JMS reassures

[colonyearth]

Originally posted by Jan
Okay, I'm obviously humor-impaired but...I find that rude. There are other, imo better, ways to inform somebody that what they said is mistaken. Or did somebody start a guessing game I missed?

Jan

Jan, sweetie, I wasn't intending to be rude. Have you never had a friend do that in a joking, laughing manner? That's the way it was intended.

Bakana, I wasn't referring to who would make the announcement, but who would be the main voice most likely in choosing such things as an FX house...even in deciding on a director. JMS will be in control and will be one of the very few people making the big decisions.

CE

[Andrew_Swallow]

Originally posted by Jan
Okay, I'm obviously humor-impaired but...I find that rude. There are other, imo better, ways to inform somebody that what they said is mistaken. Or did somebody start a guessing game I missed?

Sort of.

The BBC World Service radio used to broadcast a talk programme in which a second group interrupted the main group to define any long words used.

[figarojonez]

Just a thought here, but on most big films (as opposed to tv series) a script doctor is almost always used. From what I understand, studios tend to believe that they know how to "improve" films, even if they don't need it. Any idea as to whether this might happen to JMS?

As for ILM vs. Weta, ILM would actually be the more logical of choices as the graphics of the entire series were all done cg. Either would be good, and I'd prefer Weta (Every interview they've done has struck me as a bunch of dudes sitting around having fun, whereas every ILM interview has included Rick Mcallum. Nuff said), but that was what popped into my mind almost right away.

Figaro

[chaostaenzer]

studios tend to believe that they know how to "improve" films, even if they don't need it. Any idea as to whether this might happen to JMS?

If the studio wants to rewrite his script, i'm sure as hell they have to take it from JMS' "cold, dead hands". If the sudio got a problem with the script, JMS will try to rewrite it himself. Don't forget: one of the reasons he wanted the posion of EP in Babylon 5 was that he didn't want anybody to rewrite his scripts.
And from what CE is suggesting you can figure that JMS will get a similar high position for TMoS.

[bakana]

Okay, I'm obviously humor-impaired but...I find that rude.

No, Jan, the "You ain't got no sense of humor" spin is how rude people try to defend their rudeness.
Turn it into Your Fault.

Its a lie that depends on the fact that Polite People don't really understand Rude People.
When you don't understand something, you are usually willing to believe that you were mistaken.

You weren't.

[Leto II]

Originally posted by figarojonez
Just a thought here, but on most big films (as opposed to tv series) a script doctor is almost always used. From what I understand, studios tend to believe that they know how to "improve" films, even if they don't need it. Any idea as to whether this might happen to JMS?

As for ILM vs. Weta, ILM would actually be the more logical of choices as the graphics of the entire series were all done cg. Either would be good, and I'd prefer Weta (Every interview they've done has struck me as a bunch of dudes sitting around having fun, whereas every ILM interview has included Rick Mcallum. Nuff said), but that was what popped into my mind almost right away.

Figaro

Rick McCallum, however, is in no way affiliated with ILM or Lucasfilm, Ltd. itself -- he's merely under contract as Lucas's line producer on these three films, and probably will be moving on to other projects at other production companies once this trilogy is completed. If you look at the ILM-related interviews on discs like (for instance) Minority Report, he's nowhere around.

If the studio wants to rewrite his script, i'm sure as hell they have to take it from JMS' "cold, dead hands". If the sudio got a problem with the script, JMS will try to rewrite it himself. Don't forget: one of the reasons he wanted the posion of EP in Babylon 5 was that he didn't want anybody to rewrite his scripts.
And from what CE is suggesting you can figure that JMS will get a similar high position for TMoS.

The difference between dealing with the television arm and the feature film arm of a major studio, though, is precisely that of control differentials -- JMS was left almost entirely alone when B5 was in production, due to the very writer-oriented nature of the show, and that the studio obviously felt that it'd be better to simply allow him free reign rather than risking the creative pulse of the series on micromanagement squabbles week in and week out.

On the other hand, you're looking at a single, two or two-and-a-half-hour-long "one-shot," compared to a twenty-two-hour-long project...which is much more susceptible to "massaging" and the notes process. Particularly given the fact that the studio's going to be pumping more money into said two-hour feature than what probably was spent on a full year-and-a-half of the series.

And that the studio has only one real shot at selling a feature to a mass audience -- another luxury that the TV world possesses, the opportunity to "retool" an advertising campaign partway into a season. Which now means greater scrutiny paid to the project by the promotional department, for good or ill.

When numbers like that are at stake, the "suits" are going to be MUCH more involved.

However, that having been said...given B5's more sophisticated reputation and pedigree than many of the WB film arm's own "tentpole" pictures -- and the fact that the studio recognizes full well that without Straczynski at the tiller, this project is dead on its feet -- it's virtually guaranteed that he's getting to tell the story his way, within the budget alloted, and that this picture stands a good shot at being a major crossover moneymaker for the studio as long as that same quality control is maintained. (Very similar to Joss Whedon's Serenity project, BTW.)

It's more or less Joe's ballgame -- something that doesn't happen terribly often in the motion picture industry.

[Capt.Montoya]

WB has given free reign to other "franchise" creators in the past... the Wachowski Brothers.
And that is one double-case where a script could have used some "massaging" (heck, the Matrix sequels needed reconstructive surgery, not just massage!)

With B5 I also think WB knows that it's JMS's baby and they have enough proof that he can deliver a good story.
The only caveat is that JMS has not yet written a theatrical movie script... the B5 telefilms are not necessarily good enough for a feature film, but I think they'll trust him as much as possible.

In any event it's likely JMS will remain Executive Producer and will supervise and approve any changes, even more likely that he'll do any re-writes.

Do you think WB will take the fan factor into account? Namely: I think that if we heard that the script has been retooled we'll be skeptical of the quality... and even if JMS would write a post saying that the changes were for the best and under his approval some will keep doubting.

[Joseph DeMartino]

The only caveat is that JMS has not yet written a theatrical movie script...

If he's anything like most writers in Hollywood he's probably written a number of theatrical movie scripts, even if they haven't been produced for one reason or another. He certainly wrote a couple of drafts for the big screen version of his Rising Stars comic book.

I tend to agree with those who say that B5 is so much one man's vision, and it has been so successful for such modest cost, that WB will be content to leave JMS largely in charge, or working in tandem with a director he trusts. JMS became a producer in television because in TV the producer has the most control - it is, in effect, a "producer's medium." Film is much more a director's medium - so JMS either has to have a contract giving him an unusual amount of control or direct the thing himself. I doubt that either he or WB would want his big screen directorial debut to be a major SF production costing many tens of millions of dollars, so my guess is he has an unsual contract and that much time will be spent finding a diirector who shares JMS's vision for the film, which will minimize friction, and who is "junior" enough to accept that he won't have the last word. (The reason the brothers W were given carte blanche on the Matrix films is that they had established a track-record. You can be sure they didn't have total creative control on their first film - unless it was made so cheaply that WB couldn't lose money on it.)

Regards,

Joe

[Joseph DeMartino]

Do you think WB will take the fan factor into account?

Absolutely. They know that for a film to succeed they need to attract non-fans, but they also know that to "open" a movie and get that initial word-of-mouth going they need the hardcore fans (and their reluctant dates) to fill the seats. And they'd be alienating that fan base if they tried to take control of the project from JMS.

Say what you will about Warner Bros., they do learn. For the first round of home video releases (the Columbia House and WB VHS tapes and the Image Entertainment laserdiscs) JMS wasn't even notified until part way through the process and he did little more than approve the cover art. (He found out that the laserdiscs were in stores when a fan posted a usenet question about them.) They originally planned to do the same with the DVDs, which they envisioned as barebones, 2-episodes per disc, individual releases. The fan outcry was so great that they scrapped the DVD release plans entirely, and when they revived them years later they consulted JMS from the beginning and did full-season sets. They know which side their bread is buttered on, and they'll leave JMS alone on the next B5 projects just as they are with the current ones.

Regards,

Joe

[Ranger 6 and 7/8]

Are we sure this trip has ANY thing to do with TMoS? I mean, i ave been follwoing his other work in the comics field--Spidey, Dr Strange, Midnite Nation, and Rising Stars..
the point is that last title--the movie is supposed to be ready to shoot, and maybe he is working w/ WB on that film. I know the script has been finished for over a year on Rising Stars.
so while i anxiously await the new movie, I also watch to see what other works are coming in..
this is just my 2-bits..what do you think?

[Joseph DeMartino]

...the point is that last title -- the movie is supposed to be ready to shoot, and maybe he is working w/ WB on that film. I know the script has been finished for over a year on Rising Stars.

His script (or at least his last draft) was finished over a year ago. But that doesn't mean much since they aren't using it.

WB isn't doing Rising Stars, MGM is. And they and Top Cow went behind JMS's back in bringing in other writers to revise his scipt, which is why he withheld several issues of the comic book from Top Cow earlier this year. (They had every right to have other writers work on the film, but they were obligated to let JMS know about it.) So he presumably isn't working on that particular project at the moment, since he was never slated to do anything more than write a couple of script drafts, now isn't even doing that, and since writers are persona non grata on most film sets. (And there's no particular reason to think that RS will be fliming overseas anyway.) Finally there's the fact tha JMS also had a falling out with MGM over Jeremiah and the odds seem vanishingly small that he would be travelling anywhere to do anything with them.

His comic book work wouldn't require him to travel overseas. It is possible that one of his other projects might. It isn't so much that people are assuming that the trip is connected with TMoS as that the possible Weta connection to TMoS would might fit in with his recent trip.

Regards,

Joe

[Leto II]

Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino
[...]

(The reason the brothers W were given carte blanche on the Matrix films is that they had established a track-record. You can be sure they didn't have total creative control on their first film - unless it was made so cheaply that WB couldn't lose money on it.)

Regards,

Joe

How *that* all went down:

JH: This could be considered your big break. ItÆs your first film thatÆs generating some press. How difficult was it to get going on this project?

Larry Wachowski: It had itÆs difficult moments where things sort of seemed like they would fall apart forever particularly when we were trying to cast it. But as far as actually getting someone behind us, I mean Dino [De Laurentiis] really liked us after he made a lot of money on ASSASSINS.

Andy Wachowski: We were his good friends after that.

LW: We had told him we were interested in directing a movie and heÆs a guy who has made a career out of giving people their first break and heÆs great that way. He asked us what the story was about and we were a little nervous about telling him the story because heÆs sort of this old Italian patriarch and we knew it was going to be about lesbians. We were sort of beating around the bush trying to explain it. ôThereÆs a woman and then thereÆs another womanàö Dino stopped us and was likeà(in an Italian accent) ôThis first woman, she is a lesbian?!?ö

AW: And we were likeàuh yeah.

LW: ôThis second womanàshe is a lesbian?!?ö

AW: Um yeah, she wasà

LW: Then he claps his hands and says, ôDone -- we have a deal!ö

[drlambertme]

Why would we be worried unless JMS was really worried. Sure, studios have messed up SciFi before, just look at STARSHIP TROOPERS. As a kid that was one of the first SF books I had ever read so imagine my disgust at what they did with the materiel. Studios like things that go BOOM, they seem to think that is what entertainment is all about. SciFi is not the only genre singled out for that treatment but it is the one that is most consistently butchered so of course there is concern. Still, I'm betting that JMS will retain enough imput to keep this from happeneing to HIS baby.

[Towelmaster]

For what it's worth; I don't think that WB will interfere with the movie too much. After all; if there is anyone who singlehandedly created the B5-universe it's JMS(no offense intende to all the other people of course...).

One of the previous postings obviously generates another question :

Who do you think would be the best director? One of the series-directors?

[circularREASON]

I am not sure one of the series directors could do it.

They might be ok for television, but somehow I think it will probably be a 'NAME' director. One who JMS feels comfortable working with.

WB might hold some influence on that matter as it is after all their money they risk losing.


Who it will be is anyones guess.