Hitchhiker's Guide Film Reports 518
wakaranai writes "The BBC reports that the new "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" movie will star Martin Freeman (Tim from The Office) as Arthur Dent. According to the Internet Movie Database filming starts early 2004, and Marvin's voice will be Stephen Moore, reviving his role from the classic 1981 BBC TV version." If you haven't seen The Office, it takes the subject matter Dilbert has bored us with, and makes it utterly hysterical. This is a good bit of casting. I'm still available to play Zaphod.
Re:Word twisting (Score:2, Insightful)
Hopes for Zaphod (Score:5, Insightful)
Poor Synopsis (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Word twisting (Score:4, Insightful)
With radio, the audience isn't shown what's going on, thus there has to be a certain degree of narration to give them some idea of what's going on.
With a movie, the audience sees the action for themselves so narration wouldn't have to be used.
Re:This will be interesting (Score:3, Insightful)
I hope they don't, to be honest. Specifically, I would like to consign the fifth book to the dustbin of history. The humour seemed to have gone, and the overall impression was one of bitterness rather than anything else. Fenchurch dismissed with a not especially good joke too, although to be fair that also happened to Trillian in the original radio series (The joke was funnier there though. Actually, damn near anything Peter Jones said could have been funny).
Cheers,
Ian
Re:Hopes for Zaphod (Score:2, Insightful)
In other words, were not subjected to the shtick of the two heads talking to one another as if there were two people sharing the same body. I like the idea of two faces showing the same emotion in slighly different ways. I also like the idea of only one head at a time talking unless he's screaming in which case he would use both. Another thing they could do is have him sing in harmony using both heads. Lots of possibilities! From an "acting" point of view, it adds a whole new dynamic.
So my hope for Zaphod is that they take advantake of all that.
Re:Dilbert is funny, witty. (Score:2, Insightful)
The Office is pretentious and boring. Is one of those things that only Brits get I guess.
Nah, nah, no sense of humour!
Re:Hopes for Zaphod (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Poor Synopsis (Score:2, Insightful)
And that differs from dilbert because
Re:Word twisting (Score:2, Insightful)
Ah and don't forget the 'Blade Runner' narration - (the original - not the awful Director's Cut). Harrison Ford's voiceover added tremendously to the overall film.
I just the original would be put on DVD.
"Dear Mr Scott, please please please change your mind..."
Re:Poor Synopsis (Score:2, Insightful)
Everytime I've watched The Office, I havn't felt amused... I've felt embarrased.
Especially the lead character I feel like I shouldn't be watching someone make that much of a dick of himself... and more disturbingly it appears to be the only part he can play.
Starring ???? as Zaphod (Score:3, Insightful)
WHY is this being entrusted to a newbie director!? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The Office (Score:2, Insightful)
Or maybe it's just that us Brits are less superficial than you Americans...
Re:Word twisting (Score:3, Insightful)
I bring this up because the original has a ton of narration (accompanied by bad graphics) but, hell, it could be a starfield screensaver with some guy reading the entire text in the background and I would still love it. I think it's too good of a book to be ruined by a change of medium. It's been a radio show, a book, a film, an Infocom text-adventure game, and who knows what else. There's a reason for that...
Re:Hopes for Zaphod (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:My votes for casting... (Score:3, Insightful)
Zaphod should go to Bruce Campbell, and Jeff Goldblum would be great for Ford. And if Disaster Area makes it into the movies, they should do whatever it takes to get the Rolling Stones to play them.
Tho IMDB doesn't reflect it... (Score:1, Insightful)
Fitting, actually... (Score:5, Insightful)
Read the books again and look beyond the humor. It's probably only the humor which will appear on the screen, which could be a bit of a let down. Include some of that cynicism from the books and it could be better than just another light british comedy.
Re:The Office (Score:2, Insightful)
I mean, how can anybody watch Keith and not crease up?
(Interestingly, I've learned since graduating from university that Keith was in my class - and I didn't notice him, which amuses me immensely)
Re:Poor Synopsis (Score:4, Insightful)
It's meant to make you cringe, thats the point of it really. They deliberatly avoid obvious gags, its not that kind of show. I guess you could see it as one of those shows thats main point is to make you feel better about your own life because its not as bad as theirs, although I have worked in offices with worse bosses & atmospheres so I could be wrong on that.
I'd say its a very individual thing as to whether you find it incredibly funny or just annoying as hell, and perhaps a very thin line. For years I just thought the former, now I'm hooked. My girlfriend hates it and cannot sit for more than 30 seconds with it on the tv.
If you do appreciate their humour then it is hysterical, they are more down-to-earth than most other comedies on the TV so it seems a fair statement. It wouldn't have run for 2 series plus xmas special if nobody liked it either.
Re:WHY is this being entrusted to a newbie directo (Score:2, Insightful)
A 30-second fantasy sequence in Heavenly Creatures?
The flop that was The Frighteners? Bad Taste and Meet The Feebles?
And it turned out great. I'd be more angry to see a Cultural Treasure such as Hitchhiker's in the hands of some big-name Hollywood chump. Maybe the newbie will turn the trick.