War Of The Worlds - potential stinker?

[Mangamax]

So, it looks like filming on Mission Impossible 3 has stalled and Spielberg has had a re-think on his schedule so they're going straight into War Of The Worlds.
Without hardly any pre-production...
And set in the present day...

[ARRISARRIS]

...another Hollywood cock-up, i love this new mini-genre that's around at the moment, re-inventing the Victorian era as more advanced than it really was, e.g. The League of Extraordinary gentlemen, Van Helsing, Wild Wild West and others. Does it have a name? Anyway this is what War of the Worlds should be like, with a splash of The Scarlet Traces thrown in...

[Will I. Cooling]

Scarlet Traces was excellent. My only complaint was the use of a generic Gladstone clone as PM. If they had have used arch-imperialist Joe Chamberlain I swear I would have marked out huge!!!

(Yes I am that sad)

Will

[Tu-plang]

"...i love this new mini-genre that's around at the moment, re-inventing the Victorian era as more advanced than it really was, e.g. The League of Extraordinary gentlemen, Van Helsing, Wild Wild West and others. Does it have a name?"

It's called steampunk, iirc.  Really good when done well (Scarlet Traces, Leviathan), LXG when done poorly.

The new War of the Worlds will be a big piece of shit.  Just another in a long line of shit Hollywood adaptations and remakes.  I bet it'll star Will Smith or Keanu Reeves or something, fuck.

'the chances of anything coming from mars are a million to one,' he said.

but still they come!

[Darryl]

I'm led to understand that Tom Hanks will be the star in this.... If Spielberg holds to the book, it cant be that bad?

He didnt change THAT much in Jurassic park did he?

[Banners]

The chances of this being a good film are a million to one, he said.

M@

[Mangamax]

Actually, i'd rather it be set in the present day and preferably in America.
Woking is a lovely place to visit, with the sandpits on Horsell Common being untouched since Wells' time and a rather nifty 30 foot Tripod in the town centre.
I'd hate it to be commercialised and have tacky shops and a "War Of The Worlds World" theme park on the outskirts.

[IndigoPrime]

Setting it in the present day has already been done: it's called ID4/Independence Day (and it was shit). Also, setting it in 200X is totally pointless: the exciting and unique aspect of the book is that it is set in the 1890s, with humans of that time fighting aliens whose technology is rather like ours is today. It's Sharpe vs the steampunk aliens.

Also, the setting of the UK is _critical_ to the plot. Because the UK is a small island, everyone's trying to flee to France, but there's the possibility that this might be futile. Of course, no-one knows if France has been affected, because communications in those days aren't up to much. This adds another layer to the story.

If it's set in the USA, where are they going to flee to? Greenland? (Of course, Spielberg made a similar screw-up in Jurassic Park, leaving out a major plot point that made the film pointless. In the book, those on the island spot a bunch of raptors on the automated ferry; without that in the film, there is no need for the people to try and escape - they'd be better off staying put and waiting to be rescued.)

Here's hoping the other WotW film beats Spielberg's effort to the screens, although I imagine that may not happen now.

Fucking Spielberg - does he have NO respect for source material, and does he really hate the Brits that much?

[madgirl]

I am dreading this coming out. You can't improve on the origanal and the soundtrack I would rate as one best ever, it's pretty much damn near perfect.

[Demon Chicken]

I recently managed to get a hold of Orson Wells 1938 recording.  It's set in the US and WAS very well done, but like people are saying 1938 is VERY different to 200X.  If it was going to be done on a more modern scale I would recomend setting it pre-WWII, admittedly not modern but it makes the martian technology much more scary as there wasn't anything really like it at the time.  Incidentally, those that haven't heard the Orson Wells one I'd highly recomend it if you can get a copy.

[Tordelbach]

Tom Hanks would be a blessing.  According to an article over at theforce.net (see below) we're looking at Tom Cruise to star...  Scarlet Sky, anyone?

Link: http://www.theforce.net/holonet/index.shtml#24596" target="_blank">Link to Tripod Fodder

[THE ARCADE SUPERHERO]

The book is amazing and the film should be set in the victorian age...like someone wrote above...the setting is important to the overall story.  I have the Orson Wells version on tape and it is really good and I thought the film version was a bit of a stinker though.  what about Mr Depp as the main star...must be better then Hanks!

[paulvonscott]

I heard Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds.

Look, it'll be shit, but it'll probably make money.

[LARF]

...and David Essex is having a cameo role as a retired soldier.

[CraveNoir]

Speaking of Steampunk and this Sceptre'd Isle, there's a Katsuhiro Otomo anime on the way, called Steamboy.

Check the link.

Link: http://www.steamboy.net" target="_blank">http://www.steamboy.net