CAN HERO JOHN SAVE THE WORLD? AttheMovies: Cusack the man to scupper Mayans' 2012 prophesy.

THE year 2012 means the Olympics for folk in the UK - but for the ancient Mayans it signalled the end of the world.

And considering that nothing fuels an action blockbuster like an apocalyptic prophesy, Hollywood has unsurprisingly chosen to sink its teeth into this real-life legend.

2012 is the latest disaster movie from German director Roland Emmerich, the man behind Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow - and its special effects promise to go where no CGI has gone before.

With just days to go before the Mesoamerican Long Count Calender ticks towards its end, sometime around December 21, 2012, there is only one man who can save the planet -divorced writer, Jackson Curtis.

This unlikely hero is played by John Cusack, an actor better known for indie films such as Grosse Point Blank, High Fidelity and Being John Malkovich, than his action movies.

But as John explains, when it came to being cast as a hero, the role sort of chose him.

"I was just at home doing my thing and I get a call saying Roland (Emmerich) wants you to do this movie," remembers John, aged 43.

"It was a big movie, so I met him and read the script and it was actually very well written and surprising in lots of ways.

"It wasn't like a genre disaster movie, it was very different from what I expected, and so it was kind of an easy choice for me."

Emmerich conjures scenes of mass destruction with the sun heating up the earth's core, making its crust melt and causing enormous earthquakes and tidal waves across the planet's surface.

"I think a lot of people are already kind of obsessed with the Mayan prophecies," says John.

"There's a real fascination for that kind of thing. I know when I first read about Nostradamus it hooked me. Who doesn't want to read that - it's endlessly fascinating right? It just trips you out.

"No matter if you want to believe it or you think it's all crackpot stuff, I think it's undeniably compelling. Or if you even read prophecies, like The Book of Revelations, just the imagery and the poetry of it is so intense. And if you're Catholic too, you're raised with that in your consciousness."

Besides John, the film boasts a stellar cast including Thandie Newton, as the daughter of the black American president (Danny Glover) and Chiwetel Ejiofor as the President's scientific adviser, as well as Woody Harrelson as a trailer-dwelling conspiracy theorist.

With so many special effects, you'd be forgiven for thinking the CGI would overshadow the cast, but the film had everything in proportion, says John.

"There were things that I've never seen even attempted on film - the scale of it was incredible."

The action sequences required a lot of effort on John's part, but he says they were fine as long as he managed the crew's expectations.

"The underwater stuff was pretty intense, and some of the physical stuff was too."

But the Illinois-born actor can rest for a while now as he has "nothing on the books" for the remainder of the year.

And as to the Mayan prophesy affecting his future career, John's fairly hopeful that it won't.

"No, I don't think the world will end. I think maybe it will just be a change in consciousness in 2012.

"I think there will be a big shift in consciousness. Either that or it really will be the end," he laughs. "I obviously hope it's not."

JOHN CUSACK STAR FILE n Born to showbiz family. his dad Dick was an actor, documentary filmmaker and owned a production company. he has appeared in several films with his sister Joan.

n got into acting as a child when he joined the Piven theatre workshop, run by the father of entourage actor and John's close friend Jeremy. n is notoriously tight-lipped about his private life, although he has been linked to several actresses including Minnie Driver and neve Campbell. n lAst year 30-something emily leatherman was convicted of stalking him, by throwing packages and letters into the grounds of his Malibu home. n if the world was to end, John says he wouldn't be sorry to see reality tV destroyed. "i haven't watched much of it, but what i have watched, i think i'd blow that up!" WIN WIN WIN ODEON Skydome Coventry is offering readers the chance to win one of two pairs of tickets to action thriller 2012.

Answer the following question to enter: What exact date does the Mayan calendar predict the world will end? Send entries to 2012 Film Contest, c/o Marion McMullen, Features, Coventry Telegraph, Corporation Street, Coventry, CV1 1FP.

Closing date November 19. Standard rules apply. Full list of winners and rules available on request.