Orci Directing.. Not A Done Deal

[MakeshiftPython]

If anything is north of a $100 million dollar budget, it ain't "lower production values". RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES was done on $90 million and that's got some of the most impressive CGI. However, there are cases where studios intentionally inflate budgets simply as a way to keep actors/writers in line so they can't make demands for higher pay since studios can claim they aren't making much back due to big budget. It's all politics. It's nonsense like that that made Steven Soderbergh leave the film business.

 

[HIjol]

I am admittedly an Old Fart, but in the first incarnations of Trek and SW, Directors trusted us with two or three minutes of dialog (or sometimes more) and then gave us a 45 second space battle...in recent years, Directors have reversed the trend, and seem to worry that they will lose our attention if the dialog goes on too long...I know Orci can write, and there are times that he writes very well...I just hope he trusts us with some plot development and gives us some meaningful dialog in the midst of the BlockBusterness he is known for...

 

[F. King Daniel]

ST'09 and STID did just fine - quite nicely in the black. $500m-ish takes plus home video (at which Trek usually performs exceptionally well) are more than enough to justify $150m budgets. Before anyone chips in, I'm well aware of how revenue is "divvyed up" - but I still believe the Abrams movies have been financially "successful" for Paramount. Obviously, not on the same scale as Star Wars. The portrayal of STID as some kind of "borderline" or fruitless financial venture is just plain wrong.

I'm not saying they were unsuccessful, just that they're not making the kind of money studios expect a film with a hefty $190 budget to make. This is why you're hearing of budget cuts for the next flick, because Paramount is now realizing Trek is never gonna do TRANSFORMERS business, so they'll be more realistic about how much they'll spend for the next flick in order to keep profits. They did the same thing after THE MOTION PICTURE.

The proposed budget for the next movie is around $150m from what's been conjectured. A MASSIVE budget by any measure IMO - certainly one that easily qualifies it as an "tent-pole" major motion picture "event". The relatively small cut in funding will be achieved by means that allow the same production values to appear on the screen - filming outside L.A. etc.

Comparing that situation to TMP>TWOK just doesn't work IMHO. I would say the substantial cut in budget between those two films probably did demonstrate a "lack of confidence", but it's simply not the case for NuTrek 3.

Yep. I recall reading that it's the same kind of "film in a cheaper state" budget cut which Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is getting compared to Man of Steel. And if it's good enough for the two biggest superheroes ever (much as I love Trek, they're worlds ahead in name value and popularity), it's good enough for Kirk and his crew.

 

[Commishsleer]

How recent is this $150 million budget forecast?

Is it due to a filming location change?

Is it going to depend on the script or is it something set in stone from Paramount?

 

[F. King Daniel]

How recent is this $150 million budget forecast?

Is it due to a filming location change?

Is it going to depend on the script or is it something set in stone from Paramount?

Click! It's from April this year.

 

[Commishsleer]

How recent is this $150 million budget forecast?

Is it due to a filming location change?

Is it going to depend on the script or is it something set in stone from Paramount?

Click! It's from April this year.

I took that article to mean that Abrams thought shooting ST09 and STID in LA cost them an extra $20 million, so they wouldn't need that $20 million for the 3rd movie.

So the new movie would have a budget of $170 million which equates to the $190 million they spent on STID.

Anyway Abrams is not working on the next movie. Surely Orci's a cheaper director. Could save a few million there.

 

[HIjol]

How recent is this $150 million budget forecast?

Is it due to a filming location change?

Is it going to depend on the script or is it something set in stone from Paramount?

How recent is this $150 million budget forecast?

Is it due to a filming location change?

Is it going to depend on the script or is it something set in stone from Paramount?

Click! It's from April this year.

How recent is this $150 million budget forecast?

Is it due to a filming location change?

Is it going to depend on the script or is it something set in stone from Paramount?

Click! It's from April this year.

I took that article to mean that Abrams thought shooting ST09 and STID in LA cost them an extra $20 million, so they wouldn't need that $20 million for the 3rd movie.

So the new movie would have a budget of $170 million which equates to the $190 million they spent on STID.

Anyway Abrams is not working on the next movie. Surely Orci's a cheaper director. Could save a few million there.

...but, re: my post above, is it all about the money allotted, or does it also have to do with the writing and the final script???....

 

[Mudd]

This is a meaningless article.

He can't be the director of a movie that hasn't been greenlighted, that's all.

 

[HIjol]

...hmmm...Variety and Skydance say he is directing, but I am tempted to believe sources (Dennis) here, first...we shall see...whomever gets the nod, I really hope there is some "substance to the script"...

 

[Hober Mallow]

Whoever is in charge of this decision, needs to pull the trigger on whomever it is they want directing Trek 3. I don't think it looks good for the franchise when they are so uncertain, for so long about the path they want to go.

Meh, we've still got two years before the fiftieth anniversary. They've got plenty of time. They've no need to rush.

Or just focus on making a good movie without needing to keep the budget too high. One way to do that is to cut down on the relentless action beats.

Don't count on it. Action set-pieces are the way major action/adventure movies are made these days. Movies don't even start with a writer and script anymore, they start with the director/writers making a list of cool set-pieces and then build a movie around that list.

 

[trevanian]

If they didn't stick with Orci as director, I keep thinking that would delay things too much. Directors don't exactly line up to do trek movies, and any who were interested would want to incorporate their own input into the script, not just get hired to shoot what they were handed.

That means a delay (maybe short, depends on who they get to Haggis/Towne it), but that could also push the window on actor availability (remember how one delay on TFF led to another delay with Nimoy's committment to direct THE GOOD MOTHER, and suddenly you're opening in summer against a murderer's row of competition instead of a much tamer xmas 88 crowd.)

Personally I have no good feeling about Orci yet, based on what he has done that I have seen in part or in whole. But the general notion of this being an 'out there' movie shows that they at least have got one thing figured out (and it would eliminate the costly business of showing future Earth too, something that bogged down the TOS flicks.)

 

[MakeshiftPython]

Or just focus on making a good movie without needing to keep the budget too high. One way to do that is to cut down on the relentless action beats.

Don't count on it. Action set-pieces are the way major action/adventure movies are made these days. Movies don't even start with a writer and script anymore, they start with the director/writers making a list of cool set-pieces and then build a movie around that list.

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES says otherwise, but yeah unfortunately not all films are developed like that.

 

[austen_pierce]

Or just focus on making a good movie without needing to keep the budget too high. One way to do that is to cut down on the relentless action beats.

This.

Where they have done:
ACTION-ACTION-ACTION-ACTION-ACTION

They could for considerably less do:
ACTION-TENSION-ACTION-SUSPENSE-ACTION

As long as the writing is good. It all hangs on the writing this time. That's my call.

One parting shot on Transformers 4 and Paramount pushing mindless drivel that has a history of selling. Can't argue with that. On the way home, my kids were dialed up to 11, but I was wondering what the Hell happened to the franchise I loved.