 |
GetTextbooks.co.uk
Compare Prices & Save up to 90% |
|
|
|
| Login | Sign up | Settings | My Wish List |
 | | The Greatest Sci-fi Movies Never Made (Fully Revised and Updated Edition) by David Hughes ISBN-10: 9781845767556 ISBN-10: 1-84576-755-1 ISBN-13: 9781845767556 ISBN-13: 978-1-84576-755-6 Paperback 2008-07-15 Titan Books Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description What if I Am Legend had been directed by Ridley Scott, and had starred Arnold Schwarzenegger? What if James Cameron had directed Spider-Man? This groundbreaking book, now fully updated and revised, tells the story of legendary unmade films. What would Terry Gilliam’s Watchmen have been like, and how did Darren Aronofsky almost end up directing the movie? Why was Nicolas Cage paid $20 million for not playing Superman? Also covered are Steven Spielberg’s Night Skies, Stanley Kubrick’s Childhood’s End, Philip Kaufman’s Star Trek: Planet of the Titans, Kevin Smith’s Six Million Dollar Man, Tim Burton’s Superman Lives and James Cameron’s Alien 5! | ||
Reviews | ||
An entertaining catalog of lost sci-fi films As a longtime film fan, one of the things that has always intrigued me is the uncompleted film project, the idea that for some reason stalls out and never makes it to fruition. This fascination is what made David Hughes's book such an interesting read for me. Using a mixture of firsthand interviews and exploitation of fan and film literature he chronicles numerous projects, drafts, and proposals for science fiction movies. While many of the projects he chronicles never saw the silver screen, he also describes some of the abandoned drafts and visions for some of the most enduring franchises of the genre, such as the Star Trek and "Alien" series. Some of his chapters will be heart-breaking for fans of the novels and franchises that underwent the process, yet reading the book offers insight into the convoluted process of film making. Reading it can often be saddening, as Hughes often succeeds in firing the imagination with description of unrealized projects that could have been breathtaking. Though true fans of these various franchises may be familiar with many of details Hughes describes, the book serves as a good overall account of Hollywood's often awkward relationship with the genre and a nice gift for the sci-fi film fan in your life. | ||
What might have been, and what actually was I can't remember who said it, but I believe there is a saying that the saddest words in the English language are "What might have been...." If the saying is accurate, then there are few books sadder than David Hughes's The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made. Actually, the title is a bit of a misnomer; it may have been appropriate back in 2001 when the book was first published, but the 2008 edition acknowledges that some of these movies have been made, including Supernova, Thunderbirds, Fantastic Four and the Island of Dr. Moreau, or are pending release, such as Watchmen. Even in the case of these movies, Hughes does show how early incarnations of the movie were quite different from the finished product, whether for better or worse. Each of the 21 chapters deal with a different movie. Many were based off of novels or comics, or occasionally old versions of either other movies (such as I Am Legend, also a book) or TV shows (Thunderbirds or the Six Million Dollar Man). Whatever the origins, however, the basic story is the same. A property is recognized as being a potential moneymaker, but certain snags always get in the way: the story is unfilmable at a realistic budget or because it doesn't translate well from page to film (such as Dune or Childhood's End); studio heads propose changes that completely contradict what made the story good to begin with; the legal waters get muddied by conflicting claims as to who owns the movie-making rights; or egos clash. Even with the ten movies that still retain "never made" status--The Stars My Destination, Childhood's End, Night Skies, The Tourist, Ronnie Rocket, One Saliva Bubble, The Silver Surfer, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Outer Limits and John Carter of Mars--there remains hope for many of them, even John Carter, which has been in and out of development for over 70 years (it could have preceded Snow White as the first animated feature film). The biggest lesson that this book seems to impart is how difficult it can be to make a movie, even before the shooting starts: often the planets have to be aligned just right. It almost seems like it's more surprising that some movies ever get made than that others don't. If you're a fan of science fiction movies, this well-written book will give you a glimpse at some movies that you will never truly see. | ||
A key acquisition for any collection strong in science fiction From Alien 5 and Night Skies to early vampire movies, any fan of science fiction film and any collection catering to them needs The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made, a survey of legendary unmade films in an expanded, updated edition covering movies that 'nearly were'. Interviews with writers, designers and directors celebrate Hollywood choices, oddities and ironies and is a key acquisition for any collection strong in science fiction. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch | ||
It's a miracle a good film gets made... It's a miracle that a good movie gets made. Having seen the machinery at work while at Dino De Laurentiis Productions, I can attest to the fact that when it comes to a movie whatever can go wrong will go wrong and that's BEFORE a single frame has been shot. Author David Hughes has updated his book so we have the ongoing saga about why good films often don't result from good novels, comic books and original screenplays. Hughes covers the difficult birth of "Spider-Man" a project tied up in legal limbo for over a decade. He also brings to light the long ongoing saga of both Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End which the late writer-producer Phil DeGuere tried to mount for TV as a mini-series only to see cut down several times and how Alfred Bester's classic science fiction novel The Stars My Destination was derailed before it ever had a chance to have a final screenplay written. We also learn about projects that eventually did get produced but after a birth so difficult that the creative team should have been given an epideral to deal with the pain. The movie business is crazy precisely because just when you think you've learned the rules, you learn there are no rules except that until the film is finally released it might not happen. It's a bizarre world where movie executives and "suits" often have no clue as to the history of a project (or even the history of film as an art and commerical form--when an executive wonders aloud who Alfred Hitchcock was or has never heard of "Citizen Kane" but has the clout to green light a project you know you've entered Porky's Wackyland)or even the history of the world (one executive suggested that the Mayan civilization somehow be featured in a "Star Trek" pitch by noted writer Harlan Ellison that was set before the Dawn of Man. The executive thought it would be cool because he had just read Erik Von Dankien's Chariots of the Gods not thinking about the fact that there were no Mayans nor any other humans for most of Earth's history)and yet influence the making of movies. As I said it's a miracle when a good film is made because quite simply Hollywood will do absolutely everything it can to screw it up before you and I see it. Highly recommended. | ||
Research? Well.... After reading Chris Gore's disappointing and disheveled The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made (see CdC #10), I had nothing but high hopes that David Hughes would be able to overcome the hurdles which tripped up Gore's earlier work, especially by limiting his scope to one genre rather than all of cinema. Alas, while Hughes's work is head and shoulders above Gore's, it remains lacking. Fans of Cashiers du Cinemart's articles such as "The Metamorphoses of ALIEN III" (CdC #12), or "They Tried and Failed" (CdC #13), might be tempted to pick up a copy of Hughes's book as he covers similar ground in two of his nineteen chapters. Too often, however, I found myself consternated by Hughes's muddled writing. Additionally, the more I read, the more I doubted the validity of Hughes's research. Several devilish details stuck in my craw and wouldn't let me appreciate Hughes's work. In the first chapter Hughes states that the protagonist of Richard Stark's novels is Walker, not Parker, mixing up the Stark novels with the Boorman film, POINT BLANK. An innocent mistake, yes, but an easily avoidable one. Meanwhile, I'm no expert at science fiction but even I know that the title for the unproduced WATCH THE SKIES is a nod to Howard Howard Hawks's THE THING rather than Don Siegel's INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. Oddly, several of the films that Hughes covers have been made, albeit not in their original form. Perhaps the originals may have ranked among the "greatest" sci-fi films never made, I remain unconvinced. Too often Hughes merely reports on the back story to the production of films such as ALIEN III, ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, SUPERNOVA, et cetera rather than demonstrating how great their initial incarnations might have been. Here's hoping that the next project someone does about unmade movies will either focus on truly great works or that they'll rethink their title! | ||