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-   -   Timeline (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/327769-timeline.html)

tanman 03-19-03 12:24 AM

Michael Chrichton's Timeline
 
I was just wondering if anyone has heard any substantial news about this. I just read the book and thought it would be great source material if done right. According to the IMDB the movie is in post production. I'm kind of surprised that there has been no news about it. Apparently it is slated for a July release. We should be seeing previews by now. With a pretty substantial budget (80 mil) you would think that the marketing wheel would have been churning by now.

Richard Donner was the director. of superman and lethal weapon fame. I don't know about him. He did great in those but it seems like he might take a formulatic action summer flick approach.

The cast really looks the part.

http://www.thetimelinemovie.com/gall...meline.lab.jpg

Characters from left to right David Stern, Andre' Marek, Chris Hughes and Kate Erickson

http://www.thetimelinemovie.com/gall....chriskate.jpg

Chris and Kate in the ITC "time machine"


This movie really does have the potential to be a serious scifiish film and epic timepiece in one but that is probably too much to ask for.

http://us.imdb.com/Details?0300556

www.thetimelinemovie.com

GoldenJCJ 03-19-03 12:39 AM

I really liked the book, and have been anxiously awaiting the movie to come out. I'm not a really big fan of Richard Donner but I'm still hoping for a good flick. This should be your standard summer blockbuster, and as I read the book I found a lot of similarities with Jurassic Park. Hopefully I'll like it as much as I did JP!

Groucho 03-19-03 01:01 AM

The book was terrible, but who knows...even bad books can be turned into good movies.

tanman 03-19-03 01:29 AM

I take it this is just another grouchy moment brought to us by our local Groucho

Kal-El 03-19-03 08:38 AM

I have serious doubts about this movie. I heard they made
Spoiler:
Edward Johnson and the Chris character father and son instead of the teacher just being a "father figure"
plus some other changes that I thought were unnecessary. Loved the book as well, but going in with reserved expectations on this one.

PS. Didn't Kate have to cut her hair?

mrhan 03-19-03 10:04 AM

I liked the book too and I hope they don't stray too far from it; like having some dufus from the past follow them into the future or something like that----just so a sequel could be made.

Dr. DVD 03-19-03 10:45 AM

I really had to put the book down as I found it rather cheesy. While I admire Donner, who in the world are these actors? Never heard of them before in my life. This seems to be a Congo of sorts, and that ain't good.

P.S. Oh, those are the names of the characters, not the actors. Hate to say this, but the presence of Paul Walker immediately turns me off. While I like Billy Connoly, I always see him as more or less a comedic character over everything else.

Geofferson 03-19-03 11:10 AM

I've heard mixed reviews on the book (I have yet to read it), but am curious to see how the movie turns out.

Samuel 03-19-03 11:14 AM

I think one charachter was changed from female to male . I forgot the charachter's name at the moment but she was decapitated in the book and I guess they decided decapitating a man instead of a woman was more appropriate?

I think the name was Gomex, not sure though.

Kal-El 03-19-03 11:24 AM


Originally posted by Samuel
I think one charachter was changed from female to male . I forgot the charachter's name at the moment but she was decapitated in the book and I guess they decided decapitating a man instead of a woman was more appropriate?

I think the name was Gomex, not sure though.

Hmm..I hadn't heard that. It was Gomez,
Spoiler:
one of the marines that they sent back with the group to recover the professor/father
. No biggie. She wasn't really a major character.

tanman 03-19-03 03:21 PM

I think they may have changed the whole Rob de Kere twist by
Spoiler:
making him go back WITH them instead of ahead of them
I think...

and yes kate did have to cut her hair but they might just go with the wig thing or not at all.

He also cut out the entire ear piece thing :( which allows some of the cooler moments in the book.

Donner said that they did have to change things (which is expected since it is a 500pg book) and that they had Micheal Chricton's bleasings which, in all reality, means absolutely nothing. not many of his movie translations stay faithful to the books (have not seen disclosure, andromeda strain, great train robbery, rising sun).

I think the one that stayed the most like the book was the 13th warrior. I really liked both the book and the movie.

mrhan 03-19-03 04:09 PM

Tanman,

---that doesn't make sense if they do change what Rob De Kere does from the book.

Dr. DVD 03-19-03 04:15 PM

Disclosure was pretty faithful as was 13th Warrior (which was pretty lackluster as a book as well). Crichton is a lot less possessive of his books being made into films than is Tom Clancy. Crichton was once a director himself, so he knows it's probably best to keep your trap shut about creative licensing.

My $.02 : they should wait and release this movie in the fall when there's less competition as opposed to the summertime. Who knows, it's liable to happen anyway.

greatjedi 03-19-03 04:36 PM

I loved the book. I'm really excited to finally see some of the movie stills. I really hope this movie lives up to it's great potential.

tanman 03-19-03 04:43 PM


Originally posted by mrhan
Tanman,

---that doesn't make sense if they do change what Rob De Kere does from the book.

yeah, I know. Maybe that information is incorrect. I think I heard it on the IMDB forum. That would be a major bummer if they did that.

Frelledup 03-19-03 05:21 PM

I enjoyed the book but have found no definite release date.
I would think they would have to market a movie like this heavily. Sure it has the time travel element but the time in which they go back to could turn the Genre audience off.

clemente 03-19-03 09:13 PM

Hmmmm....a movie adaptation of a Chricton book.
I predict major suckage!!!

Now, I love Chritchon novels, but they've almost always been turned into mediocre to bad adaptations of the original source. Congo...ugh, Sphere...blargh, Jurassic Park, ho-hum compared to the book.

tanman 03-19-03 11:25 PM

Yeah, I really don't know why most of his movie adaptation sucks. They have such Great potential and they are always fumbled. I mean he has some great original ideas in his books but most of the time they are just transferred into a glorious popcorn flick. They don't spend enough time on the oooooohhhh.....and ahhhh....which is one of my major problems with the last two JPs.

FHaggis 03-19-03 11:44 PM

I think the best part of the book was the beginning where the quantum mechanics/physics stuff was expounded on. After they were transported to the "past", it turned into one big anachronistic soap opera.

So far, the casting *looks* good tho considering the characters... it's just the characterization, dialogue, acting, and well... screen adaption that worry me.

harosa 03-20-03 05:13 PM

I for one loved Congo in theatres, very cheesy fun and 13 th Warrior rocked, just a victim of constant delays and retinkering that gave people a preconceived notion of a stinker. Timeline was a great read but im sure they'll dumb the concept down to an average time travel movie, an aspect i liked in the book when it explained it wasnt actually time travel. If it keeps the grittiness and rawness the book gave of medievil times then it might just work.

Dudikoff 03-20-03 06:13 PM

I too read the book and found it to be quite entertaining, but totally cheesy and obviously written with a movie adaptation in mind. I do have a hard time believing that all these 20 somethings are scientists. But, movies aren't supposed to be real life, so I'll accept that and go see it. Looking at how this summer is shaping up with all the blockbuster releases, I have a feeling that this one will get lost in the shuffle. My prediction: It will open strong, perhaps with 18-20 million, then sharply decline. That doesn't mean it's gonna suck, just that it has all the makings of a box office bomb.

NiCK Crush 03-20-03 10:21 PM

http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hp&cf...406273&intl=us

-NiCK

harosa 03-20-03 10:39 PM

The thing is, these 20 year olds are not scientists, theyre archaeology students who get caught up in what their teacher gets involved in.

Dudikoff 03-21-03 12:04 AM

Thanks for the clarification. It's been a while since I've read it. One more not: That girl in the pic is hot. Maybe the DVD will have a deleted shower scene with her.

tanman 03-21-03 02:15 AM

Hmmmm.....November 26th release with only The Haunted Mansion as competition.

They might actually make some money since it will be a thanksgiving holiday action popcorn flick release with no Harry Potter or Pixar to compete.

Actually when does Nemo open?


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