50th Anniversary Story Official Thread
- Thread starter Atticus
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Matt Smith and Billie Piper are good friends (and have been since at least before Smith's time on Doctor Who began) so I imagine it's inevitable they'll have scenes together.
I don't think that Aldo is making any more of a leap than McGann himself is. Here's what the latter says:
'Still a chance' sounds a perfectly reasonable way of putting it; he's hardly saying it's a done deal or will probably happen. Merely that it could happen. While it hasn't been ruled out, there is indeed 'still a chance.'
^Agreed. And surely if the part was written to accommodate three Doctors - as it must have been if Eccleston was asked to return - it won't take an awful lot of revision to replace him with McGann.
Unless those "Eccleston backed out at the last minute" rumors are true, I very much doubt that there was ever a full script with the ninth Doctor. You don't put that much work into a concept that depends on particular actors without getting at least informal agreement from those actors that they'll be participating. If Eccleston's participation was ever seriously considered, it would have been at the story idea level, at a point when dropping his Doctor would have been far easier than cut-and-pasting in a character who means nothing to the vast majority of viewers.
I don't find the rumors that Eccleston bailed at the last minute credible. Had Eccleston done so it would have been an unprofessional and career-damaging move on his part. Yes, actors leave productions at the last minute, but there are usually mitigating circumstances, and there are no mitigating circumstances rumored for Ecclestone's departure. There are no rumors of a death in the family, a life-threatening illness, even landing a plum role in a now-filming tentpole film for next summer.
I don't know if the rumor is wish-fulfillment on the part of some in fandom because they wanted to believe that Eccleston was going to be a part of the production.
I agree. I think the rumors may come from one of the major spoiler sources (the same guy who was suggesting recently that McGann and the actors playing Hartnell and Troughton in the docudrama would be in 7B in some capacity) suggesting that Eccleston had "almost" agreed to be in the special. Possibly the tabloids saw the potential story in that and ran with it.
What is known is the Eccleston had met 2 or 3 times with Moffat. At that point he declined to participate. Moffat had to have something to tell/show him on what CE would be doing in the episode for CE to base his decision on, whether an outline or a first draft. So.... there probably is an outline and/or first draft of 9-10-11. 9 opted out. Can the story be changed to be 8-10-11? Or does it hinge on somthing like Rose knowing 9 and 10 and 9,10,11 knowing Rose (8 wouldn't know Rose nor would Rose know him).
I agree that there was an outline. Perhaps it was written. Perhaps it was offered verbally. Certainly Moffat told Eccleston, "Here's what I see your character doing. Here's how I see your character fitting into the story." Certainly Moffat tried to sell Eccleston on the reasons why he, as an actor, would want to return to this role. If Moffat tried to sell Eccleston on the nostalgia factor, it was a lost cause right from the start.
But I doubt there was a script. Moffat isn't a fast writer. I can't really see him spending time on a useless script.
But I doubt there was a script. Moffat isn't a fast writer. I can't really see him spending time on a useless script.
There aren't any rumors but there are reported facts. Eccleston met with Moffat twice and turned down the role. We don't know the timing, but it sounds like it was early in the process.
Mr Awer
That isn't really "known." Someone associated with the show apparently told Digital Spy it had happened, but that doesn't necessarily make it true. Granting for the sake of argument that it is, though, as Allyn says there's still no reason to suppose there was a draft, or even a written outline, at that stage. In the meetings Moffat would have described as much plot as he had worked out, with special reference to the ninth Doctor's role, and Eccleston would have responded to that. Does this mean that there was a 50th anniversary concept in existence with room for three Doctors? Sure. But there was also another plan for the more likely event of Eccleston saying no, and I very much doubt that that plan was "replace him with a Doctor perhaps 50,000 people have any attachment to."
Besides, the special is in production now. McGann may joke about getting called on two days' notice, but by this point he (or one of the others) would certainly have heard if he was going to have a meaningful role in the special, the kind of role that would originally have been filled by Eccleston. Either the classic Doctors are all fibbing, or they're going to be called soonish for cameos, or they're not in the special at all.
Yes, there are. Tabloids had claimed that Eccleston agreed to participate but then pulled out right before the start of filming, which is what prompted Digital Spy's source to make the counter-claim that is now being treated, a bit prematurely, as confirmed fact.
"Someone"? The BBC confirmed it.
http://www.digitalspy.ie/tv/s7/doct...s-christopher-eccleston-quitting-rumours.html
I've seen the article, thanks. But while Digital Spy may attribute its quote to "the BBC," I doubt their "official source" was anyone actually empowered to speak for the BBC at large in a formal capacity (and therefore nominally required to tell the truth). A proper spokesperson wouldn't have called them "Chris" and "Steven," for one thing.
Same here. And on Rose's part-- if she thought the Doctor changed radically before, just wait til she sees how strange and weird he is now.
Rose will find a way to make it all about her. That's her defining characteristic - everything is all about Rose.
"Ere, but if e's you where am I?"
I guess the fact 11 is about 200 years older will hopefully clarify that question however
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