It’s not bad enough that they are so deficient in creativity that they have to make flicks out of old television shows and comic books. Now they’re reduced to remaking stupid schlock that should never have been made the first time. Behold, what the world has been awaiting–a new version of Capricorn One
On a cheerier note, there’s apparently a much better (to put it mildly–I shouldn’t even be discussing them in the same post) SF movie on the way.
…what I have is a story where businessmen and engineers are the heroes, the protestors are the bad guys, people accept risk willingly and some of them die for it, where they do amazing things and go to astonishing places on their own dime, where nuclear power is good and essential and the motivation is not money or power but freedom and a love of humanity, and where America and all she stands for is a beacon in a darkening world.
It’s a crazy bizarro world of science fiction!
Hollywood would never make anything like that.
Good luck, Bill–we’ll be looking forward to seeing it, and ignoring the other.
Just as an historic note, Peter Hyams, who perpetrated Capricorn One, also did a remake of High Noon set on board a space based mining camp, staring Sean Connery in the Gary Cooper role. He also botched the film version of 2010 with the interjection of anto Reagan cold war politics.
I don’t know much about the other film project referenced, but I have to caution that almost as hard as getting a private space ship off the ground is making a movie from a spec script. First, you have to get someone to read it. Then, it has to be optioned. Then, it has to attract financing, actors, a director, and probably a big studio. Then it has to survive the rewrite/development process in some recognizable form. Then it has to be greenlit to actually go into production. Then it has to find a distributer. Then (at long last) it has to find an audience.
Without divulging too much in confidence, I’ll just say that the second movie is much farther along than simply a screenplay. Mr. Whittle does work in the industry.
It’s funny how the quest for money cheapens the movies. I don’t think there’s a shortage of good stories to tell.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched a movie and recognized it to be an adaption of a short story I’d read years before.
I thought Tim Robbins was a poor choice to play the mousy hero of the Shawshank Redemption, but that Morgan Freeman was inspired… “Why do they call you Red?” Looking in the distance, “Maybe it’s because I’m Irish” Which the character in the book was.
Forrest Gump was a stupid book, with a Gorilla smarter than Gump being a fellow astronaut.
Danny Devito seems to find good stories from books to
make movies of; although not blockbusters, but good stories.
Historical movies always seem to lie, which I never understand. The truth is usually more interesting than the fables they replace it with.
One of my favorite was Apollo 13, which I’ve always seen as a high point of the space program. We need to learn and be ready to survive when things go wrong.
The there’s Dark Star where they discuss existentialism with a smart bomb.
Peter Hyams, who perpetrated Capricorn One, also did a remake of High Noon set on board a space based mining camp, staring Sean Connery in the Gary Cooper role
Strange, I would have expected Mark to love “Outland.” As I recall , the whole premise of the film was how private enterprise is EEEVIL and big government needs to control it — which is now the premise of the McCain campaign. 🙂
I think remaking Capricorn One makes more sense than remaking High Noon, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Sons of Katie Elder, or Forbidden Planet (which has been talking about for years). Those movies were so good, it’s hard to see why anyone believed they could improve upon them. Capricorn One, on the other hand, leaves room for almost infinite improvement.
“Strange, I would have expected Mark to love “Outland.” As I recall , the whole premise of the film was how private enterprise is EEEVIL and big government needs to control it”
As usual Mr. Wright is wrong about my views.
I liked Capricorn One. I’ve even got the DVD.
Oh well! (Shrugs shoulders)
what I have is a story where businessmen and engineers are the heroes, the protestors are the bad guys, people accept risk willingly and some of them die for it, where they do amazing things and go to astonishing places on their own dime, where nuclear power is good and essential and the motivation is not money or power but freedom and a love of humanity, and where America and all she stands for is a beacon in a darkening world.
It’s a crazy bizarro world of science fiction!
Hollywood would never make anything like that.
But they did — it was called Destination Moon, released in 1950. And still good today (more or less).