Ridley Scott adapting Joe Haldeman's The Forever War
October 15th 2008 22:41
Joe Haldeman's 1974 sci-fi novel, "The Forever War", is one of my all-time favourites - it depicts the evolution of a war between humanity and an alien species over hundreds of years.
We follow the life of one soldier who enlists in the army, fights in one skirmish, then gets on a ship to come home. Because of the mechanics of light-speed travel, time for him has remained still, while hundreds of years have passed on Earth.
The novel is a witty discourse on the evolution of species and the futility of intergalactic war. Absolutely wonderful.
/Film is announcing that Ridley Scott is looking to direct an adaptation of "The Forever War", as Fox 2000 has bought the rights to the novel. Scott has been itchin' to make the film for years, he says:
"I first pursued ‘Forever War’ 25 years ago, and the book has only grown more timely and relevant since,” Scott told the trade. “It’s a science-fiction epic, a bit of ‘The Odyssey’ by way of ‘Blade Runner,’ built upon a brilliant, disorienting premise."
The question is: does Scott have the voodoo powers to pull off a sci-fi epic like this? Fans of "Alien" and "Blade Runner" would scream yes, yes, oh, glorious yes, but I'm skeptical... the aesthetic of "Alien" and "Blade Runner" both combined a future that was worn and dirty, making the universe seem lifelike and tangible. This could work nicely in "The Forever War", but my fear is that Scott has lost his feeble grasp on the thread of originality.
Will Scott's adaptation live up to the source material? Or will it be a product of test audiences and merchandising rights, modified to ensure that there's a token black supporting character, a teary death scene and at least one battle scene invoking memories of American heroism in Vietnam and Iraq?
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Comment by Cheryl J
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I fear Ridley will botch it, I'm with you that Scott has lost his originality. Who do you think would be best to direct it? I'd love your take on it.
Comment by David O'Connell
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You've got to admire the man's work ethic though, he's become an incredibly prolific filmmaker, but he's certainly made nothing of importance in recent times - and one truly horrible film in A Good Year.
Comment by Cibbuano
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Who would do a better job? I liked the look of Paul Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers", but "The Forever War" needs a grittier look...
David, yeah, Scott's work of late lacks style and originality. I dunno, where's the effort?
Comment by Movie Mall
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Ridley, I reckon, needs to go for quality and not quantity. He's churning out films like there's no tomorrow - all shapes and sizes. I also read somewhere he was in line to direct Sleeper, based on the graphic novel.
Thanks for the heads up Cibby.
Comment by Cibbuano
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yeah, definitely - Scott seems to want to churn out movies at the moment...
Comment by Anonymous
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Comment by Cibbuano
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