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Hitchhikers Guide To Be Made Into A Movie

Posted by timothy on Tue Sep 17, 2002 05:47 PM
from the and-not-just-a-miniseries dept.
Media Movies
tonywestonuk writes "The Beeb are reporting that The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series will be made into a Hollywood Movie. Apparently they are getting some other script writer to finish off Douglas Adams' final installment (I pessimistically wonder how awful this will make it.). It seems a shame that Hollywood had to wait until his death before they took him seriously...."
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  • Greg's Previews has had info on this for two years (Score:3, Informative)

    by merlyn (9918) on Tuesday September 17 2002, @05:49PM (#4277362) Homepage Journal
    Always check Greg's Previews [yahoo.com] for useful information on upcoming movies. In fact, he used to be upcomingmovies.com, one of my most visited sites.
  • It seems a shame that Hollywood had to wait until his death before they took him seriously....

    Let's wait until we see the finished product before saying that. We just may be thankful Mr. Adams didn't have to suffer another Hollywood-ization.

    - DDT

  • It seems a shame that Hollywood had to wait until his death before they took him seriously...."

    What are the odds of Holywood taking a guy that's super funny seriously? 1,000 to 1 against.
    • It seems a shame that Hollywood had to wait until his death before they took him seriously....

      More like, it took his death for the rights to transfer to someone who would actually give Hollywood permission to make the movie. DA probably held out. Whoever inherited the rights isn't holding out.

  • Might I suggest Ali G?
    • Actually, I've always seen Jeff Goldblum as Ford Prefect; the description of someone whose social behaviors are just a little 'off', who smiles a little too eagerly and too earnestly, and who very deadpanly explains the end of the world just somehow pings off in my mind as his traits (especially look at his earlier, campier performances, like Buckaroo Banzai or Earth Girls are Easy)
      • Now that you mention it, Jeff Goldblum would make a great Ford Prefect. Great casting call. But what about Arthur and the rest?

        • I'm sure the fellow who played Arthur in the TV series is too old by now, which is a shame. The BBC TV series was pretty awful, with two shining exceptions. Arthur was, just to me, utterly perfect. He looked and spoke just about exactly the way Arthur did in my head.

          The other Great Exception was Slartibartfast, not sure what the actor's name was, but he truly grokked the character.

            • Frankly, I have always thought that H2G2 would be best done as an animated movie. My choice to do the honors: Pixar, with John Lasseter as director. This would mean that Pixar would be forced to do a movie with a fair amount of humans in it, but considering how well they did humans in Toy Story II and Monsters Inc. they are up for the task.

              Back when Disney had the movie rights, this would have actually had realistic chances of success. Now that Disney and The Ego Who Ate The World, aka Steve Jobs, are feuding and Disney apparently lost the rights, this is highly unlikely.

              H2G2: International Guidebook Of Mystery? It doesn't look good folks...[sigh]

  • Now my friends will finally be happy and I'll stop complaining that a "Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy" would have been a much better move to make then LOTR. (Note: I like LOTR, but I love Hitchiker)

  • oh no! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by anzha (138288) on Tuesday September 17 2002, @05:51PM (#4277385) Homepage Journal

    I am having flashbacks of another favourite author's book being made into a non-existant-movie (at least in my world). Heinlein would have mourned _Starship Troopers_ and now its ole Doug's turn to spin in his grave...

    Please. Make the pain...stop. Thinking about this is making me ill...

    There's a glimmer of hope tho with the whole treatment that LotR has received.

    • X-men, Spiderman, Hulk.

      LotR, Guide, what's next? Xanth?
    • Does that mean that Uncle Orson has to kick it before we get to see "Ender's Game" onscreen?

        • Re:oh no! (Score:4, Funny)

          by prnz (33032) on Tuesday September 17 2002, @06:39PM (#4277775)

          Forget about the book, watch the movie again and ask yourself: who were the bad guys?

          Paul Verhoeven and Edward Neumeier.

          Paul

          • Forget about the book, watch the movie again and ask yourself: who were the bad guys?

            ::
            :: Paul Verhoeven and Edward Neumeier.
            oh, damn, that was funny... wish I had thought of that... =)

            man, i wish i knew what moderation was and how to do it - that deserves some points!

  • I can't help but wonder how good the movies can be when the books are transferred to the big screen. I know this can be said of almost any book, but I think this would be especially hard. A lot of the humour in the Hitchhiker's Guide was in the way Adams described things, and unless the movie is narrated I don't see how that part of the books can be retained. I've seen the BBC miniseries [imdb.com] and I certainly didn't think it could compare to the books.
    • How soon we forget: The books were novelizations of the Hith-hikers Radio Scripts, a 12-installment radio programme.

      "We had nothing in common: I liked watching movies made from books I'd read. She like reading novelizations of movies. It's no wonder she finished Lord of the Rings so fast."
  • The scriptwriter for Chicken Run, Karey Kirkpatrick, is to complete the script from a draft version written by author Douglas Adams before his death
    last year.
    Really not sure how to take this one: Chicken Run was funny and well-made, but... It must difficult for Kirkpatrick to step in and finish something a lot of people consider a masterpiece. I don't envy his job.
    Austin Powers director Jay Roach is to direct, and Adams will be posthumously credited as an executive producer.
    Joy Roach is a good director (did a fabulous job on Austin Powers; although he did have a good cast and excellent script).

    I have a lot of hope for this project. It's nice to see Hollywood making at least one "non-teen-idol goes on a road trip/goes to college and finds them self" movie for next year.

  • I heard him talk about it once. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Irvu (248207) on Tuesday September 17 2002, @06:02PM (#4277482)
    It seems that he's sold and re-sold the script several times. Each time the project appears and gets cancelled for one reason or another, usually a total lack of comprehension.

    He told a story about the time he sold it to one producer (if memory serves it was James Cameron of Aliens and Titanic fame). Anyway he worked on the script for a while in preparation for his first meeting with the producer.

    When thay meeting came around the first thing that he discovered was that the producer (cameron) the man who had bought the screenplay, had never read the book. When he was talling it, Adams allowed as how the book was very long and the great man might not be able to spare the time.

    However, he had read the executive treatment of the book (doubtless by the cliffs notes people), and he was very excited about the prospects for the film. But, before they could get going he wanted to discuss a few questions about the script.

    He began by asserting that he loved the fact that the earth blew up in the beginning that big, powerful, awesome, domething that would grab them into their seats. However, he had a real problem with the fact that they didn't get it back. He felt that they should devote a little more time in the script to a quest to regain the lost earth (he didn't specify how). But, he said that they could deal with it.

    The real issue was that whole question of life, the meaning of life was an important quest, a noble quest. It was big, and it would keep people emotionally in the movie. He also felt that it was good that they found it eventually... but... 42? Isn't that really...anticlimactic? Why isn't it an important message, meaningful, or something?

    Apparently there were some other sticking points too about how little of a role Arthur Dent played. The producer really felt that he should be leading the charge more rather than hiding. In short he really felt that Arthur Dent should be more Arnold Schwartzenegger.

    According to Douglas Adams it fell apart after that.
    • Reminds me of a story I heard about a Terry Pratchett book. Supposedly a Hollywood movie company was negotiating about making a movie out of "Mort". At some point in the discussion, the director said that he really liked the story, but wasn't there something that could be done about this whole Death angle? Apparently, people want an upbeat story and Death is a real "downer"..

      (the above may be completely apocryphal, but I found it amusing..)

      Daniel
    • Actually, the producer who thought 42 was an anticlimax was Ivan Reitman.
  • There is a truely excellent BBC version of this already made for TV [amazon.com] back in the 80's

    The Hollywood version is sure to disappoint after this practically word for word BBC version.

    Since Hitchhiker's was originally a radio play it would be a lot of fun to start a pool on what a hollywood screen writer will have to do to the story to make it "work" for film :-)

    • Clearly this is some new meaning of the phrase 'truely excellent' that I was previously unaware of.

      Anyone who loved the radio series and the books found the TV series... well, disappointing at best.

      There is just too much surrealism to make the transfer to cellulose, or even the small screen, all but impossible.

      Take the moments after Arthur and Ford are picked up by the Heart of Gold: it is full of wonderful images like Southend washing up and down while the water remains still and the infinite monkeys that have just completed the works of Shakespeare. Remove the wonderful, joyeous surrealism and the books become suddenly much more ordinary.

      That said, I will watch the movie. And probably cringe, too.
      • Ahh, but as Canadian from a small town my first exposure to Hitchhiker's was when TVO played the BBC series. Maybe I'm biased because I saw it on the small screen first.

        I have heard this "the radio play was much better" from several Brits so I'll take your word for it.

        The book was indeed pretty good :-)

  • Two words (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Schnapple (262314) <tomkidd@viatCHICAGOexas.com minus city> on Tuesday September 17 2002, @06:04PM (#4277498) Homepage
    Terry Gilliam [imdb.com].

  • w00t! (Score:4, Funny)

    by blazin (119416) on Tuesday September 17 2002, @06:04PM (#4277500) Homepage Journal
    42nd post!!!

  • So is this going to be .. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by OzPeter (195038) on Tuesday September 17 2002, @06:05PM (#4277504)
    The movie of the original radio plays?
    The movie of the books of the original radio plays?
    The movie of the TV series of the books of the orginal radio plays?

    Because they were ALL different. And I much prefer the radio plays.

    (And I think there was also a soundtrack recording of the TV series in there as well)
  • I'm thinking Dana Carvey should shoehorn himself into this role and redeem his "Master of Surprise".

    Robin Williams would probably be a better choice, though.

    The Rolling Stones(old and dead) would make a good Disaster Area, or perhaps The Who...(loud and louder)

    • Gotta be someone Six feet tall ; P and they gotta look like an ape... any suggestions?
    • I'm thinking Dana Carvey should shoehorn himself into this role and redeem his "Master of Surprise".

      I don't seem him being able to get past his own ego/personna. Dent was 1) British, and 2) didn't make silly child voices.

      Robin Williams would probably be a better choice, though.

      Arthur "Patch Adams" Dent we don't need. Again, Dent didn't make silly voices and mug for the camera. He cowered and wimpered and was a very small fish out of very large water. I wouldn't mind seeing Alan Cumming [imdb.com] play Dent. He can "seem small" well enough I think.

      Jim Carey as Zaphod would truly suck. I can't think of who would not suck, though.

      How about Steven Root [imdb.com] as the Vogon Captain? Every see Tripping the Rift [trippingtherift.com]?

      The Rolling Stones(old and dead) would make a good Disaster Area, or perhaps The Who...(loud and louder)

      I think you hit this one dead on.

      -B

      • Re:Who will play Arthur Dent? (Score:4, Informative)

        by JimPooley (150814) on Wednesday September 18 2002, @04:06AM (#4280027) Homepage
        Instead of stealing Disaster Area's ship, they steal a super-evolving species' war ship. The TV series most likely changed it because they couldn't find a ravenous bug-bladder beast of trall in time. Read the Book or listen to the radio series (IMO they are much better).

        The reason that changed was because the Haggunennon sequence of the radio series (together with most of episodes 5 and 6 of the radio series) was written by John Lloyd who was called in to help out as Adams was too busy working on Doctor Who to complete the scripts in time.
        Adams took out all of John Lloyd's material when he wrote the book - which rather surprised Lloyd as he'd thought they were going to write the book together. Lloyd did write The Meaning Of Liff with Adams though.

  • In case anyone doesn't know (Score:3, Interesting)

    by sydb (176695) <michael@dubyadeetwentyone.co.uk> on Tuesday September 17 2002, @06:07PM (#4277521)
    H2G2's first incarnation was as a radio series. I'm pretty sure it's also the best way to enjoy Adams' work.

    The asides into the eponymous electronic 'Guide' seem a more natural fit to the dramatic medium of radio than to the books Adams released later (though I have read and enjoyed them all). Like a book, you get to use your imagination, unlike a book, you get an atmospheric soundtrack (and nice Vogon voices).

    The BBC sell the tapes of the original series. Also available as illegal MP3s at a P2P network near you...

  • Cast? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by idiotnot (302133)
    It'd be interesting to see who they'll cast in it.

    Dent: gotta be someone who can play "a complete kneebiter." British. I'm out of ideas on this one.
    Trillian: Elizabeth Hurley?
    Zaphod: No need to actually hire someone, just do some computer modifications to John Travolta's character from Battlefield Earth.
    Slartibartfast: Anthony Hopkins or William Shatner.

    Any other ideas?

    • Zaphod - Bruce Campbell (Score:5, Insightful)

      by lowe0 (136140) on Tuesday September 17 2002, @08:11PM (#4278345) Homepage
      Clearly, the only man who can play Zaphod is Bruce Campbell. Just pull out your copy and let his voice read some of the lines in your head. Trust me, Bruce is the only man who could deliver, "If there's anything more important than me, I want it caught and shot." (Yeah, I probably misquoted. I'm too lazy to reach the two feet away my copy is sitting and look it up.)

      I hope someone gets this script to Bruce... I'd love to see the role go to him.

  • This must be a Thursday... (Score:5, Funny)

    by ocie (6659) on Tuesday September 17 2002, @06:10PM (#4277547) Homepage
    I've never quite gotten the hang of Thursdays.

  • Brainfart (Score:4, Funny)

    by ForceOfWill (79529) on Tuesday September 17 2002, @06:20PM (#4277618) Homepage
    When I first read the title, I thought "Hitchhiker's Guide To Being Made Into A Movie" like the article was about a howto on being turned into a movie :)

    on topic:
    Wasn't there already a movie made of this? Or was it just one book? (sorry for my ignorant attempt at on-topic-ness :)

  • "...before they took him seriously...."

    If they're taking him seriously, they're even more insane than I thought! (I got a headache just trying to read it!) Although, it would explain a lot about Hollywood...

  • final installment???!!! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by frovingslosh (582462) on Tuesday September 17 2002, @06:34PM (#4277733)
    Apparently they are getting some other script writer to finish off Douglas Adams final installment

    This makes no sense at all. How many book do they intend to span with the first movie? I would think they would have a hard time doing justice to even the first book in a single movie. If they are going to get to the final book it will be a disaster. There is certainly no reason to do anything with the final book until after they see if the first movie is a hit.

    • the problem is that the BBC radio series Ruled... it absolutely RULED. I still have 1/2 of the episodes on cassette somewhere. they were Illegally pirated and then Illegally trafficed over the Atlantic ocean and Illegally smuggled past customs so that I was able to Illegally recieve the STOLEN intellectual property.

      Wow, I've been a crime lord my entire life! I had them shipped to me by my penpal in London when I was in Highschool. This is the same penpal that sent me cassettes of BBC programming cince 1978 and I sent him cassettes of Dr. Demento and american programming..

      I am a evil fellow.. and the cause of all the financial ruin in the intertainment industry!

      I guess I should go out and hang myself for my dastardly deeds.

      nahhhh.. I'll just have hillary Rosens face painted inside my toilet bowl.

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