by Roger Avary The fans’ desire for this one almost guarantees it won’t be made. That and it’s reported to be too costly to film on a low budget. The fact that the script has never been distributed online could be a good sign, though.
Tag: sci-fi
I Am Legend
Everyone who has read Richard Matheson’s book wanted this movie done right. Previous versions featured Vincent Price (Last Man on Earth) and Chuck Heston (The Omega Man). This adaptation was in and out of development for awhile — Arnold Schwarzenegger was attached back before Will Smith took the role of John Neville. When Akiva Goldsman…
Avatar
scriptment by James Cameron Cameron was planning on doing this story of genetically altered life forms immediately after Titanic. He actually had 200 page scriptment written at that point, but it was put aside for a while. Years later, Cameron’s mysterious Project 880 turned out to be Avatar after all. (This wasn’t surprising, since Lightstorm…
Star Wars
Scripts by George Lucas George wanted to do Flash Gordon. He couldn’t get the rights, so he created his own space mythology. These drafts fascinate me. In some ways, they’re very amateurish. But it amazes me to see how he formed the Star Wars galaxy through the course of rewriting. The first three scripts are…
Planet of the Apes (Remake)
This remake went through a few directors as well as writers. James Cameron was attached, then Oliver Stone, and finally Tim Burton. Cameron gives his thoughts on the film in an Ain’t it Cool interview here. Read about Oliver Stone’s involvement at CHUD.com Read Mike White’s reviews of the Hayes and Hamm scripts in issue…
I, Robot
by Harlan Ellison Ellison did a good job pulling Isaac Asimov’s stories into a cohesive script, but it was shelved anyway, never to be produced. Fortunately, fans can purchase the screenplay in book form, with many pretty pictures. You’ll have to go to the bookstore for this one. In the summer of 2004, director Alex…
Dune
by Alexandro Jodorowsky In the mid 1970s, surrealist filmmaker Jodorowsky worked to put together his dream version of Dune – which would include many bizarre elements that author Frank Herbert understandably had problems with. He assembled a dream team of collaborators. French comic artist Moebius contributed some 3000 storyboards. British painter Christopher Foss and Swiss…
Blade Runner
Writing this one was torture. Once Ridley Scott came in, he wanted everything tailored to his style. I love the final result, plotholes and all. For more about the history, see Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner by Paul M. Sammon. Blade Runner (July 24, 1980) by Hampton Fancher Blade Runner (Feb 23, 1981)…
Aliens Vs. Predator
by Peter Briggs This script was written as a spec, based on the Dark Horse comic. Briggs didn’t option the property first (as is the accepted practice), but the script was actually purchased by Fox anyway. Things fell apart when they decided to go ahead with Alien Resurrection instead. The final Alien vs. Predator utilizes…
Alien 5
Treatment by James Cameron and ??? After Alien Resurrection, Ridley Scott and James Cameron discussed doing another sequel. Cameron and another writer (name?) worked up some ideas, but the project was scrapped when Alien Vs. Predator moved forward. Cameron mentions his involvement briefly in an Ain’t it Cool interview here.