Warner Bros. Nabs Rights To Reddit-Spawned Film Script

Earnest Cavalli

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Warner Bros. Nabs Rights To Reddit-Spawned Film Script



A few weeks ago, James Erwin answered a question on Reddit. Now Warner Bros. is planning to turn his answer into a film.

In September, Reddit user "The_Quiet_Earth" asked the following question on the site's AskReddit section:

Could I destroy the entire Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus if I traveled back in time with a modern U.S. Marine infantry battalion or MEU?

Erwin (using the handle "Prufrock451") responded with a surprisingly well-crafted short story [http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k067x/could_i_destroy_the_entire_roman_empire_during/c2giwm4] of a group of modern soldiers transported back to Ancient Rome and forced to rely on their training and modern armaments to survive against a much larger force of spear-wielding proto-Italians.

The tale was an immediate hit, spawning a Reddit subforum, and even fan-made trailers for its theoretical film adaptation.

As of this morning, that adaptation is no longer theoretical.

According to Variety [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118044449], Warner Bros. liked the story so much that they have purchased rights to turn it into a film dubbed "Rome Sweet Rome."

"Pic will follow the Marines as they're flung into the past where they encounter one of the world's most legendary villains and disrupt history. To return home, they have to set history back on the track they altered," Variety claims.

This early in the production process, there is no word on when the film might hit theaters (nor who is starring in it, nor who might be sitting in the director's chair).

Thus, feel free to speculate wildly in the comments. I've got my fingers crossed for Paul Verhoeven [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000682/], mostly because I think this would make a wonderful satirical allegory for the horrors of Manifest Destiny vis a vis their visitation upon the cultural forebears of the concept by their sociopolitical offspring.

Plus, there would probably be nudity. That always helps.

Source: BoingBoing [http://boingboing.net/2011/10/13/warner-brothers-to-film-rome-sweet-rome-movie.html]

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Fiz_The_Toaster

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That....sounds like a pretty badass movie.

I just hope that Warner Bros. didn't screw the guy over, but since this is Hollywood, I'm sure they will.
 

Mantonio

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The thing that bugs me most about this (and there are many, many things that bug me about this) is it being about the US Marines. Haven't they been masturbated over enough already?

They're not even that great! In any other country the Marines are the Commandos, but in the US they're just a slightly better presented version of the US army. At could at least use the commando equivalent and use the US Rangers!

Or, here's an idea, why not use a military other than America's? I honestly stopped caring about movies where America saves the day long ago.
 

Quaxar

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Great Scott!

Why don't they use Reddit-stuff as basis for films more often?
 

Fappy

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Gerard Butler (Marine Commander) vs Russell Crowe (Roman Legionnaire). Now give me money.
 

dmase

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I want something kind of like inglorious bastards but I won't expect much. They did something similar with a movie called time line I believe and that was a shitty movie, but it did try to be serious.
 

samsonguy920

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There is always the chance WB bought the rights to lock it up. Studios have been known to do that. In a way, I kinda hope so.
BgRdMchne said:
I hope the dude who wrote this has an agent so he doesn't get screwed over by WB.
Probably too late for that.
 

The Funslinger

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Mantonio said:
The thing that bugs me most about this (and there are many, many things that bug me about this) is it being about the US Marines. Haven't they been masturbated over enough already?

They're not even that great! In any other country the Marines are the Commandos, but in the US they're just a slightly better presented version of the US army. At could at least use the commando equivalent and use the US Rangers!

Or, here's an idea, why not use a military other than America's? I honestly stopped caring about movies where America saves the day long ago.
Yes, I'm joining the British Royal Marines in a few years. While being a commando is undoubtably badass, the US Marine Corps is nothing special. Plus, I've spoken to various people over the years, and received similar stories of this nature. "I served in the marines/was a marine/knew someone in the marines. I/they served in a joint op with some British Special forces. Even I/he'll admit that they're better/seriously, those guys are fucking crazy."

Just saying... though I'm not really the in your face military sort, but this anecdote was relevant.

Really though, if a group of soldiers are being sent back in time (and it's Hollywood, so they'd probably be American) then to stand up to hordes of Legionaries (even with guns) they'd have to have commando training (and still stretch reality a lot, but it's a time travel film) so with that equation, the US Marines are the go-to choice for their place in modern culture. However average they in fact are.

Anyway, I think I speak for many prospective writers when I say: "lucky fucker..."
 

ShindoL Shill

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i'm sorry, WB is making a film about marines fighting ancient romans?
this is probably the single besterest thing i've heard today.

i do hope the guy who came up with it gets money though.
Mantonio said:
The thing that bugs me most about this (and there are many, many things that bug me about this) is it being about the US Marines. Haven't they been masturbated over enough already?

They're not even that great! In any other country the Marines are the Commandos, but in the US they're just a slightly better presented version of the US army. At could at least use the commando equivalent and use the US Rangers!

Or, here's an idea, why not use a military other than America's? I honestly stopped caring about movies where America saves the day long ago.
blame the guy who asked the question. i do think that america's marines get too much 'these guys is epics' from people though.
 

The Funslinger

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samsonguy920 said:
There is always the chance WB bought the rights to lock it up. Studios have been known to do that. In a way, I kinda hope so.
BgRdMchne said:
I hope the dude who wrote this has an agent so he doesn't get screwed over by WB.
Probably too late for that.
See, this is why I don't discuss my book ideas on the internet. They're kind of awesome...
 

Spygon

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This sound very boring and rather stupid dont good script writers exist anymore.As this just sounds like a 12 years fantasy "my big stong marines could beat anybody even the roman empire"

Really is this a issue if the marines cant randomly take on the roman empire then they have real problems.As it would be an roman army turns up the marines fire off a few grenades the romans shit themselves and run for the hills.

These are the guys that thought the best way for deciding who would be the victor in battle was to read the guts of a dead bird
 

laryri

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Warner Bros, what have you done!? You have just reaffirmed the faith of everyone on the internet who has a movie idea on the internet! You better fix this by making the movie awful.