

Plot
Aeneas (Tom Cruise) is a fairly high-ranking official in Troy, who receives a vision from his deceased cousin, Hector (Eric Bana), in a dream on the night prior to the Sack of Troy, telling him to wake up and leave the city. He wakes up to the chaos of Greeks infiltrating the city. Aeneas gathers his family - his father, Anchises (Jon Voight) and son, Ascanius (Braeden Lemasters). He discovers that his wife, Creusa, has been killed. Helen (Diane Kruger) and Andromache (Saffron Burrows) advise him to take the Troy survivors to the land of Italy, and find a new Troy. The survivors look up to Aeneas, as he has the sword of Paris (as revealed in Troy).

A storm forces Aeneas and his ship to make landfall on Carthage. Anchises is killed in the storm. Aeneas and Dido (Jessica Lucas) fall in love. The movie jumps a couple of years, and Aeneas is reminded in a dream from Hector, Helen and Andromache that he must continue his path to Italy. Torn, Aeneas abruptly ends his relationship with Dido and leaves Carthage. Dido, upset, declares Aeneas' people to have eternal strife with Carthage (foreshadowing the Punic Wars).

Aeneas arrives in Sicily. Once there, he meets the Sibyl of Cumae (Karin Konoval), who has been waiting for him. She also appeared in The Reign of Caesar. She brings Aeneas to the Underworld, and lets him talk to Ascanius. She then tells Aeneas that if he is successful, the New Troy will eventually be called Rome. She shows him images and dreams of the future of Rome, including heroes like Scipio Africanus, Marius (Ciaran Hinds), Julius Caesar (Tye Sheridan), Pompey the Great (Logan Lerman), and Augustus (Freddie Highmore).

Aeneas and the local King Latinus (Iain Glen) start a friendship, and hopes that Aeneas is the one that his daughter, Lavinia (Paola Nunez) is to marry as per a prophecy. Queen Amata (Kate Del Castillo), however, wants her to marry the local Turnus (Henry Cavill). After Ascanius causes a disturbance with a local herdsman, Turnus declares war on the new arrivals, with the help of the Volscians, led by Camilla (Eve Torres).

Aeneas then befriends an enemy of the Latins, led by King Evander (Tom Wisdom). Turnus kills Evander and the war begins. Camilla is killed by the Trojan Arruns (Andrew Pleavin), but is avenged by Opis (Kelly Kelly). After a stalemate, the two sides propose that Aeneas and Turnus duel each other. After a long fight, Aeneas is about to spare Turnus, but sees Evander's belt on Turnus' shoulder, so kills him.

In the epilogue, Aeneas marries Lavinia. Ascanius goes on to form a new city and becomes its inaugural king.

Cast
Archival footage and scenes from previous movies are included featuring Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Brian Cox, Ciaran Hinds, Tye Sheridan, Logan Lerman, and Freddie Highmore as Achilles, Paris, Agamemnon, Marius, Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, and Augustus, respectively.
 * Tom Cruise as Aeneas
 * Henry Cavill as Turnus
 * Paola Nunez as Lavinia
 * Jessica Lucas as Dido
 * Braeden Lemasters as Ascanius
 * Eve Torres as Camilla
 * Jon Voight as Anchises
 * Andrew Pleavin as Arruns
 * Tom Wisdom as King Evander
 * Karin Konoval as The Sibyl of Cumae
 * Saffron Burrows as Andromache
 * Kelly Kelly as Opis
 * Diane Kruger as Helen
 * Iain Glen as King Latinus
 * Eric Bana as Hector
 * Kate Del Castillo as Queen Amata

Spinoff
A spinoff television series is titled The Founding of Rome. It follows the great-great grandson of Ascanius, Romulus.