Numerous people have e-mailed me this Variety article about how HBO has greenlit the Songs of Ice and Fire mini-series. I thought this had already happened, a while back, but apparently it had been some other color light before. Now it's green. Good stuff. My only complaint is that they didn't call George R.R. Martin "The American Tolkien," which is the tag-line I tried to attach to him once in a Time article. I thought that was in his rider now.
Apparently some random company is also preparing a movie -- and accompanying video game! -- of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Everything about that idea just reeks of terribleness.
Now: two trailers.
The first is for a disaster movie called 2012, directed by Roland Emmerich, who apparently isn't done messing around with the water-simulating software from The Day After Tomorrow. The movie apparently deals with the terrible toll that world-ending natural disasters will wreak on one seriously screwed Tibetan monk:
It's sort of like that old trailer for The Shining, but with water and mountains instead of blood and elevators.
Second: a new Watchmen trailer:
It's sort of messy, not clean and artful like what we've already scene, but at least there's new footage. Lotta Rhorschach -- nice to see him being badass -- I always felt bad for him not having any powers. Except, you know, being psychotic.
In other news, I can still only embed crappy grainy YouTube video in WordPress. Dammit.
"but at least there's new footage"
Yes, like the blue energy burst in the city that isn't in the comic, that apparently confirms the exact nature of the changes* in the film version.
And they throw in Muse's Take a Bow, with it's utterly unnuanced line of "You will burn in hell for your sins" but they take out the Black Freighter bits? Le sigh.
(Actually, explicitly calling each other "Watchmen" is an even bigger dumbing down.)
Then again, all it takes is Rorsharch's tear pattern as he mentions that someone is picking off costumed heroes to forgive Snyder...
Tom Shaw
Nov. 14, 2008 12:42:pm
at 12:42:pm
The blood spot on the Comedian's badge is wrong.
*Pushes glasses up bridge of nose*
Church
Nov. 14, 2008 12:58:pm
at 12:58:pm
Strangely enough...all you get when you Google search 2012 is information about whether Sarah Palin will run for President. So if I'm looking into the future correctly:
.
December 2012: End of world.
November 2012: Election of Palin.
October 2012: One hell of a party!
alekshy
Nov. 14, 2008 14:22:pm
at 14:22:pm
WHOA ASOIAF TV MOVIE
If they butcher I will be... not all that that surprised, actually. My disappointment will have a familiar flavor.
/fingerscrossed
The link didn't say when it would come out - is it still uncertain or just not mentioned?
sojournerstrange
Nov. 14, 2008 17:24:pm
at 17:24:pm
Oh by the way Lev - like what we've already SCENE? Is that a bad pun or a typo?
sojournerstrange
Nov. 14, 2008 17:28:pm
at 17:28:pm
As Tom Shaw pointed out, they actually use the words Watchmen. Which should be the ultimate no-no, but I'm hoping it's some trailer trickery to appease the civilians and get the hardcores in a mouth foaming frenzy to stoke interest.
But I'm not hoping for the ultimate adaptation, just praying for a worthy companion piece to the One True Watchmen. When I think of it like that, I'm liking what I'm seeing.
@ alekshy, I think you're onto something with that 2012 Palin thing. I think that was a wave of fancy Alaskan pageant walking destroying that monastery.
Kemper
Nov. 14, 2008 20:48:pm
at 20:48:pm
I would guess that if GAME OF THRONES is picked up for a full season, it would be set to air sometime in early 2010, with the pilot filmed over the summer of 2009.
The executive producers, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, are participating on the larget Ice and Fire fan forum, and are soliciting casting suggestions from fans. The site's at http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?showforum=25
And yes, Lev, a zillion people have taken up the call for Peter Dinklage as Tyrion.
rananar
Nov. 14, 2008 20:49:pm
at 20:49:pm
I know, I know, but it's not that weird to make "Watchmen" the in-movie version of "Masked Adventurers." It rolls off the tongue better for one.
Remember, this is going to be the movie version of the comic, so it's going to reference movies where the original did comics (which is why the Black Freighter stuff was jettisonable. I just hope there's a marquee somewhere that has a pirate flick.)
(Besides, if you're going to nit-pick: Why does Nite Owl wear a cape? Huh?)
Church
Nov. 14, 2008 21:08:pm
at 21:08:pm
Nite Owl _does_ wear a cape in the comics, despite the point made about the danger of cape-wearing in said comics. I think it was Dollar Bill who got his cape caught in a door, giving bad guys the opportunity to shoot him, if I remember correctly.
rananar
Nov. 15, 2008 13:10:pm
at 13:10:pm
Ooh, thanks for the link, Rananar.
sojournerstrange
Nov. 15, 2008 14:34:pm
at 14:34:pm
@rananar Yeah, that was an in-comic critique. Never got that.
Church
Nov. 15, 2008 22:21:pm
at 22:21:pm
Was it a short cape then? I'm afraid I don't have a good eye for visual details and never will.
sojournerstrange
Nov. 15, 2008 23:12:pm
at 23:12:pm
It was shorter that Dollar Bill's, certainly.
Church
Nov. 16, 2008 20:47:pm
at 20:47:pm
Wait, a single movie for the entire Wheel of Time series? You'd need a movie for each of the good books, and a season on TV for each of the bad ones (you know, break them up into hour long segments to make it bearable).
Cliff
Nov. 17, 2008 18:24:pm
at 18:24:pm
And also, does Snyder have a fetish for outsized, tumorous abdomen muscles? I mean come on, in some scenes the blue guy looks like a meat accordion, for crying out loud.
Cliff
Nov. 17, 2008 18:33:pm
at 18:33:pm