Picked this link up from Slashdot. Thought it was fairly humorous and worth a post.
Personally, I couldn't agree more with Snowcrash and H2G2. The first time I read Snowcrash, I couldn't stop thinking "This would make the coolest action film ever". I mean, it's got a gun fight between one bloke and an Aircraft Carrier.
And don't get me started on the abomination that was the H2G2 movie. I'll stick with my videos of the BBC series thankyousoverymuch.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Boo to those, too. I'll stick with the books.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
You know what was a crappy movie? Battlefeild Earth. God damn that sucked! It was a complete insult to the book. They put less than half the book in the movie. Book = Awesome / Movie = CRAP!
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
quote:Originally posted by Da_bang80 after smoking a bowl of Gerbil Shit: You know what was a crappy movie? Battlefield Earth. God damn that sucked! It was a complete insult to the book. They put less than half the book in the movie. Book = Awesome / Movie = CRAP!
please. Don't smoke Gerbil Shit. It rots your fucking Mind~!
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
The Hitchhiker's Guide film was very well cast, though.
And while I love Gilliam, I can't imagine him making a film out of Snow Crash. It doesn't seem like his thing at all.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Agreed- and it seems that Gilliam is only at top form when being relentlessly depressing.
I'd like to see a good movie of Piers Anthony's On a Pale Horse. Fuck all of the sequels though.
Of course, while it's an impossibility, I'd really REALLY love to see someone do a faithful and (above all else) scary H.P. Lovecraft movie. Everything we've seen has....well...sucked. Seriously- At the Mountains of Madness could be both terrifying, suspenseful and inteligent at the same time.
Who directed From Hell? That guy could pull it off (and it really has to be period specific to work well. The whole "it happened waay back then" aspect would not matter at the movie's end, as (for those not familliar with Lovecraft's works) the protaganist is usually horribly killed at the end.
Posted by The Mighty Monkey of Mim (Member # 646) on :
I seem to recall Dagon being not so bad, though I may be looking back through the soft filter of a one-time viewing. But, good God man, From Hell? What a great TURD of a film! Atmospheric, yes, but having very little whatsoever to do with history! (Besides, we all know that it was really Redjac who did it! )
I wonder when they're gonna get around to making a Dragonriders of Pern film. Apparently, there have been several proposals and development projects over the years, but so far none has come to fruition.
A Kzin movie would be cool as well, though I'm none too anxious for further reason to disregard the animated Star Trek's "The Slaver Weapon."
-MMoM Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Mighty Monkey of Mim: I seem to recall Dagon being not so bad, though I may be looking back through the soft filter of a one-time viewing. But, good God man, From Hell? What a great TURD of a film! Atmospheric, yes, but having very little whatsoever to do with history!
Well, it's the gritty period setting you'd want for the squalor in some of Lovecraft's tales.
Dagon was....allright (hot babes at least) but it slid into slapstick at points and never really seemed more than an over-lit college film.
I bought it- it's not terrible. The best "lovecraftian" movie is In the Mouth of Madness by John Carpenter. Not a Lovecraft story, but obviously taken from the general mythos. Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
I've always been a fan of Battlefield Earth the book. It's terribly written, the science isn't even deserving of the name, it's undoubtedly packed full of subtle Scientologist propaganda, and the characterisation sucks. But it's a fun read all the same.
Its many other faults aside, what - for me - was missing from the film was the book's pulp sci-fi origins. It should have been done in some retro style (something like Mars Attacks!), not badly updated and trying the hardest to increase McDonnell-Douglas' Harrier sales.
Posted by Woodside Kid (Member # 699) on :
About two years or so ago somebody announced that Disney had plans to make On A Pale Horse as a Jamie Foxx comedy vehicle, and I went, Dear God, no. Apparently, plans for that film have fallen by the wayside (forever, if we're lucky).
One that's been bandied around for a loooong time is Clarke's Childhood's End; I remember seeing preproduction artwork for one version of that in Starlog almost thirty years ago. I think technology's finally gotten to the point where it can be done properly. Hell, we know they can do the opening of the book (Independence Day, anyone?). Just, for pity's sake, don't let ILM do CGI Overlords!
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
I thought I read at AICN or somewhere that Guillermo del Toro (of Hellboy and Blade 2 fame) was going to do a Lovecraft film.
I'm stil waiting for Hollywood to discover Alfred Bester (since it's already chewed up and spit out Philip K Dick). Until then, maybe a William Gibson movie would be good enough. Idoru seems doable.
Re: Arthur C. Clarke. I don't know if Childhood's End ever came close to appearing, but Morgan Freeman and David Fincher were working on Rendezvous with Rama several years ago. The website still exists: http://www.rendezvouswithrama.com/ Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
DelToro is a Lovecraft fan, but frankly, the more Hellboy comics I read, the more I realize he completely blew the movie.
Only Rasputin's character is the one from the comics- everyone else is just cast nicely and looks great, but acts nothing like they should. ...and I raved about the movie when it first came out too- I think most people unfamilliar with the comic would have liked it- it's just completely lacking the cool and weird charm of the comics.
I for one, pray Hollywood never learns of Alfred Bester, or- more likely- his general ideas will be so stolen by other movies that the actual stories (and his name) will be spared the ravages of the "studio treatment". It will have all been stolen and seen before as a cheap copy (Minority Report), and most moviegoers will die blissfully unaware how hard those movies sucked, or how great the books were.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
I personally thought Verhoven's rape of Starship Troopers was one of the worst adaptations I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, the special effects were cool, but everything else in the movie was in name only from the book. And... I STILL want to see those battlesuits.
I am very fond of Gordon Dickson's "Dorsai" novels though I don't think they'd translate well on screen. But if someone wanted an all out FX extravaganza, there's always the Nathan Brazil/Wellworld series.
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Stream of consciousness mode:
Forget the books. I'll stick with my BBC radio dramatisation CDs. That's the original version of the H2G2 story and, I think, the best.
I've long thought Starship Troopers and On A Pale Horse would work nicely as miniseries, if done right and treated with respect.
My two unmade biggies are Ringworld and The Pride of Chanur.
And if we Americans could get over our squeamishness about the human body, I think the Xanth series has some potential.
--Jonah
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I want to see "The Dark is Rising" series made into movies. I guess it's not so much sci-fi as fantasy, though.
I think some changes would have to be made to make them interesting on screen, but I'd definitely love to see them.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Piers Anthony?
*account deleted*
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Oh, stop. I don't denigrate you're literary choices.
--Jonah
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Well, note that I didn't say whose.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I'm torn, though, between a) a favorite book being made into a crappy movie, and b) a favorite book never reaching the screen but playing continuously and perfectly in your head. We can always hope for c) a favorite book being made into a non-crappy movie, but the chances of that are always slim. Even if the movie is crap, the book remains and might even find more readers (a good thing!). Anyway, we need more things in life to bitch about.
Posted by Zefram (Member # 1568) on :
There are several Lovecraft stories that I would like to see made into movies, particularly "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward".
Posted by HerbShrump (Member # 1230) on :
I don't know how I missed it, but I saw the poster for "V for Vendetta" coming out in March.
Yet we still haven't seen any "Watchman" movie.
Posted by steve12553 (Member # 1809) on :
quote:Originally posted by Zefram: There are several Lovecraft stories that I would like to see made into movies, particularly "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward".
"The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward" was made into a Vincent Price movie by Roger Corman called "THe Haunted Palace". I haven't seen the movie in probably 30 years so I don't know how well it would hold up today but I know is scared the shit out of me as a child.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: Piers Anthony?
*account deleted*
Hey now, that's actually a good one- at the start of his career- I dont vouch for any of his other work. He's the perfect example of a writer listening too much to what his fans want and becoming a formula writer (Peter David anyone?) because of it.
I feel the same way about all those dozens of "Pern" books- fuck, give it a rest and write something else if you still can. Posted by The Mighty Monkey of Mim (Member # 646) on :
Well, actually, I agree about the Pern series having gotten rather derivative over the years. The original trilogy and Dragonsdawn were pretty good, though, IMO.
Posted by Woodside Kid (Member # 699) on :
I gave up hoping for a Watchmen movie a long time ago. There's no way you can do the book justice without laying down some serious green, and I really can't see any studio shelling out the $150-plus million needed to do it right for a group of characters that most of the moviegoing audience has never heard of. That said, my friends and I on the night shift at work have had fun every so often trying to cast the movie (John Malkovich as Dr. Manhattan was one suggestion once).
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
Mmm. . . Whereas he demonstrably has no problem getting his tackle out on-camera, I think even he'd draw the line at the blue bodypaint.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Hey what about the Foundation series. If they made it like the books, I believe it would be pretty good. Of course I'm saying this with the poor job they did on I.Robot. They just the books name and totally ruined the story.
Posted by Zefram (Member # 1568) on :
quote:Hey what about the Foundation series.
I doubt you could really make a good movie of Foundation. The large jumps in time and the frequent changes in main characters would likely produce a movie that seemed disjointed and rushed. Also, among the less well informed, there would probably be accusations that it ripped-off elements from Star Wars, even though Foundation predates Star Wars by twenty years. Thus, any movie studio would utterly butcher it (i.e., they would use the name and the basic idea only).
Perhaps a well-made mini-series would do it some justice.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:Originally posted by Woodside Kid: I gave up hoping for a Watchmen movie a long time ago. There's no way you can do the book justice without laying down some serious green, and I really can't see any studio shelling out the $150-plus million needed to do it right for a group of characters that most of the moviegoing audience has never heard of. That said, my friends and I on the night shift at work have had fun every so often trying to cast the movie (John Malkovich as Dr. Manhattan was one suggestion once).
That's one I've been looking forward to ever since I got my hands on the graphic novel a few years back. I will be made, sooner or later, it's just a matter of time. Not that I expect it'd be very good, an animal like that would require more than just money, lots of talent for a start. In fact as far as budgets go I'd be more worried if it had a larger budget than something more modest. A studio would probably want a summer blockbuster if they're going to inject that much cash into a comic book flick. Better I think if it were done on a smaller budget (think Daredevil or Hellboy) and make it's money back on the DVD market. I mean, look what was done to the League of Extrodinary Gentlemen. Couldn't watch that for more than 20 minutes.
So long as we're speculating on casting, thanks to Justice League Unlimited I can't get the idea of Jeffery Coombes as Rorchach out of my head. Not sure who'd be a good Dr. Manhatten, they'd have to be tall and adept at deadpan.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Jeffery Coombes as Rorchach would indseed be a great casting choice. He rocks as the scarecrow in Batman the animated series season four.
Personally, I'd kill to see Hyperion made into a 24-esque season/series, with Fall of Hyperion as the second season. It would take about a season each to really do the novels justice, and I think people could really get into it.
Posted by HerbShrump (Member # 1230) on :
I was thinking Hyperion on my way home from work today.
Along with Niven's Lucifer's Hammer or Ringworld (before it fell apart in the later stories. I think Niven's losing his touch...)
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
my god, over 30 novels, thousands of Ral Partha Mini's, Clicky Tech...
Fuck, if Gundam is 20 years old and still a item.... why can't folks learn to Love The Black Widow Company/Battalion/Trinary?
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Um... BattleTech been around since, like '84. There's yer twenty years. Gundam, on the other hand, has been around since the mid-seventies.
Main problem there is getting a good movie WITHOUT all the mech designs they stole. Most of their own designs kind of suck...
--Jonah
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by Peregrinus: Um... BattleTech been around since, like '84. There's yer twenty years. Gundam, on the other hand, has been around since the mid-seventies.
Gundam mostly tells the same tired story over and over again with little or no progress, then starts over....and with ever more unlikely and goofy mech designs (the one with the built-in windmill comes to mind).
Bor-ing.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
You people already got Robot Jox, anyway.
Isn't this one of those improbable giant humanoid robot stories? Assuming Cameron ever actually makes it. Then there are those rumors (threats?) about a live-action Eva film.
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
quote:Originally posted by Peregrinus: Main problem there is getting a good movie WITHOUT all the mech designs they Bought from 20 Century Goods, as unknowningly pirated images. Most of their own designs kind of suck...
--Jonah
your talking about any 3060 or 3067 TRO designs right? yeah, i agree, most of those curvy Pieces of Shit bite... still like MW4's Uziel on principle (Any mech trying to be a Warhammer gets points for effort)and most of the Project Phoenix designs grew on me, after much thought about the intent of the whole idea or reimagining the original line....
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: You people already got Robot Jox, anyway.
Isn't this one of those improbable giant humanoid robot stories? Assuming Cameron ever actually makes it. Then there are those rumors (threats?) about a live-action Eva film.
And Sol. The next time someone pulls your string, make sure its a tampon
*snorts, cough* Robot Jox, indeed....
i recall reading in Newtype USA a year or more ago some of the developtment prints, story board stuff. looked cool. But it'll never get made. No studio has the balls big enough to make such a movie daring enough to piss off christians...
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Exactly. Half of the names for the whatever things the Eva are/fight seem more geared to provoking Christians than those names having shit to do with the mythology they come from. ....besides, the anime's ending was....beyond shit.
Yet another "trippy" re-start-existance-live-in-harmony-with-the-Earth" kinda thing.
Having felt completely rpped off by the anime's ending, I shudder to think what Hollywood would tack on.
Battle Angel is not a giant robot thing- it's a teenage girl-robot pedophile thing.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"Battle Angel is not a giant robot thing- it's a teenage girl-robot pedophile thing."
So, it's Japanese is what you're saying.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
yeah- a 15 year old looking robot girl with a cameltoe showing in most scenes.
Very Japanese.
But I've only watched the first movie so who knows? mabye it developed into a really inteligent storyline.
snicker
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Dye his hair a darker color, and Haley Joel Osment could probably be a good Shinji. Scarlett Pomers could be Asuka.
The ending of End of Evangelion frightens and confuses me, though.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Not to be all down on the source material, but I think filtering it through an American sensibility (which might add, for instance, a comprehensible plot) could actually improve it. Or at least, like, distill it.
Re the "controversial" elements, Evangelion is a riff on Judaism for the most part, not Christianity, and kabbalic Judaism on top of that.
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: yeah- a 15 year old looking robot girl with a cameltoe showing in most scenes.
Very Japanese.
But I've only watched the first movie so who knows? mabye it developed into a really inteligent storyline.
snicker
well i'm a fan of it, Battle Angel, or Gunmm, for purists. It could better be served as a mini-series or anime (why they never do more over there is beyond me...)
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Maybe Orguss, or Dougram...
--Jonah
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: Not to be all down on the source material, but I think filtering it through an American sensibility (which might add, for instance, a comprehensible plot) could actually improve it. Or at least, like, distill it.
Re the "controversial" elements, Evangelion is a riff on Judaism for the most part, not Christianity, and kabbalic Judaism on top of that.
Sorta-
quote:Presumably the second Angel is Lilith, the Angel held by NERV deep within terminal Dogma and mistaken by Misato and Kaji for Adam. Little is known about Lilith and where she came from, however, the seventeenth Angel, Kaoru, refers to humans as lilims, implying that Lilith is humanity's mother. The room Lilith resides in deep within terminal Dogma is actually NERV's LCL, Link Connection Liquid, manufacturing plant, it is here that Lilith hangs nailed to a large scarlet cross with the lance of Longinus buried within her chest preventing growth to the lower part of her body. NERV collect the blood that flows from Lilith's body and use it as LCL, this is picked up on by Shinji who frequently comments on the fact that an Eva's entry plug smells of blood.
Definitely gonna upset the Christians there.
The part where Shinji jacks off over the comatose Asuka probably wont survive a MPAA ratings board either! Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I think you overestimate the degree to which people care, or maybe the degree to which said people matter. Consider how similar toying with Judeo-Christian mythology has failed to prevent The DaVinci Code from apparently being THE GREATEST BOOK EVER OH MAn.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Well, it's had it's share of Hollywood idiots hailing it as such.
I think showing a giant one-eyed alien corpse thing with no lower body crucified and bleeding might be a tad much for even them. Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Lilith had seven eyes, though. And her body didn't just end; it sort of terminated in a gob of marshmallow-like gunk that had body parts sticking out of it. Hollywood would probably show that, though. It not too far off from some stuff in horror films.
What might get yanked if Shinji copping a feel on Rei's breast. Hollywood might be a little antsy about a 15 year feeling up a girl who's carrying part of his dead mother's soul.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
That "marshmello gunk" was it trying to regenerate it's lower body (the lance stuck in it kept it from doing so).
Needless to say, I dont think a live-action movie is ever going to happen (and if it did, it would likely look like a cheap Godzilla movie -at best).
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Yes, when Rei pulled out the lance, the gunk quivered and then reformed into legs. Legs that need a good couple hours with a Thighmaster.
I agree that the movie will likely get made. It would be really expensive and not a whole of people are familiar with it, and, of those that are, probably half of them equate anime to tentacle monsters raping Japanese school girls. What concerns me more is a live-action Transformers movie.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Personally, I'd love to see a live-action/CGI "Transformers" movie. Done right. The one they're making is, I'm sure, going to be awful. Megatron won't even be a gun. And I'll be surprised if they even try to get the (living) original voice actors.
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
quote:Originally posted by TSN: Personally, I'd love to see a live-action/CGI "Transformers" movie. Done right. The one they're making is, I'm sure, going to be awful. Megatron won't even be a gun. And I'll be surprised if they even try to get the (living) original voice actors.
well some of them ARE deceased, you know...
the one that comes to mind, forgive me that i forget his name, the Black Voice actor famous for 1940's movies work, who was one of the porchse Autobots. I should know this but its been years since ive had any interest in the genre...
quote:I KNOW IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I'VE POSTED HERE, SORRY. I WANT TO TELL EVERYONE MY NEXT MOVIE IS TRANSFORMERS!!! I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. WE HAVE BEEN DRAWING FOR NINE MONTHS. THE ALIEN ROBOTS ARE AWESOME.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Sigh...Dreamworks has already announced that Megatron will not transform into a gun.
They're worried about either the negative "gun image" or not being able to sell gun toys to kids or both.
For really cool ooking G-1 Transformers, check out the Beast wars episode where they all go back in time ro the Ark- that was cool.
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
"This thing wasn't built -- it was poured!"
"Die-cast construction. It's a lost art."
ZING!
For the record, the entire series was back in time. They just found the Ark after it crashed, but before the volcano erupted and woke up Teletran.
Megatron as a tank would work for me, as long as it's a kickass non-purple tank... I've been re-writing the original cartoon pilot, un-cheesifying the dialogue, getting everyone to sound right according to what their personalities were later more solidly established as, and adding a passel of later characters for the early stuff on Cybertron -- those who get left behind, like Springer, Blurr, Elita-One, and Ultra Magnus.
I hate to say it, but from what I've seen of the movie in the works, I hope it dies stillborn. Then maybe I'll have a shot at seeing this one go through...
And anyone besides Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime would kill it for me right off. And for the record, here's the list of v/a casualties, off the top of my head:
Orson Welles Chris Latta Robert Stack Lionel Stander Scatman Crothers Roger C. Carmel Don Messick
I'm pretty sure others have passed, but these are all I can remember at the moment. Personally, I'd love to get Mark Hamill in to be the new Starscream.
--Jonah
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"well some of them ARE deceased, you know..."
And just what did you think I meant by the word "living"?
"And anyone besides Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime would kill it for me right off."
If they couldn't get him, I'd be happy with Gary Chalk. After all, at this point, he's been various Optimuses for far longer than Cullen ever was. Though, of course, Cullen would be first choice.
And I can't imagine why they wouldn't be able to get Frank Welker. He's in everything else.
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Even Neil Kaplan would rather have Peter. I met him at BotCon a few years back, along with Michael McConnohie. Wonderful guys. Peter Cullen was the reason Neil got into voice acting, and he can do a closer Prime than anyone I've ever heard. But even he would rather take Ironhide if it meant having the big guy back where he belongs. *heh*
--Jonah
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Judd Nelson is pretty available...
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Loved him as Rodimus. Far too brief a payoff, that.
--Jonah
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
(Double post.)
Posted by Not Invented Here (Member # 1606) on :
If they make the movie, they should at least put the Junkions in it so they can get Eric Idle along. He's still alive!
Okay, so maybe I'm only saying this because when I watched the old Movie, aged 18, I burst out laughing when I realised who was doing Wreck-Gar's voice.
Oh, and in reference to the Evangelion comments above, as I understand it the studio completely ran out of money before they could finish the series. Hence 'End of Evangelion' is really just a mish-mash of whatever they could lay their hands on to get something out the door. I've watched some of the series, but not 'End...', by all accounts this is a good thing. Would be interesting to know what the original plan for ending the series was though.
Posted by tricky (Member # 1402) on :
I'm sorry, megatron not as a gun cause they are worried about toys? I can admire them for the principle, but they must be the only merchandising team worried, judging what I see it toy shops and TV these days. No one seemed worried about the violent connection with those hulk glove things my godson has punched me repeatedly with. Getting back to the topic, I'd vote for anything by Peter F Hamilton. The MindStar Books would make good action adventure, the Night's dawn might be a bit expensive on the CGI front. Stephen Baxter is a damn good writer, but most of his books seem to depressing for film.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
I've really gone off Peter F. Hamilton of late. His obsession with sexually inventive teenage girls, often in combination with shy awkward teenage boys who're nervous about sex, speaks of some deep-rooted neurosis that, quite frankly, I'm getting tired of having to struggle past in his recent books. The end of Judas Unchained left me feeling that whatever else happened in the 2,000-odd pages I'd just ploughed through, as far as he was concerned it was all about getting his sexually inventive teenage girl character and his shy awkward teenage boy character together. Bugger Salman Rushdie, if any book ever deserved to have a fatwa issued against its author then that book'd be Misspent Youth.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
I've got no problem with Megatron being a tank as long as his robot form was the familiar G1 version. I have more of a problem with the size difference between the robot and the gun.
I would love to see Soundwave in there, but I'm not sure how that could be handled realisticly. The size difference (again) is one thing, but you also hardly see tape players anymore.
I agree that they have to have Peter Cullen as Optimus. Accept no substitutes!
I hadn't even thought of Mark Hamill doing Starscream before, but now that I think about it, he would be perfect for the part! The voice just has to be a little more shrill than the Joker's, and you've got it.
B.J.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by tricky: I'm sorry, megatron not as a gun cause they are worried about toys? I can admire them for the principle, but they must be the only merchandising team worried, judging what I see it toy shops and TV these days. No one seemed worried about the violent connection with those hulk glove things my godson has punched me repeatedly with.
It's not a matter of the violence (that's Grrrreat!), it's because toy manufacturers stopped (generally) selling gun-looking items after several kids got shot by cops while playing the old Laser Tag game at night.
Now that's liability!
Mark Hamill could easily br Starscream- they could just digitally alter the voice up an octive to get that shrill girly robot sound.
I think they could do a great plot based on the Dreamwave line of comics- that in 1999 the Autobots had won the war, built a second ark and were taking the Decepticons back to Cybertron for trial/prison (along with a bunch of humans as delegates from Earth- including "Sparkplug") when the Ark 2 blew up leaving the atmosphere. Everyone thought there were no survivors, but in 2006, an arms dealer had found a bunch of the transformers and re-programmed them as killing machines for sale. Untill Megatron woke up, anyway...
Seriously worth buying the TPB on this- amazing artwork too! Best the series has ever had by far.
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
THat's kind of where I'm planning on going after MTMTE establishes the characters and situation. I can't think of anything else that would do a better job than the old cartoon pilot -- jjust no frikkin' "ruby crystals of Burma". *shudder*
Soundwave might be an iPod... but then what about his tapes? I have notions, but I won't bombard y'all with my notes in here. I may start a separate thread, though...
--Jonah
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Maybe Megatron no longer transforming into a gun is due to the design of the original toy? If I remember correctly, the original Megatron toy had a robowang on it from the trigger piece that projected straight out of his crotch.
Pictures of the toy can be found at the bottom of this page. I never owned Megatron (the closest I got was Galvatron), but I never realized weird the robot mode looked.
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Shackwave was the worst offender. He was the grey Radio Shack knock-off of Shockwave. The genuine toy had a trigger that flipped up to lay flat against Shockie's belly, but Shackwave's was fixed in the shooty position, thus in robot mode he had a robot stiffy.
The Megatron thing was intentional. I have pics of the prototype of the Microman toy's tevelopment. This was obviously the incarnation that was used for the cartoon character model. The head, arms, gun barrel, and trigger guard are all different from the final version of the toy. Personally I think it looked much better than what we got, but hey...
But the reason truly is that American toy manufacturers either can't or won't make realistic-looking, true-scale toy guns any more, for the most part. At the very least, they have to be some unusual colour. This, even though gang-bangers are spray-painting their peices with fluorescent surveyors paint in wild tie-dye patterns, and the cops are on to this ploy... *sigh*
--Jonah
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Of course, they could always just not make a toy. But, then, I'm sure we're not talking about people who are less-than-concerned about profit.
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
The solution I worked in was that Megatron's original alt-mode was silimar to Galvatron or Shockwave -- i.s., self-propelled artillery. So I have him get turned into a gun by Teletran, and before the end of the story, he's effected a refit into something that isn't dependent on someone else to aim. I can't see him trusting anyone else to that degree, or giving up control of himself like that.
And an addition to my Mark Hamill comment above, I figured Eric Pierpoint would make a good replacement for Ultra Magnus' voice. What say?
--Jonah
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
I remember I had Skyfire and Sideswipe (I think that was the name of the red car).
I think I also had Skywarp?? It was a decepticon jet dark-coloured with elements of purple in the colour scheme.
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Skyfire was the cartoon incarnation. When Hasbo got the rights to make the Jetfire toy, it turned out the rights to use his image in the cartton were separate, so they had to cthe look and the name. Personally, I like Skyfire (name and look) a lot better. The red Lamborghini was indeed Sideswipe. He was my first TF. And you were also right about Skywarp.
--Jonah
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Getting waaay back to Evagellion, I saw something cool today: a Lilith dinnerplate!
I sooo want one.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
QUOTE]Originally posted by Peregrinus: THat's kind of where I'm planning on going after MTMTE establishes the characters and situation. I can't think of anything else that would do a better job than the old cartoon pilot -- jjust no frikkin' "ruby crystals of Burma". *shudder*[/quote]
I'd throw in some of the comic stuff to round it out though. Especially Prime being the one who intentionally crashed the ship on Earth. Plus, "Cybertron ruled by Decepticons with small pockets of Autobot resistence" is much better than "Shockwave sits on his arse on an empty planet for 4 million years doing nothing."
I just hope they leave Unicron out. Or at least save him and Primus for a second or third film.
quote:Originally posted by TSN: Megatron won't even be a gun. And I'll be surprised if they even try to get the (living) original voice actors.
Of course, Megatron's alt-mode was the single most pointless alt-mode ever. Including Reflector's. Galvatron's made sense, because you could assume his gun was more powerful in canon mode, but a hand held pistol? You have to wonder why, when Starscream was holding him, the jet never just snapped him in two across his knee.
Well, of course it's stupid. But that's how it was. That's Megatron.
Really, the only point of making this movie is for all us twenty-somethings who watched the original show as kids. If they wanted to appeal to today's kids, they should make a Japanese cartoon (and, of course, they do). The only reason to go back and make a G1 movie is for nostalgia. If they just steal a few concepts from G1 and then go changing everything else, it's pretty much just a rip-off.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I sure hope this upcoming two-hour long toy commercial doesn't ruin the artistic integrity of the half hour toy commercial.
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Me, too.
--Jonah
Posted by Treknophile (Member # 1869) on :
Getting back to the intention of this post: - Stranger in a Strange Land - Starship Troopers (I don't care what you say - it hasn't been done) - Ringworld (the orbital approach of Lying Bastard would be the most fantastic visual effect ever done) - Mutineer's Moon - Footfall - The Integral Trees - Honor Harrington - okay, 9+ movies - Red Thunder - Steel Beach - Mindkiller
Posted by Xenon (Member # 1894) on :
Voice of the Whirlwind, by Walter Jon Williams. That, I'd love to see as a movie. (Williams himself in an e-mail said that he'd like to see Matt Damon in the main role.)
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
My choices, irrespective of previous comments (I just skimmed 'em)...
� Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command by Timothy Zahn, the truly worthy Star Wars sequels. (Of course the actors' ages would be an issue, oh well.) � The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov. I dunno if it could be directly translated to the screen without some kind of interpretation and embellishment, since there wasn't a whole lot of action in it (but obviously without completely destroying the concept like they did with I, Robot...), but it would make for a very interesting mystery movie with awesome visuals. � Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money. Yeah, it was probably just originally a throwaway line, but it seemed for a while that Mel Brooks actually planned to make it. At this point, I think it's way to dead to really revive, though it would've been fun to try.
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Actually, prior to Anne Bancroft's death, Mel was doing pre-production work on Spaceballs III: The Search for Spaceballs II. Near as I know, it is now languishing in Development Hell.
--Jonah
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
(Along with his ability to make funny movies, so it works out, really.)
Posted by HerbShrump (Member # 1230) on :
I'm currently re-reading Harry Harrison's "West of Eden" trilogy (West of Eden, Winter in Eden and Return to Eden).
For those of you unfamiliar with this, the story is a "what if?" wondering what would have happened had the giant lizards evolved into more modern, 6 ft. (or thereabouts) tall intelligent beings coexisting on Earth with humans.
quote:And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there; he put the man who he had formed.
And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
GENESIS
The great reptiles were the most successful life-forms ever to populate this world. For 140 million years they rules the Earth, filled the sky, swarmed in the seas. At this time the mammals, the ancestors of mankind, were only tiny, shrew-like animals that were preyed upon by the larger, faster, more intelligent saurians.
Then, 65 million years ago, all this changed. A meteor six miles in diameter struck the Earth and caused disastrous atmospheric upheavals. Within a brief span of time over seventy-five percent of all the species then existent were wiped out. The age of the dinosaurs was over; the evolution of the mammals that they had suppressed for 100 million years began.
But what if that meteor had not fallen? What would the world be like today?
It's an incredible series of books and would make an excellent movie trilogy (or more).
The goal was to rival the Dune franchise. It didn't quite make it and wasn't nearly as popular, but It is right up there with Dune, in my opinion.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
Sci Fi did a spin off of this, so, while done on a sci fi channel budget, it has been done.
Posted by HerbShrump (Member # 1230) on :
I am not aware they did a spin-off. What was it?
And how can you do a spin-off without doing the original?
Are you thinking of Dinotopia? This isn't that at all.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
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