Book of Eli Studio in Talks to Buy Blade Runner Rights

[Anachronism]

*long inhale, falls to knees*

...[/youtube]

WHY WON'T THEY LET THE BONES OF THE GREAT ONES REST

Seconded. Both the Vader scream and the sentiment. Is nothing sacred any more?

I suggest you check out post number 36 in this thread.

A valid point, but it doesn't avoid the fact that those were novels written by an fairly unknown author, most of whose whose work consisted of Star Wars and Star Trek novels. It was a lack of creativity on the part of one person. This, by contrast, is the biggest film studio in the world intending to strip-mine a science fiction classic and turn it into a franchise (sequels, prequels and spin-offs, oh my!), most likely a terrible one. Not that I think Warner Bros. are necessarily incompetent, but this still represents a terrible lack of creativity on the part of whoever's idea this was. Why not release a new IP?

Also:

Those [novels] were published over a decade after Philip K. Dick's death. There's no way he could have actually approved of the final text.

 

[Ghengis John]

A valid point, but it doesn't avoid the fact that those were novels written by an fairly unknown author, most of whose whose work consisted of Star Wars and Star Trek novels. It was a lack of creativity on the part of one person. This, by contrast, is the biggest film studio in the world intending to strip-mine a science fiction classic and turn it into a franchise (sequels, prequels and spin-offs, oh my!), most likely a terrible one. Not that I think Warner Bros. are necessarily incompetent, but this still represents a terrible lack of creativity on the part of whoever's idea this was. Why not release a new IP?

Would it be better to release a new IP that simply wants to be blade runner and apes it while embarrassingly attempting to sidestep obvious similarities or would it be better for them to make an official product that at least gives something back to the proper estates and license holders?

Not that I would mind something new and different, mind you. But I don't necessarily see delving into an old IP as a lack of creativity. If something about the universe genuinely sparked somebody's imagination (and there's a lot there that can, as it has mine from time to time) then what makes it any less valid than a watered-down distilled blade-runner derivative (of which there are many)? Benjamin Franklin said the only things that last forever are those that renew themselves from generation to generation. How many people do you know that watch great old films like "M" or metropolis? It may be in 40 years this film has no relevance to anyone without white hair. I'd hope this could help avoid that by keeping things current. But who knows if this won't just catapult it into obscurity. I do understand your concerns. But I'm willing to let people take that gamble all the same. Nothing ventured right?

 

[dalek sec]

Oh wonderful. One of the sci-fi classics gets handed over to the people who butchered the Wicker Man and managed to make denzel washington fighting Gary Oldman in a post appocalyptic wasteland boring. This will go well....

Bang, you pretty much head the nail on the head with your post. This is just going to suck more than a black hole and we all know it. D:

 

[scarab7]

Oh wonderful. One of the sci-fi classics gets handed over to the people who butchered the Wicker Man and managed to make denzel washington fighting Gary Oldman in a post appocalyptic wasteland boring. This will go well....

Thinking the same damn thing.

I like the replies to this news, simply because to those that said that Blade Runner doesn't need a sequel, I'd like to say "Did you not realise there was a series of Blade [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner_2:_The_Edge_of_Human] Runner [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner_3:_Replicant_Night] sequals? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner_4:_Eye_and_Talon]"

All of which are considered official, and have been authorised by Philip K. Dick himself. Further, the damn things "attempt to resolve many of the differences between the novel and the film". So, to be honest, I don't exactly see an issue here.

Official doesn't mean the original author had anything to do with, that means Jeter had the rights to write the novels. Thankfully Philip K. Dick was dead by the time the first sequel book came out because he'd be crying if he read it. The plot was horrible and there was no memorable events, it was like obscure fan service that tried to hard to bridge issues between "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" book and the "Blade Runner" film. Not to mention the fact that the novel and book have differences that don't need filling in because the book and film are strong on their own merits but Jester did that anyways along with trying to fill in plot flub ups exclusive to the film. For those of you that haven't read the books, don't you just be disappointed.

 

[Trogdor1138]

You want to honour the original film? Then leave it the fuck alone guys.

It's my second favourite film of all time and a huge influence on me and many others. You can not match the legacy it has had, it basically took 10+ years to find it's audience and it was actually quite amazing how good it turned out to be, seemingly by accident. It's honestly become the most influential sci-fi film now.

And you want to whore it out 30 years after it's original release? I won't be supporting this move at all.

 

[frago roc]

The Wicker Man was the shittiest movie to ever waste my money.

 

[Zer0Saber]

Eh you kids are all so negative. There's a lot of interesting stuff in Blade runner, mentioned only in passing. What's a C-beam? There's wars in space? And the colonies? In short maybe go with anime.

That just reminded me how I always thought that Blade Runner seemed like a live action anime.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

I don't know how many ways I can say no.

This is probably one of my favourite films of all time, and I think I can claim on both that basis and having had to analysis it in depth for a Sci-Fi course that I probably understand the story quite well.

And understanding the story quite well I have to ask at what point anyone could think this needed a sequel? The story is entirely self-contained, and the ambiguous ending one of the greatest and most famous ever.

This is what shows me that these producers have no idea what they're doing. Either they're going to make something set in the universe but not a direct sequel, in which case they're just using the name for marketing purposes because it would be much easier to just write a decent cyberpunk exploration of the themes of Blade Runner without using the names. Or they're making a direct sequel, in which case if they reveal definitively whether Deckard was or wasn't a replicant they have clearly misunderstood the point of almost the entire movie, or if they drag it out then they're just going to end up rehashing all the ideas that the first movie already sorted out.

No good can come of this.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

If they are just going to turn it into a Christian version of the novel, then stay the fuck away from it. Book of Eli and the Wicker Man (in it's most recent form) were just, in my opinion, boring and convoluted (not to mention Wicker Man was really just a story with a Christian enforcing his belief's over a community of Celtic Pagans..).

 

[GiantRaven]

If they are just going to turn it into a Christian version of the novel, then stay the fuck away from it. Book of Eli and the Wicker Man (in it's most recent form) were just, in my opinion, boring and convoluted (not to mention Wicker Man was really just a story with a Christian enforcing his belief's over a community of Celtic Pagans..).

How was Book of Eli convoluted? I mean, sure, it was open to interpretation but I wouldn't call it convoluted.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

If they are just going to turn it into a Christian version of the novel, then stay the fuck away from it. Book of Eli and the Wicker Man (in it's most recent form) were just, in my opinion, boring and convoluted (not to mention Wicker Man was really just a story with a Christian enforcing his belief's over a community of Celtic Pagans..).

How was Book of Eli convoluted? I mean, sure, it was open to interpretation but I wouldn't call it convoluted.

Mainly, I just refer to the whole "God was leading Eli around the entire time, giving him his (superhuman?) reflexes and perception to survive in a post-apocalyptic world for 30 years of travel while protecting the last Bible known to mankind" spiel they tried to sell off.

I mean, they can do whatever they want with their own movie, but that specific concept isn't exactly something I view (not being a Christian) as "coherent". Hence, convoluted.

*Shrug*

 

[fulano]

I'm all for it. Considering how Battlestar Galactica ended I'd like to see how those themes bleed into modern-ish society.

Hopefully they don't fuck it up.

EDIT:

If they are just going to turn it into a Christian version of the novel, then stay the fuck away from it. Book of Eli and the Wicker Man (in it's most recent form) were just, in my opinion, boring and convoluted (not to mention Wicker Man was really just a story with a Christian enforcing his belief's over a community of Celtic Pagans..).

How was Book of Eli convoluted? I mean, sure, it was open to interpretation but I wouldn't call it convoluted.

Mainly, I just refer to the whole "God was leading Eli around the entire time, giving him his (superhuman?) reflexes and perception to survive in a post-apocalyptic world for 30 years of travel while protecting the last Bible known to mankind" spiel they tried to sell off.

I mean, they can do whatever they want with their own movie, but that specific concept isn't exactly something I view (not being a Christian) as "coherent". Hence, convoluted.

*Shrug*

You imply black Zatoichi might not be realistic?! How dare you...I mean, what's next? Daredevil? You have no shame.

SERIOUS MODE ON: I liked that movie for what it was, but the most unrealistic part for myself was him having memorized an entire freaking book as fucking messy as the bible is.