Movie project I’m geeking out over: Foundation. Yes, I know, the classic Isaac Asimov trilogy has been in development hell for at least 15 years, and it’s long been on PopWatch’s list of sci-fi classics we’d like to see made into movies. Still, if anyone can get this seemingly unfilmable epic onto the screen, it’s Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, the New Line founders (now independent producers with a shingle at Warner Bros.) who greenlit Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings a decade ago. Lotta caveats here: there’s still no script or director (at one point, Elizabeth’s Shekhar Kapur was attached), and Warners has greenlit an adaptation of only the first book (if it tanks, à la Golden Compass, don’t expect to see the studio proceed with the second and third books). Still, it’s such a great, sweeping story — a social scientist predicts the imminent fall of the galactic empire and an ensuing millennium-long dark ages, so he starts an organization that will preserve civilization during the interim — that it would really be great to see someone try to realize it on the big screen.
Movie project I’m not geeking out over: Darren Aronofsky’s reboot of Robocop (pictured). Love Aronofsky, love Robocop (though not its two sequels), hate the idea. Hard to imagine how MGM could improve upon Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 original, or why they should even bother.
Time to vote, PopWatchers: Do you like the sound of either of these projects? Think neither of them will work? And which would you rather see in theaters?
Comments (1-15) of 23 Add your comment
I’ll give anything Aronofsky does a look-see and I’m very interested in his version of Robocop. As far as Foundation…one of the most boring books I’ve ever been forced to read. I was an English major in college and was looking for an easier class to temper the more challenging required courses I had to take. Found a lit. class called “Sci-Fi” and figured I had to take it. Terrible class, terrible professor, terrible books (out of 15 novels, the only ones I liked were 2001 and Man in the High Castle…Hyperion was interesting but a little tough to read in a week). The worst one I had to read was Foundation…shear sci-fi geek torture. That class taught me two very important lessons: 1) I love Sci-Fi movies but I HATE sci-fi books; and 2) the only sci-fi that I love is all written by Ray Bradbury.
It doesn’t make sense for them to remake good movies, as ROBOCOP was. True, only the sequels sucked, but only because ROBOCOP needed no sequel!
Why not remake the bad movies instead (a la BATMAN BEGINS supplanting Burton’s flawed BATMAN)?
First MTV wants to re-make Rocky Horror Picture Show (Blasphemy!) and now Robocop? When will this trend end? Aren’t there ANY original ideas left in Hollywood?
RoboCop is one of my favorite movies. I re-visited it a couple of times this year alone, and honestly, I think a remake would be fine. There is so much more they could add to the story, (which is extremely simplistic) the action/FX, (fringe budget at the time) and expand on the themes (from criminal justice to the Jesus metaphors).
I normally hate remakes of my childhood faves, but this time, they have my permission.
Nay on both, although I love Aronofsky’s work.
I willingly read Foundation. I love Asimov’s short stories, but I did not like Foundation much. The beginning and end are good, maybe they can cut out the middle and hopefully they will cut out the Donkey or the Mule or whatever his name was. The premise sounds great, but there are so many characters and places that I always thought it was unfilmable.
Foundation sounds cool, but the fact that the stories of Asimov, Bradbury and Phillip K Dick seem to be the only sci fi made into movies these days has me worried. What about the next generation of hugo award winners? Where’s “Neuromancer: the Movie”? The cyberpunk genre created some fantastic writers, as have the more recent trends like “Steam punk”. How about a sci fi movie with huge, steam powered wooden robots fighting it out over an 1840’s tokyo?
As for rehashing Robocop, it sounds like a dumb idea and a half. The first one worked because of Verhooven’s sarcastic style and because Peter Weller took the role so seriously. But the god awful sequels made the concept seem campy, one-note, and impossible to recreate.
Joan Allen in Death Race and now Darren Aronofsky doing Robocop? When talented artists do hack work.
Bring back the Robocop tv series! That was AWESOME!
I’m excited to see ambitious and inventive directors like Aronofsky taking on genre projects. Without risks like that, you’d never get Nolan directing The Dark Knight. I’m a fan of the original Robocop but I always felt it was hampered by a low budget… but the original will always be there, it wasn’t sullied by its 2 crappy sequels so a reboot couldn’t hurt.
anything having to do with Robocop is excellent, though they should have the original actor play him again – that would rule.
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