Asimov's "I, Robot" Gets Movie Treatment

sdimbert writes "Isaac Asimov's classic collection of short stories about the role robots play in humankind's future is being made into a movie set to release on July 16, 2004, starring Wil Smith. The most notable part of the release build-up is the fact that the movie's trailer, most often seen before screenings of The Returnn of the King plays more like a product commercial (like Apple's flat-panel iMac ads) than a movie trailer. Suffice it to say that most of the audence that saw it with me had no idea they had just seen a movie trailer; they actually believed that someone was going to start selling a "fully automated domestic assistant" some time next year."

Apple ads?

[AtariAmarok]

Maybe Apple plans to come out with an iRobot.
Sorry, Dean Kamen.

and...

[Anonymous Coward]

and they thought it was what? a hobbit home help?

Fully automated domestic assistants

[Anonymous Coward]

We already have ""fully automated domestic assistant". See Real Doll [realdoll.com].

I feel lawsuit

[moehoward]

iApple will sue, saying they have an iTrademark on iXXX where XXX = noun.

Please do not mark this as a dupe to the first post.

iThank you.

imdb.com description

[quigonn]

Plot Outline: In the year 2035 a techno-phobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity.

Why does this remind me of Animatrix's "The Second Renaissance"? The "I, Robot" plot is ripped off from The Matrix !!!1!

Re:Will Smith as a futuristic detective?

[Anonymous Coward]

You fool! You forgot such great movies as Bagger Vance, Independence Day, and Wild Wild West!

Battery debacle

[Mulletproof]

Imagine the replacement battery costs on THAT product....

Re:Will Smith as a futuristic detective?

[Zog The Undeniable]

No, my mind is very good at erasing traumatic memories - you insensitive clod!

iTaly

[AtariAmarok]

The country of iTaly, knowing it is a matter of time before Apple's lawyers turn their eye on them, is making moves to official change their name to "Olive Garden" (hoping to still attract tourists wanting to sample the famous cuisine).

Aha!

[leomekenkamp]

"Your Plastic Pal Who's Fun To Be With!"

Ehhm...

Sorry, wrong book, wrong movie.

Three rules safe ?

[Anonymous Coward]

What's up with that ? The only google link I got was to a gay / s.m. page [google.com].

I, Screwit?

[whitroth]

This is obviously *NOT* I, Robot, since there *is* *no* major single male protagonist in the collection. And who plays the middle-aged or older major protagonist, Susan Calvin?

Oh, sorry, that won't play well with the 16-30 age group.

IF THEY WANT TO WRITE THEIR OWN FSCKIN' MOVIE, DO IT, BUT DON'T CLAIM IT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S, nor mangle and mutilate someone else's, better work.

mark "and I keep meaning to send a threat
of physical violence to Peter Jackson"*

* And after the Two Towers, if Faramir were a real person, he would have filed a libel suit against Jackson.

Re:Apple ads?

[Anonymous Coward]

I, for one, welcome my new fully automated domestic assistants.

Heh, guilty

[jayhawk88]

I saw this before a ROTK screening, and also thought it was some kind of new robot. After all, Sony or whomever had just been announcing their "jogging" robot and whatnot.

Anyway, I'm sitting there trying my best to ignore the "ad", waiting impatiently for ROTK to start, and then the "3 Laws Safe" tagline comes up. I about shit my pants. Tried to explain it to one of my buddies next to me, but he just kind of looked at me like "Aragorn did what now?" Oh well, here's hoping they don't fuck this movie up too much.

Re:I thought it was a product

[lonb]

Anyone who is upset by average folks thinking this is actually a product is ridiculous. How can you blame them, especially when Sony is advertising robotic dogs [aibo.com] and Honda is advertising ON TELEVISION a robotic assistant [honda.com]!?

We are not that far away from seeing robotics in consumer environment on a regular basis. This trailer is identical in format to the Honda ads, doesn't really say anything and just kind of gives you the "cool stuff, coming soon" feel.

Honestly, some of you really put the 'eek' in 'geek'.

It also rules out "Ice Pirates"

[AtariAmarok]

The self-preservation part of the Laws of Robotics also rules out "Ice Pirates", where the boxy kung-fu robots at one point pulled lynchpins out of their own solar plexii and fell to pieces.

Re:What? No trailer link?

[aardvarko]

"No Encoding." Yeah, you've got this whole video thing down pat.

Re:iTaly

[ebuck]

Gee, and I thought that iTaly was Apple's new accounting software with the Venice plugin for utilites, the Florence payroll system, and the Sicily add on for evading taxes.

Re:Target Audience

[ebuck]

Well it's not the first time someone has marketed (or sold) a product before it's been invented.

I'd just hate to hear GE's robotics departement meeting today.

"Ok guys, based on the sudden demand for a fully automated domestic assistant, or salesreps have been cornering the marketplace and closing sales. You engineers need to have a working prototype ready by next week, and we hope to have these things shipping in six to eight weeks! Great job guys."

Re:Apple ads?

[Genady]

It's quite easy to see that this is not a rip off of an Apple ad. The anouncer most obviously isn't Jeff Goldblum. Feh. You Apple obsessed people will see Apple in Apple everything (oh yeah... Apple)

Re:Battery debacle

[Snarfangel]

They do. Just replace "human being" with "corporate officer" and "robot" with "worker."

Re: You laugh...

[Anonymous Coward]

Blind people already keep their houses 'just so' so that they can use robot-like algorithms to find stuff. ( i.e. the refrigerator is 10 steps to the left of the bedroom door, follow the wall right 3 1/2 steps turn left open a door, one step ahead is the kitchen table, feel it, the fridge is directly behind the secondof four chairs.

How often do you move your fridge? And your doors?

McDonald's was liable

[Anonymous Coward]

McDonald's was liable. For one, they should have never served coffee over 83 degrees F. For another, all their coffee cups should have been labeled: "Do not pour coffee on your labia".

Re:Actually Believed?

[jason0000042]

But, it looks like it'll be a mess. It'll turn into a Will Smith and CG robot cheesefest.

No kidding. I hope they serve it with wine and crackers.

Seriously. When I saw the big cardboard 'I' that said wil smith at the top and robot down the middle all I could say was "ug... buh?... Snnn..." I think I got off a "you bastards" before getting dragged into the theater.

Re:Apple ads?

[li99sh79]

I would love to see Will Smith in another good dramatic role. As much as I liked Men In Black, I think he has a lot more potential than that.

Something like a biopic of Mohammed Ali perhaps? ;)

-sam

Re:Battery debacle

[Avihson]

And who is forcing you to work in an evil corporation that treats you like a machine?

Ever hear of being an Entrepreneur?
Then you can be an evil corporate master.

Will Smith?

[FurryFeet]

I thought the logical choice to play a robot would be Keanu Reeves... just stop him from saying "Whoa" and you're there...

Re:Wil Wheaton

[dillon_rinker]

Star Trek would have you believe all he can do is say, "Yes, sir!" and push buttons.

You missed Wheaton's near-legendary emotional control if that's all you saw. He could keep a straight face while saying things like "Commander, if we just could depress the bipolar manic array, we could use our derivative operator to convert the Erudian ship's Heaviside functions into Dirac deltas!" No mere mortal could speak thusly without a belly laugh.

Not to mention the fact that he inspired legions of allegedly homophobic geeks to write PAGE after PAGE describing the sodomization of Wesley Crusher IN DETAIL. Wheaton clearly has the ability to bring deeply closeted emotions to the fore. =)

Re: You laugh...

[Anonymous Coward]

robot-like algorithms to find stuff. ( i.e. the refrigerator is 10 steps to the left of the bedroom door, follow the wall right 3 1/2 steps
Ah yes, Markov models. I used to use those to get home from the bars on 6th street... walk 2 blocks to Congress, (stumble) turn right, (stumble) turn right again on 7th, etc...

Welcome!

[Anonymous Coward]

I, for one, welcome our new mud-flinging NanoGator overlords. If they need someone to oversee the slaves in their moderation-mines, there's a certain broadcaster who will be happy to help!