good omens and hitchhiker's guide

[Strife220]

I found out today the Good omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett aswell as Adams' classic HHGTYG are both in the making for large budget movies. Anyone know anything about the casting or screenplay?

 

[lies]

It's the first I hear of it, but I guess that would be something that would be widely considered A Good Thing. It would be a good opportunity to get more people to read those authors... Yup.

 

[Martin]

Is it possible to make a (good) film out of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'? At all? Without Douglas Adams around anymore.

I hope to God that they pull it off, but I'm afraid it's going to stink!

Cheers, Martin

 

[flashing_spirit]

They're going to WHAT? Make a movie from one Douglas Adams' books? Jeez.... and Pratchett, too? Who do these people think they are? As if they can possibly capture the humor and whatnot inside those books. It'll all end in tears, I just know it. This is what you would call A Not Good Thing.

 

[Martin]

I tend to agree with you.

Cheers, Martin

 

[phil_t]

Hitch Hikers Guide was mooted as a film for a couple of years, but with the death of Douglas Adams i thought it had been postponed ... is it on again now??

Good Omens i believe has also been in Development Hell for a long time

Here's hoping they get made one day

Here's hoping even more that they are actually any good!!

 

[Martin]

It would be such a shame if 'The Hitchhiker's' film would, well... suck (excuse my French). I'm a huge fan of Douglas adams, and if he were still alive I would be the film's biggest supporter (that is, if he were to be involved with it). But, alas, he isn't, and I don't know anyone, writer nor playwrights/screenwriters, that can match his comic brilliance. Not even close.

If they are doing it, I hope they have the talent and the budget (there would be a substantial amount of special effects involved; a twoheaded Zaphod, anyone?) to pull it off. If it works, I'm a happy man, if it doesn't, it would break my literary heart.

Cheers, Martin

 

[J_D]

Hmmm, it could work... HHG was originally a Radio play (scripts available now). Then a tremendous BBC TV production and I think the books came out at the same time as this.
The TV series is a classic, if dated in that BBC way, GENUINE papier mache sets, men in rubber suits - remember this is the corporation that in an episode of Dr Who once used a cactus as the ultimate shapeshifting power in the universe, it just happened to want to look like a cactus OK!!
HHG to me has always been a lazy romp through space, it doesn't have the big bangs or excitment of a Star Wars type of movie and it has a BBC Britishness about it, whch I'm not sure will sell to mainstream US audiences. I mean how well are jokes about cups of tea going to play in America? Is space allowed to be inhabited by ordinary people anymore?

 

[phil_t]

You mean you didnt think Zaphods second Head in the BBC series was realistic, Martin?? It was terrific!!

Ive got all the episodes they did on tape and they are great - i think that with too big a budget a film might fail to capture the novel the way the TV series did

Phil

 

[Martin]

J.D, you're not dissing 'The Hitchhiker's Guide', are you?

And Phil, I can't believe how jealous I am of you. I would absolutely love just to be able to see those episode's once!! I live in holland and I can't get them anywhere! So I can't judge about the second head used in the tv-series, but I believe you when you say it was 'terrific'. I do get your point, though. A bit of camp might be what 'The Guide' needs.

Cheers, Martin

 

[phil_t]

Martin, i think can pick up the new DVD version on most shopping websites such as Amazon, and i'm sure they deliver to the Netherlands (or do you prefer Holland?). If you want the video version, well that would probably be a little harder, although you might always get a copy appear on eBay or somewhere similar

As for Zaphod's head - go here:

http://www.beebfun.com/hhg.htm

For a great picture of classic BBC special effects

Phil

 

[Martin]

Thanks for the info, Phil, but my problem with Amazon is that it requires a creditcard, which I don't have; they're not very common in Holland (it's shorter than The Netherlands, so I usually use that one). And there is no other way to pay on Amazon.

Thanks for that picture too! That is so lame. And so not like I imagined Zaphod! A bit of camp can never hurt, especially in things like this, but there are limits, of course. Camp overdose! Made me laugh out loud, though, and that's what it's supposed to do, right?

Cheers, (a smiling) Martin

 

[phil_t]

Well that is a problem They'll give anyone a credit card here in Britain (even me ) - some smaller online stores might take cheques, it depends on the individual store, ive found that some online second-hand bookstores are quite happy with a cheque, but i dont know about bigger stores.

The BBC props department is notorious for shoddy productions, see Doctor Who and Blake's Seven especially, but on the whole i think it adds to the charm rather than detracts from it

Phil

 

[J_D]

You've got me wrong, I'm not dissing it. All I'm saying is that Douglas Adams was very much involved with the BBC at the time and the books came after the Radio series and (I think) concurrently with the TV show therefore there should be no problem putting it up on a movie screen. But it's that sense of the BBC & Britishness that might not play well to the US, hence they'll change it and the essence of the original will get lost.
As for poking a bit of fun at ancient BBC TV I guess you just have to be brought up with programmes like HHG, Dr Who, Blakes 7 to love them precisely because they're so crappy. I mean I'm one of the kids who hid behind the sofa when an upturned dustbin with a plunger stuck in it (dalek) came on the TV.
Also, do buy the DVD. Just be prepared for it to have the production values of your average school play

 

[phil_t]

Absolutely, i fully agree that a healthy childhood cowering from 'terrifying' BBC villains that just make anyone over the age of 12 laugh histerically is all a part of growing to love British TV - you have to accept that the production values are terrible and get to the heart of the story

I think this is why Americans often cant understand why the British love British programmes so much, when they are so obviously a load of rubbish compared to the slick American TV you see.

And hey, dont knock the production values on school plays, when i played Pontius Pilot i had a plastic Greek helmet AND a washing up bowl in which to wash my hands of Jesus

Phil