Ridley Scott direct Joe Haldeman's Forever War?

[stonester1]

From Dark Horizons....

"I'm filming a book by Joe Haldeman called Forever War. I've got a good writer doing it. I've seen some of James Cameron's work, and I've got to go 3D. It's going to be phenomenal" says "Blade Runner" and "Alien" director Ridley Scott in an interview with Wharf.co.uk.

 

[SalvorHardin]

This is one of my favorite books...I don't know if they can do justice to it on the big screen but Scott seems like a good choice.

 

[stonester1]

Indeed. I like more classic science fiction getting the treatment. Ridley Scott says they are giving it more effort than your Skiffy movie crap.

BTW, those movies are so bad, I find them depressing. Seriously. They aren't good bad, invite buddies over, pass out spirits and give them the Mistie treatment. They are "frontal lobotomy" bad.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

concept art

legit concept art
first drawing here
http://io9.com/5506787/first-look-at-ridley-scotts-forever-war-movie

"The Forever War" film synopsis

An elite task force returns home after a brief interstellar military operation, but discovers that 20 years have past and the planet they once knew is completely different.

Looks cool from the art.

(i'm not starting a thread just to share the one drawing of concept art. This thread is adequate. The thread was dormant not dead...)

 

[FluffyUnbound]

The only problem here is that people will say it's an AVATAR rip-off, when it is anything but that.

I am not exaggerating when I say that Scott doing this material has the potential to be the greatest science fiction film of all time.

If they go cartoony with it, it will not be great. If they try to do real physics and real time dilation with it - you know, if they do what Haldeman did, to the best of his ability - this could potentially be unbelievably awesome.

Thanks for posting this, this is some of the best movie news I've seen in a long time.

Edit: OK, I see that this is a bump of an old news thread. Well, it's new news to me, so thanks for bumping it!

 

[scnj]

Is the book worth reading? Most of the stuff I've read recently has been video game spinoff stuff, Star Wars novels and A Game Of Thrones, so I'm up for some good sci-fi.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The only problem here is that people will say it's an AVATAR rip-off, when it is anything but that.

Isn't Forever Peace more of the Avatar "rip-off" (of course it should be the reverse). Or are both books being combined, despite being very different stories?

 

[JiNX-01]

"The Forever War" was an incredible novel. One of the best I have ever read.

 

[Professor Zoom]

legit concept art
first drawing here
http://io9.com/5506787/first-look-at-ridley-scotts-forever-war-movie

"The Forever War" film synopsis

An elite task force returns home after a brief interstellar military operation, but discovers that 20 years have past and the planet they once knew is completely different.

Looks cool from the art.

(i'm not starting a thread just to share the one drawing of concept art. This thread is adequate. The thread was dormant not dead...)

Just 20 years? I thought in the book--and it's been awhile since I've read it, doesn't the main character keep going back and much more than 20 years has passed?

I hope they don't limit it to 20. 20 isn't SO alien.

Is the book worth reading? Most of the stuff I've read recently has been video game spinoff stuff, Star Wars novels and A Game Of Thrones, so I'm up for some good sci-fi.

Yes. It's a great book. I've actually been meaning to reread it (and it looks like from my question above, I need to.)

It's great and for many (soldiers returning home) probably pretty timely.

 

[FluffyUnbound]

"The Forever War" was an incredible novel. One of the best I have ever read.

This.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

This could be awesome.

 

[stonester1]

Is the book worth reading? Most of the stuff I've read recently has been video game spinoff stuff, Star Wars novels and A Game Of Thrones, so I'm up for some good sci-fi.

I'd put the first one in the "must read" for any science fiction fan who desires to be versed in the classics.

 

[T'Girl]

I haven't read Forever War since I was a kid, that said. If TPTB can do justice to his concept, fantastic. If it just going to be another FX fest that keeps the title of the book and the names of the characters, but nothing else ...

...why bother?

 

[Warped9]

Is the book worth reading? Most of the stuff I've read recently has been video game spinoff stuff, Star Wars novels and A Game Of Thrones, so I'm up for some good sci-fi.

This book was written long before video games.

But only twenty years? From what I recall the time span of the story is at least multiple decades if not more.

 

[Nociod]

But only twenty years? From what I recall the time span of the story is at least multiple decades if not more.

If I remember correctly, then the first stint for Mandella only took about twenty years. He then comes home to a whole different society.

Spoiler: events that occur in the book

His dad is dead, his mom is now a lesbian, violence everywhere. He kills a rapist and then sign up for more action, thus beginning the story that lasts multiple decades.

 

[Warped9]

^^ Yes, that's pretty much what I remember. I hope the film will build on that and not just the first twenty years.

 

[species5618]

But only twenty years? From what I recall the time span of the story is at least multiple decades if not more.

If I remember correctly, then the first stint for Mandella only took about twenty years. He then comes home to a whole different society.

Spoiler: events that occur in the book

His dad is dead, his mom is now a lesbian, violence everywhere. He kills a rapist and then sign up for more action, thus beginning the story that lasts multiple decades.

The book initially jumps ahead 20 or so years, then with each successive section it jumps larger and larger spans of time. I loved this book, but I'm worried a lot of its message and content will get neutered in the transition to film.

One thing I don't think they'll feature very prominently (or at all) is...

Spoiler: events in the novel

The section where Mandella ends up commanding a strike force in 2458. At this point everyone on Earth (and under his command) is homosexual and heterosexuality is considered a kind of psychological disorder.

I just don't see that particular element of the book being kept intact--it would probably be seen as too controversial.

 

[scnj]

Having read a summary of the story as a primer, wasn't that one of the main points? I'd hope they'd take the risk and put it in.

 

[FPAlpha]

Having read a summary of the story as a primer, wasn't that one of the main points? I'd hope they'd take the risk and put it in.

No way in hell will they include that (i've read the Wiki summary).. not in the current social and political climate and not with a mainstream Hollywood production.

Scott will most likely make a mainstream, blockbuster movie judging from his comments about 3D and, pessimist that i am concerning Hollywood, will concentrate on the war aspects where lot of things go pretty boom.

 

[stonester1]

That's Michael Bay we are talking about, not Scott. He's demonstrated that he can make scifi that's more than just cool visuals. He just happens to bring the latter, too.