Forbidden Planet

[Jan]

Just found this over on Twitter. A poster asked JMS if there were any plans to revive his Forbidden Planet script:

A well timed question. As it happens, a major production company with Warners has revived the Forbidden Planet script I wrote with @JimCameron. They feel that if they can get a big-enough name director on board this could be made to happen.

That would be great news!

[B5-Stefan]

Just found this over on Twitter. A poster asked JMS if there were any plans to revive his Forbidden Planet script:

That would be great news!

Yeees!
Second-best choice for an upcoming JMS movie.
(First: B5 movie

Stefan

--
Garibaldi cooking Bagna cauda for himself and Dr. Franklin.
Garibaldi: "Trust me, Doc, you are gonna love this!"
Franklin: "I can feel my arteries hardening just being in the same room with it!"

[alpha128]

Just found this over on Twitter. A poster asked JMS if there were any plans to revive his Forbidden Planet script:


That would be great news!

In general, I'm tired of Hollywood remakes. Look at how the 2008 remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" turned out. Still, I'm confident that if anyone could create a worthy remake of this classic it would be JMS.

[Looney]

Look at how the 2008 remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" turned out.

I actually just bought the Blu-Ray of that remake from a friend, but only because it is the 3-Disc set that comes with the Blu-Ray of the original classic.

The only reason I am interested in this project is because of JMS' involvement. I love the original, but on the whole I REALLY dislike the concept of monsters from the id. I'd rather have a monster that is just a monster. There doesn't need to be more of a fantastic explanation than it being a monster from space. I really dislike movies that take this idea and run with it. Just make it a monster. Don't use the gimmick that it somehow came from our subconscious because it suites your cinematic or budgetary needs. I feel that people working in Science Fiction often add details that just go too far and are unnecessary. They become fantastical for the sake of being fantastical. There are times when Babylon 5 seems guilty of this, but I forgive JMS because he usually pulls it off well and I know there reasons behind it or that he might have had something else he wanted to do with it down the road. But movies that come up with monsters that have things about them that just get more and more fantastical seem like they are trying too hard. Side rant aside, I know JMS will bring something new to the table for Forbidden Planet. I assume an official announcement is expected sometime around a Looney Skywatch date.

[Triple F]

Literally battling your inner demons. A cautionary tale of the dangers on letting technology evolve beyond our ability to understand and control it – along with a reminder that for all the trappings of our wonderful society, scratch below the surface, and we’re still animals. . . . . . This to you is an unnecessary gimmick in . . . a SCIENCE FICTION movie - and a monster from space would work just as well?

As for this project possibly coming back to life. I really hope it does. Though I’m not fond of the idea of it turning into some kind of trilogy – as was suggested back in the day.

[alpha128]

I actually just bought the Blu-Ray of (the 2008 remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still") from a friend, but only because it is the 3-Disc set that comes with the Blu-Ray of the original classic.

I bought the two-disc special edition DVD of the original classic that was released to tie in with the remake. I remember remarking at the time that the only good thing about the remake was it resulted in a special edition DVD of the original.

[Looney]

Literally battling your inner demons. A cautionary tale of the dangers on letting technology evolve beyond our ability to understand and control it – along with a reminder that for all the trappings of our wonderful society, scratch below the surface, and we’re still animals. . . . . . This to you is an unnecessary gimmick in . . . a SCIENCE FICTION movie - and a monster from space would work just as well?

I didn't mean the original would have worked just a well if it were just a monster from space. I meant the movies that have come since the original Forbidden Planet that have tried to use a similar gimmick, like the monster feeds on your fear or the monster is already on the ship because you imagined it there. If it sounded like I was being critical of the original story I didn't mean to be. I was being critical of what the monsters from the id idea has inspired in movies since then. Event Horizon (1997) is an example. I believe that is a movie that would have been better if it had just been a monster movie instead of being about a portal to a hell-like dimension and, as a synopsis put it, the "entity" that comes through the portal. It isn't a monster it is an entity. So instead of being a monster from space in this Science Fiction movie it becomes a supernatural entity like a spirit or ghost or demon that happened to come through the portal Science Fiction created.

[Ubik]

I didn't mean the original would have worked just a well if it were just a monster from space. I meant the movies that have come since the original Forbidden Planet that have tried to use a similar gimmick, like the monster feeds on your fear or the monster is already on the ship because you imagined it there. If it sounded like I was being critical of the original story I didn't mean to be. I was being critical of what the monsters from the id idea has inspired in movies since then. Event Horizon (1997) is an example. I believe that is a movie that would have been better if it had just been a monster movie instead of being about a portal to a hell-like dimension and, as a synopsis put it, the "entity" that comes through the portal. It isn't a monster it is an entity. So instead of being a monster from space in this Science Fiction movie it becomes a supernatural entity like a spirit or ghost or demon that happened to come through the portal Science Fiction created.

Personally i really enjoy that angle in Event Horizon. It's hellish, tense and scary. Works perfectly. I'd rather have a cool idea supporting the monster than nothing at all. I'm really sick of seeing 'big bads' with flimsy as hell motivation / origin in both film, comics and literature.

[Triple F]

I didn't mean the original would have worked just a well if it were just a monster from space.

I missed the bit where you said you loved the original, my bad – but yeah, flimsy explanations for the big bad, or the crew falling apart under stress and one of them goes on a rampage, can be a bit jarring at times. It’s like, here’s the situation – don’t worry about how we got here it’s not important – just enjoy all the great violence, shaky cam, and screaming.

[Looney]

flimsy explanations for the big bad, or the crew falling apart under stress and one of them goes on a rampage, can be a bit jarring at times. It’s like, here’s the situation – don’t worry about how we got here it’s not important – just enjoy all the great violence, shaky cam, and screaming.

Exactly!