Post by Charles on Mar 25, 2005 21:32:44 GMT
Dear All,
New message just in from Pendragon to the H.G. Wells Society, reproduced here. Enjoy.
Charles
********************
"H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS RELEASE DATE PUSHED BACK."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2005
The Principals of Pendragon Pictures announce the push back of the theatrical release date of H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS from March 30th, 2005 to late April with the exact date yet to be announced.
"The push back is due entirely to production," states director Timothy Hines. "I've worked for seven year on this film and as the release deadline approached I was
faced with a very simple choice, rush the picture or push the release date back and do the movie right." Hines is unapologetic about the push back. "This was absolutely the right thing to do. My picture, H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is an epic with thousands of special effects. It would have been absurd to cut scenes or rush effects when the movie was so close to completion. The thousands of fan letters that pour in every week reflect that this decision is correct and in the end it was the only way to go. Nobody remembers that some episodes of STAR WARS have been up to a year late, that Francis Ford Coppola, Kubrick and many other directors have routinely missed deadliness to get their picture right. H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is all we hoped it would be and more."
A few private test screenings have brought overwhelmingly positive responses. Test audiences have reacted with strong emotions ranging from tears to triumphant. "I'm not surprised at the powerful reaction to the movie from our test groups," says Hines. "We did the book. Wells was a powerful writer. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is a tragic story. It's a horror story. I didn't play the battles between the human artillery and the giant three-legged fighting machines triumphantly. This is humanity losing its planet to an invading force. Well, for a time anyway. That people have shown they are moved by the movie says we got it right."
The exact April theatrical release date of H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS will be announced shortly, though the DVD release is locked. The picture is presold for DVD into 60,000 retail stores in the U.S. and Canada and will hit the shelves June 15th, 2005. Worldwide DVD presales are in progress.
Two books on the making of Pendragon's H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS will hit the bookstores on June 1st. The books are published by Retrovision in association with Ed Gross, the east coast editor of CFQ (Cinefantastique) Magazine.
THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Book One: The Lost Film
A comprehensive behind the scenes look at the War of the Worlds film that wasn't, taking the project from its point of conception, through the design stage, negotiations with studios and talent, conversations with Dreamworks and Paramount and, finally, the impact of September 11th on the production. Book one culminates with the decision to mothball the project and the reasons behind it. From there, the entire original script is offered, which is accompanied by storyboards and production illustrations.
THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Book Two: All’s Well That Ends Wells
Book two begins with a recap of the events of Book One, primarily the terrorist attacks of September 11th, and the filmmakers’ sense of responsibility that they could not go forward with the movie that they had envisioned, feeling that it mirrored reality too closely. Tracked, is the hit the film took in terms of budget, dropping from $42 million to $8 million and eventually up again to $20+ million. Creatively, the decision to harken back to the H.G. Wells novel is explored, and that this is the first version to truly tap into the source material. The new screenplay is included accompanied by numerous production designs and finished sequences. Also included are interviews with cast members and behind the scenes special effects personnel to tell the entire story of the making of the film.
To pre-order the THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS books contact Retrovision at www.retrovisionmag.com .
On another note, director Timothy Hines addresses some of the many rumors floating around concerning the competition between his and Spielberg's respective
productions, amongst which are that Hines is financed by George Lucas in retaliation for Spielberg cutting into Lucas' STAR WARS business or that Paramount and
Dreamworks have publicity attack teams that use the acronym DDP (Discredit Discourage Pendragon).
"Most of these rumors are laughable," smiles Hines, "I would love it if George Lucas threw some support in our direction. If Lucas and Spielberg actually do have tension about Spielberg cutting into STAR WARS business, I know nothing about that. Concerning our film, it really exists, it will be distributed and all who wish to see it in the end will have their opportunity to do so."
Permission is hereby granted to webzines, newspapers, magazines and other periodicals to reproduce the photographs attached to this document for publicity or advertising except for the endorsement of products. These photos must not be sold or leased. Photos attached to this e-mail press release are Copyright © 2005 Pendragon Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
For more on Pendragon's production of H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS visit www.pendragonpictures.com.
For press contact name and phone number, write info@pendragonpictures.com.
www.pendragonpictures.com
Pendragon Pictures
New message just in from Pendragon to the H.G. Wells Society, reproduced here. Enjoy.
Charles
********************
"H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS RELEASE DATE PUSHED BACK."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2005
The Principals of Pendragon Pictures announce the push back of the theatrical release date of H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS from March 30th, 2005 to late April with the exact date yet to be announced.
"The push back is due entirely to production," states director Timothy Hines. "I've worked for seven year on this film and as the release deadline approached I was
faced with a very simple choice, rush the picture or push the release date back and do the movie right." Hines is unapologetic about the push back. "This was absolutely the right thing to do. My picture, H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is an epic with thousands of special effects. It would have been absurd to cut scenes or rush effects when the movie was so close to completion. The thousands of fan letters that pour in every week reflect that this decision is correct and in the end it was the only way to go. Nobody remembers that some episodes of STAR WARS have been up to a year late, that Francis Ford Coppola, Kubrick and many other directors have routinely missed deadliness to get their picture right. H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is all we hoped it would be and more."
A few private test screenings have brought overwhelmingly positive responses. Test audiences have reacted with strong emotions ranging from tears to triumphant. "I'm not surprised at the powerful reaction to the movie from our test groups," says Hines. "We did the book. Wells was a powerful writer. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is a tragic story. It's a horror story. I didn't play the battles between the human artillery and the giant three-legged fighting machines triumphantly. This is humanity losing its planet to an invading force. Well, for a time anyway. That people have shown they are moved by the movie says we got it right."
The exact April theatrical release date of H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS will be announced shortly, though the DVD release is locked. The picture is presold for DVD into 60,000 retail stores in the U.S. and Canada and will hit the shelves June 15th, 2005. Worldwide DVD presales are in progress.
Two books on the making of Pendragon's H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS will hit the bookstores on June 1st. The books are published by Retrovision in association with Ed Gross, the east coast editor of CFQ (Cinefantastique) Magazine.
THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Book One: The Lost Film
A comprehensive behind the scenes look at the War of the Worlds film that wasn't, taking the project from its point of conception, through the design stage, negotiations with studios and talent, conversations with Dreamworks and Paramount and, finally, the impact of September 11th on the production. Book one culminates with the decision to mothball the project and the reasons behind it. From there, the entire original script is offered, which is accompanied by storyboards and production illustrations.
THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Book Two: All’s Well That Ends Wells
Book two begins with a recap of the events of Book One, primarily the terrorist attacks of September 11th, and the filmmakers’ sense of responsibility that they could not go forward with the movie that they had envisioned, feeling that it mirrored reality too closely. Tracked, is the hit the film took in terms of budget, dropping from $42 million to $8 million and eventually up again to $20+ million. Creatively, the decision to harken back to the H.G. Wells novel is explored, and that this is the first version to truly tap into the source material. The new screenplay is included accompanied by numerous production designs and finished sequences. Also included are interviews with cast members and behind the scenes special effects personnel to tell the entire story of the making of the film.
To pre-order the THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS books contact Retrovision at www.retrovisionmag.com .
On another note, director Timothy Hines addresses some of the many rumors floating around concerning the competition between his and Spielberg's respective
productions, amongst which are that Hines is financed by George Lucas in retaliation for Spielberg cutting into Lucas' STAR WARS business or that Paramount and
Dreamworks have publicity attack teams that use the acronym DDP (Discredit Discourage Pendragon).
"Most of these rumors are laughable," smiles Hines, "I would love it if George Lucas threw some support in our direction. If Lucas and Spielberg actually do have tension about Spielberg cutting into STAR WARS business, I know nothing about that. Concerning our film, it really exists, it will be distributed and all who wish to see it in the end will have their opportunity to do so."
Permission is hereby granted to webzines, newspapers, magazines and other periodicals to reproduce the photographs attached to this document for publicity or advertising except for the endorsement of products. These photos must not be sold or leased. Photos attached to this e-mail press release are Copyright © 2005 Pendragon Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
For more on Pendragon's production of H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS visit www.pendragonpictures.com.
For press contact name and phone number, write info@pendragonpictures.com.
www.pendragonpictures.com
Pendragon Pictures
