Post by FALLINGSTAR on Sept 6, 2005 19:15:58 GMT
obiwanbeeohbee said:
I predict that not too long after the Jeff Wayne film is released, a new, Victorian period television version of "War Of The Worlds" (most likely a mini-series) will be produced. By Paramount or an indie studio backed by Paramount. I believe that this will happen because of history. Case in point - The 1988 series was produced so that Paramount could:1. Capitalize on the 35th anniversary of the George Pal film, and
2. Provide another show that wasn't Trek for the fledgling Paramount/UPN network.
I'm sure that Paramount has it's folks looking at forums like this one; especially since this summer was quite a downer for all of Hollywood; trying to figure what they're doing wrong and how they can fix it. I hope they see that we movie-goers are a lot more sophisticated than they have been assuming and demand a bit more for our admission price.
Also, just look at the stir that Pendragon has made on this and other forums. Why would intelligent people rush out to buy a direct to video film that we all knew wouldn't be any better than a college film? Because there was, and is, a market for a WOTW set in the original time period. Paramount can't deny that they missed the boat with the Spielberg film, even though it was quite good.
I say that it will come after the Wayne movie because I don't think they will want to step on the release of such an eagerly awaited project and alienate fans any further. They will probably be watching to see how the Wayne version does with quite a bit of interest. I assume how well it does will determine the budget and format their version finally takes.
As for the Pendragon re-edit... I will go out and buy it. Why? Because I think it is a step in the right direction. A baby step, maybe, but a step none the less. I kind of enjoy the original version and I hope one of these days to hear that it will also be getting a complete special effects makeover. That will be a giant step in the right direction.
There's a few questions there though starting with - what's it going to be called? If it's not at the very least called - THE WAR OF THE WORLDS then it won't be THE WAR OF THE WORLDS if you know what I mean. It's the whole package with this. If they make a super authentic version of the book and it's called something like THE WAR or HG WELLS WAR etc, etc then that will definitely affect how people perceive it.
By rights any authentic version should be called HG WELLS TWOTW but as we all know, there's already one version called that and who owns the rights to that title?
I really don't think Paramount have any interest whatsoever in giving us a proper version of the book - it ain't set in America.