It's the first I've heard of it, but apparently ITV are producing a TV film about the Apollo 11 moon landing for next years 40th anniversary. And they're lining up James Marsters to play Buzz Aldrin.
James Marsters to play Buzz Aldrin
- Thread starter Bob The Skutter
- Start date
Not for nothing, but 5 million is big budget for British TV?
Pretty big. Put it this way, Sky's entire budget for homegrown productions over the next year or so is £10m, that's including the 2 Blake's 7 "specials", Going Postal, and 4 or 5 other shows. And I believe the rumoured budget for Doctor Who was somewhere around a million an episode.
Holy crap...
Do they just spend all their money buying American stuff?
Do they just spend all their money buying American stuff?
Holy crap...
Do they just spend all their money buying American stuff?
Yeah, most of Sky's budget does go on American stuff, I believe something like £24m for 2 seasons of Lost, and £15m for Prison Break. BBC and ITV tend to do lots of One offs or 2 part minis. Along with the usual 6-8 episode series. I believe Cranford, Robin Hood, and Merlin have all been put at about a million an ep, which until recently was pretty much unheard of.
Heh, you guys seem to have the same problem as Canadian broadcasters. Yeesh.
Well the main networks have a quota, only a percentage of their shows can be imports, a percentage have to be independent productions, and a percentage have to be filmed outside of London.
Except Channel 4, which is totally outside productions, and Channel 5 which has most of it's primetime based on US imports.
This being my favourite percentage, cos it means I get to bump into (literally) David Tennant outside BBC Bristol. That was a good day. Unfortunately, I was in uniform, so I couldn't be an overexcited fanboy.
stupid professionalism.
Why didn't you find a reason to detain him, that way once you got off duty you could turn in to a fanboy.
This being my favourite percentage, cos it means I get to bump into (literally) David Tennant outside BBC Bristol. That was a good day. Unfortunately, I was in uniform, so I couldn't be an overexcited fanboy.
Good casting choice going by looks. Check this photo of Buzz out and you can see striking similarity between he and James.
http://lunarorbit.tripod.com/pictures/astronauts/aldrin1.jpg
http://lunarorbit.tripod.com/pictures/astronauts/aldrin1.jpg
Meh. Bryan Cranston will always be the definitive Buzz (as will Tony Goldwyn for Neil Armstrong, and Cary Elwes for Michael Collins).
In fact, I don't even see how this movie could possibly top From the Earth to the Moon in depicting Apollo 11, or any other part of the space program for that matter. That miniseries will always stand out in my mind.
In fact, I don't even see how this movie could possibly top From the Earth to the Moon in depicting Apollo 11, or any other part of the space program for that matter. That miniseries will always stand out in my mind.
How does "Big American Names" mean "Co-production"?
Because it's about a big American event, and exporting their programming is becoming a major part of their income. If they count James Marsters as a "Big American name" then I'm sure they can get plenty of others at a similar level, or, ya know, Alan Dale, seen as he seems to get in everything nowadays.
Forget fiction. Watch In the Shadow of the Moon instead.
Stunning archival footage + fascinating astronaut interviews = win
