Forbidden Planet is a sci-fi classic from 1956 that helped to set the standard. Upon hearing of a remake I grew concerned that it too would be messed up but my faith was restored knowing that J. Michael Straczynski is behind the project.
Now Straczynski spoke on the project and what he is doing in the remake. He is going to stay true to the original but with some touchups.
“There’s a little more action, but it’s still a strong character piece, because it’s based on The Tempest and the idea of a father whose daughter is being courted by, in the original play, sailors that are washed up on shore. You need to have that dynamic still in place to respect the original and the source material. So there’s a fair amount of talking, but there’s some really cool action pieces in it as well.”
“We’ve actually decided to show more of the first ship when it first arrived 20 years earlier to sort of counterpoint what’s happening in the present story. If you’re a fan of the original, as I am, and have always been, I think it’s very faithful to that.” –Straczynski
I like the idea of a remake
The story is great in the original and am glad to hear he will stay true to it
The visuals and effects would benefit greatly from modern cinema technology
I like that we will get to see more of the first ship.
Warner is so excited over the current project there is talks of a sequel. This is also good news giving me hope that Warner won’t pull the project before it finishes.
Theater or Renter: November includes eight SF movies 1/2 of them are books adapted into movies: A Christmas Carol, The Fourth Kind, 2012, Planet 51, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Ninja Assassin, The Road. Will we watch? Will we rent? or do we even care?
Rules of the Game: Watch the trailers. Rate the Trailer. Then share with us your comments: does the movie, it’s trailer and buzz make you want to watch it in the theater, rent it, or not interested at all, and why?
A Christmas Carol:
Release Date: NOVEMBER 6th
Listed as: Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Produced by: Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis
Written by: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Cary Elwes, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Molly C. Quinn
The Plot / Story: An animated retelling of the Victorian morality tale A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge an old and bitter miser undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of one night. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)
The Fourth Kind:
Release Date: NOVEMBER 6th
Listed as: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Produced by: Paul Brooks, Joe Carnahan
Written by: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Stars: Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Will Patton
The Plot / Story: The Fourth Kind is a reenactment of alien abduction events that are claimed to have actually happened. An investigator is dispatched to Nome, Alaska to puzzle out a 40-year-long mystery involving an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances in the town. Her videotaped evidence looks to present the most convincing evidence of alien abduction ever documented. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)
2012:
Release Date: NOVEMBER 13th
Listed as: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Director: Roland Emmerich
Produced by: Roland Emmerich, Mark Gordon, Harald Kloser, Larry J. Franco, Ute Emmerich
Written by: Harald Kloser, Roland Emmerich
Stars: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson
The Plot / Story: The film explores the idea of a global doomsday event coinciding with the end of the Mayan Calendar in 2012. In Guatemala reports start coming in of mass suicides in the Mayan jungles of people attempting to avoid the impending apocalypse. A secret organization that realizes the world is ending and is constructing of vast arks beneath the Himalayan mountains to save both the Human race and significant animal species when doomsday finally happens. The disaster strikes all over with super volcano and mega earthquakes from dramatic shifting in the earths crust. A group of survivors, including Jackson Curtis and his family fight their way to China before they can board the great arks and save themselves from the gigantic tidal waves sweeping across the Earth. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)
Planet 51:
Release Date: NOVEMBER 20th
Listed as: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Studio: TriStar Pictures
Director: Jorge Blanco
Produced by: Ignacio Perez Dolset, Guy Colins
Written by: Joe Stillman
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman, John Cleese
The Plot / Story: The film follows a human astronaut, Captain Charles “Chuck” Baker who lands on Planet 51 thinking he’s the first to set foot on it. However, he discovers it’s inhabited by little green people who live in a white picket-fenced world reminiscent of 1950s America. The inhabitants of planet 51 are struck with alien fear and Captain Baker struggles to survive and get off the planet before they capture him. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
The Plot / Story: Based on the book The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Bella Swan is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)
Fantastic Mr. Fox:
Release Date: NOVEMBER 20th
Listed as: Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Studio: Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Allison Abbate, Steven Rales
Director: Wes Anderson
Produced by: Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Allison Abbate, Steven Rales
Written by: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach
Stars: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Jarvis Cocker, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Helen McCrory
The Plot / Story: Animated kids film based on Roald Dahl’s book Fantastic Mr. Fox. Mr. Fantastic lives next to the three meanest farmers who push too far. Now it is time to strike back at them. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)
Studio: Legendary Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment, Silver Pictures
Director: James McTeigue
Produced by: Joel Silver, Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski, Grant Hill
Written by: Story: Matthew Sand Screenplay: Matthew Sand, J. Michael Straczynski
Stars: Rain, Naomie Harris
The Plot / Story: Raizo, kidnapped as a child and raised by the Ozunu Clan, is one of the world’s deadliest assassins. When Raizo’s friend is executed by the clan, he flees into hiding. Meanwhile, Mika Coretti, a Europol agent, retrieves secret agency files on The Clan. Finding out about the investigation, The Clan attempts to assassinate her, but she is rescued by Raizo. Reemerging, seeking revenge he must find a way to take down the Ozunu Clan. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)
The Road:
Release Date: NOVEMBER 25th
Listed as: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: 2929 Productions
Director: John Hillcoat
Produced by: Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz, Paula Mae Schwartz
Written by: Joe Penhall
Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron
The Plot / Story: Based on the book The Road. A father and his young son struggle to survive after an unspecified apocalypse and make their way toward the coast for possible food, shelter, safety, or to potentially find other survivors of the cataclysmic events. Along the way, they encounter grave struggles and hardships across the barren landscapes, with scarce shelter and resources available to them, and having to avoid bands of cannibals and other desperate gangs looking to pillage valuables and food. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)
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I’m on draft two of Forbidden Planet, and the process is going well, very exciting stuff, and I hope I can talk about some of that in more detail soonish (JMSNews).
While I am not a big fan of remakes, if anyone could make this movie right, it’s Joe. Rumors persist that the new Forbidden Planet will be a trilogy explaining what happened to the Krell. I cannot wait to learn more.
World War Z
About to make the final touches to World War Z, then with any luck we can get this thing into pre-productoin also soonish (JMSNews).
I am a little tired of Zombie movies. The book was good and the audiobook was better. I am curious how they are going to do the film.
Lensmen
Draft One of Lensman is in, now working on draft two (JMSNews).
The Lensmen is E. E. Smith’s Space Opera masterpiece which defined an entire genre. The very notion of the creator of Babylon 5 working on what will hopefully be to first film in the series makes me as giddy as a kid on Christmas Eve. Note to Hollywood: Green light this film!
Ninja Assassin
There have been a couple of previews for Ninja Assassin, and the audience scores have been just terrific. I have a suspicion that this is going to do very well (JMSNews) .
This is the next film from the Wachowski brothers who made The Matrix, V for Vendetta, and Speed Racer. Need I say any more?
Last Words
The pilot script for Last Words has gone in to Dreamworks, and they’re very very pleased with the script. So we’ll see where this goes (JMSNews).
Wait a minute… Joe + Dreanworks + pilot = awesome series I need to see.
Other News
Interestingly, due to all the writing work, I’ve lately begun to be offered directing gigs, most of it in the SF genre (natch). Nothing has grabbed me enough yet to want to tackle it, but we’ll see what the future holds. A couple of studios have extended the offer for me to write and direct my own stuff, which is pretty cool.
My agent has forbidden me to take on any other screenplay assignments until March/April, but some projects have begun to circle Casa Straczynski of late, looking for an open place to land when an opening comes. Some very cool stuff on the horizon (JMSNews).
Anything I get from Joe, I am ready to go. Great news all around.
Patrick McGoohan, a two-time Emmy Award-winning actor who starred as a British spy in the 1960s TV series “Secret Agent” and gained cult status later in the decade as the star of the enigmatic series “The Prisoner,” has died. He was 80 (Los Angeles Times).
I think J. Michael Straczynski said it best: “The world has suddenly become a far less interesting place.”
He-Man the classic animated TV show from the 80’s now has the first season streaming free online on Hulu.
The show is about Prince Adam who is given the Sword of Grayskull and can transform into He-Man defender of Eternia from Skeletor who wishes to rule all of the land. Along his adventures Prince-Adam is accompanied with his pet a cowardly tiger named Cringer who also transforms into an armored tiger named Battle Cat. Eternia is also defended by Prince Adam’s mentor Duncan aka Man-At_Arms, his friend Teela, and the wizard Orco.
Skeletor also has his entertaining band of misfit baddies which he uses not only in his attempts to rule all of Eternia but also to help him get at the secret powers hidden deep within Castle Grayskull.
The shows are great fun with a fable type quality to them containing wonderful messages for life like being brave and how lying can be harmful. The show ran for two seasons before going off the air. The show had some great writing talent like J. Michael Straczynski, Paul Dini, and and David Wise giving He-Man a great storyline to it.
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Culture
Stan Lee and Olivia de Havilland Among National Medal of Arts Winners (via washingtonpost)
Audi Calamaro: Hottest flying car you’ve ever seen (via DVICE)
The Tribes Q&A ebook is here and it’s free (via Seth’s Blog)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7e5b7e4f-e4ed-431f-92a5-fff0d9f91222 "Straczynski On Forbidden Planet Remake")
. Ebenezer Scrooge an old and bitter miser undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of one night. (
. Bella Swan is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested. (
. Mr. Fantastic lives next to the three meanest farmers who push too far. Now it is time to strike back at them. (
. A father and his young son struggle to survive after an unspecified apocalypse and make their way toward the coast for possible food, shelter, safety, or to potentially find other survivors of the cataclysmic events. Along the way, they encounter grave struggles and hardships across the barren landscapes, with scarce shelter and resources available to them, and having to avoid bands of cannibals and other desperate gangs looking to pillage valuables and food. (
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, 
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![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=a89159d1-ca64-4a88-95c7-5f2160341ff2 "He Man and the Masters of the Universe Streaming Free Online!")
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=74559c2c-3089-408e-aa32-ed5d3642b499 "P:SI # 290 “Something Weird And It Don’t Look Good”")
