News Roddenberry Biopic On The Way

[Tim Thomason]

At one point, I thought Paul F. Tompkins would make a good Roddenberry. Depending on the nature of the biopic (especially if it covers the years leading up to TOS), you would need a younger man who can convincingly play older, and preferably with a larger build.

 

[Boris Skrbic]

Why not several different actors?

 

[Tim Thomason]

Why not several different actors?

That'd be confusing, if they intend to have a traditional biopic. Depending on how he's covered, the usual course of action would be one child actor, one teenage actor, and one adult (30-ish) who can play Roddenberry from about 20 to his death (at age 70).

But, to be honest, I don't think there's any pressing need to cover him before the 1960s. I mean, yeah, there's interesting WWII and pilot stuff, but the meat and potatoes is his television career, from his quick rise to fame in the '60s, to his dip in the '70s and his rise again in the '80s. A pretty good three-act structure right there. Family life and earlier careers can be mentioned.

But, you know, the big worry is that this is a noted philanderer who explicitly used his power to pick up new girlfriends who worked for him. The movie is going to treat him as a hero, even if they don't whitewash his sins, and there's going to be alot of media pushback against that.

Maybe a good director can work something out, but I don't see how such a character can be survive in this day and age.

 

[Jayson1]

I think the pre-Trek stuff would actually be interesting because it's the least coveted part of his life. Plus it would be interesting to see some of his Hollywood success before Trek. I think it should also be a flashback being told with Roddenberry as a old man near death. Giving us voice over. If you do it as a flashback you can sometimes skip ahead or back in time from a narrative angle. Like you start off showing him making The Cage pilot but then cutback later with having bad memories of being held hostage in war.

 

[Boris Skrbic]

Who’d be the audience for the film?

 

[Jayson1]

Science Fiction fans or just movie fans if it gets lots of positive views. Or people like the director or actors involved. All you got to do is advertise it as a movie about the guy who created Star Trek. I think that alone would make people curious.

 

[The Wormhole]

Who’d be the audience for the film?

Star Trek fans. Who else actually gives a shit about him?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Who’d be the audience for the film?

People. Tons of bios have been made over the years about politicians, scientists, celebrities, athletes, criminals, the well known and the unknown.

 

[JesterFace]

Who else actually gives a shit about him?

That's kind of rude? His family might "give a shit" about him, as you put it.

 

[The Wormhole]

That's kind of rude? His family might "give a shit" about him, as you put it.

Context. Star Trek fans are the only ones who would give enough of a shit about him to see a movie about him. I assume his family wouldn't be interested in seeing such a movie since they already lived through what the movie depicts.

 

[Kirby]

Why not several different actors?

I vote for Dwayne Johnson (young GR), Owen Wilson (middle aged GR), and Eddie Murphy (old GR). That's the movie I want to see.

 

[dupersuper]

Context. Star Trek fans are the only ones who would give enough of a shit about him to see a movie about him.

Yet they keep making biopics...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biographical_films#2020s

 

[Tim Thomason]

Owen Wilson (middle aged GR)

That might be doable, especially after seeing him in period clothing in Loki. He might need to gain a few pounds, but a good dye job and he could maybe play '60s Roddenberry and go on from there.

 

[Kor]

I don't think this would have wide appeal. It's more like a "Sony Pictures Classics" type of thing that would have limited release in art house theaters.

Kor

 

[ChallengerHK]

I don't think this would have wide appeal. It's more like a "Sony Pictures Classics" type of thing that would have limited release in art house theaters.

Kor

The closest biopic I can think of to this would be The Whole Wide World, about Robert E. Howard. While a fair number of people may have seen the Conan films, I don't think that many were interested in Howard's life story.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I don't think this would have wide appeal. It's more like a "Sony Pictures Classics" type of thing that would have limited release in art house theaters.

Kor

You Don't Know Jack, Mazer's other biopic, was an HBO TV movie. I assume this is going to be a Paramount+ movie.

Movie theaters are pretty much dead. When they say "movie" I'm going to assume streaming unless Disney is involved or they specify theaters.

 

[UssGlenn]

They have to cover the Pan-Am crash, it's the most famous pre-trek Roddenberry story.

 

[The Wormhole]

Yet they keep making biopics...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biographical_films#2020s

Oh, sweet shit. I wasn't slagging off the concept of biopics. But usually, it's fans of a particular person or at least those with an interest in them that go to see biopics.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Oh, sweet shit. I wasn't slagging off the concept of biopics. But usually, it's fans of a particular person or at least those with an interest in them that go to see biopics.

I think you might be underestimating the appeal of celebrity. People like hearing about famous people, even ones they barely know of.

 

[UssGlenn]

Mankiewicz and Trumbo got recent biopics, Roddenberry is definitely more famous outside of the Industry than them.