Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
#26
Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
After tackling Frank Herbert’s speculative classic Dune, Denis Villeneuve is set to direct an adaption of another sci-fi story from genre staple Arthur C. Clarke.
Villeneuve will helm Rendezvous with Rama for Alcon Entertainment, which worked with the director on the Hugh Jackman- and Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer Prisoners and Blade Runner: 2049. Along with Alcon co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosov, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreery will produce via their Revelations Entertainment banner, with Freeman having previously held the rights to the 1973 novel.
The story from Clarke, the writer behind 2001: A Space Odyssey, follows a group of human space explorers that are tasked with intercepting an alien starship that is hurtling through the solar system. It is believed that the missions will lead to mankind’s first contact with alien intelligence.
“This is one of the most intelligent works of fiction in the genre; it poses as many questions as it does answers, and is a work for our time,” said Johnson and Kosove. “It’s perfectly fitted to our friend and collaborator Denis’ brilliant sensibilities and specifically to his love and passion for science fiction. We are also pleased to work with Morgan and Lori, who have a long-standing passion for this IP.” Alcon will finance the project.
Villeneuve’s Dune is approaching the $400 million mark at the global pandemic box office, with Legendary and Warner Bros. having already announced plans for a Part 2, which will be Villeneuve’s next project. He is also attached to direct episodes of and executive produce HBO Max spin-off prequel series Dune: The Sisterhood.
The director, who earned an Oscar nomination for his work on Arrival, is repped by CAA. Revelations Entertainment is repped by Sloane Offer.
Villeneuve will helm Rendezvous with Rama for Alcon Entertainment, which worked with the director on the Hugh Jackman- and Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer Prisoners and Blade Runner: 2049. Along with Alcon co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosov, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreery will produce via their Revelations Entertainment banner, with Freeman having previously held the rights to the 1973 novel.
The story from Clarke, the writer behind 2001: A Space Odyssey, follows a group of human space explorers that are tasked with intercepting an alien starship that is hurtling through the solar system. It is believed that the missions will lead to mankind’s first contact with alien intelligence.
“This is one of the most intelligent works of fiction in the genre; it poses as many questions as it does answers, and is a work for our time,” said Johnson and Kosove. “It’s perfectly fitted to our friend and collaborator Denis’ brilliant sensibilities and specifically to his love and passion for science fiction. We are also pleased to work with Morgan and Lori, who have a long-standing passion for this IP.” Alcon will finance the project.
Villeneuve’s Dune is approaching the $400 million mark at the global pandemic box office, with Legendary and Warner Bros. having already announced plans for a Part 2, which will be Villeneuve’s next project. He is also attached to direct episodes of and executive produce HBO Max spin-off prequel series Dune: The Sisterhood.
The director, who earned an Oscar nomination for his work on Arrival, is repped by CAA. Revelations Entertainment is repped by Sloane Offer.
#27
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
Wonder how they're going to adapt this.
The story works well as a novel, but there's really not a lot of conflict to fuel a movie for mainstream audiences. (Though the bit with the nuclear weapon could be one of the most thrilling movie sequences of the year.)
At any rate,Villeneuve and navel-gazing visual style should fit well with Clarke's story.
The story works well as a novel, but there's really not a lot of conflict to fuel a movie for mainstream audiences. (Though the bit with the nuclear weapon could be one of the most thrilling movie sequences of the year.)
At any rate,Villeneuve and navel-gazing visual style should fit well with Clarke's story.
#28
Senior Member
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
I love Arrival and Sicario so much. Prisoners is great too. But I expected more from Blade Runner 2049 and Dune. Both are gorgeous looking, but BR2049 doesn't feel like it's in the same world as the original and Dune could have adapted the source material better. I'd let someone else make this one.
#30
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
I also enjoyed the book when I read it 10-ish years ago. Hated the sequel though. Villeneuve seems like he'd be a good fit, since he can bring the visuals with a fairly slow story.
#31
Banned by request
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
Yeah, I liked the novel quite a bit. Agrees on the sequel, it wasn’t as good as the first. Another one I’d like to see him tackle is the 2001/2010/2061/3001 series. Those books were great, but a damn expansive storyline.
#32
Senior Member
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
I'm hoping someone adapts Snow Crash. Neuromancer would be a good one too.
#33
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
Villeneuve seems like a perfect fit for this material. The first book is a mysterious classic. The follow-ups … I read them in the day, but more out of a completionist drive. I don’t like Clarke’s collaborations with Gentry Lee at all. Supposedly Lee was more the writer of those with Clarke supplying some ideas. And I think it really shows in the writing, which doesn’t seem much like Clarke’s solo work.
#35
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
I'd really like to see someone tackle Neuromancer; movie or tv series. I don't care. It's been in development hell for decades.
Though I am thinking that some streaming service should get a hold of Gibson's whole Sprawl Trilogy (and the contents of Burning Chrome) and turn them into a series. One season per novel, and adapt the short stories into single anthology episodes interspersed throughout the three seasons. Even though only three of them explicitly take place in the Sprawl, all of them (outside of "Gernsback Continuum") would fit right in. (You listening Bezos?)
#37
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
I don't think adapting Neuromancer would have any impact in 2021. The book has had an indelible influence on both science fiction and reality for four decades now. It'd be similar to, say, Die Hard or Lethal Weapon having been influential novels instead of movies in the 80s, but still influenced each and every action movie in their wake, and finally being adapted today.
#38
Senior Member
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
"Caves of Steel" is a favorite of mine too. I'd love to see a series in the same style as those robot detective stories. Probably why I liked "Almost Human" so much. I hate they canceled it.
"Rama" has been on my "need to read" list for a long time. Maybe I'll finally get too it.
"Rama" has been on my "need to read" list for a long time. Maybe I'll finally get too it.
#39
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
I don't think adapting Neuromancer would have any impact in 2021. The book has had an indelible influence on both science fiction and reality for four decades now. It'd be similar to, say, Die Hard or Lethal Weapon having been influential novels instead of movies in the 80s, but still influenced each and every action movie in their wake, and finally being adapted today.
Don't update anything... the Soviet Union is still there. Nobody has iPhones. There are still payphones. Etc. etc. etc. Make it now, in the 2020s, the same way it would have been made in 1989. (With better special effects, of course.)
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Hokeyboy (12-20-21)
#40
Senior Member
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
The closest we have now is Johnny Mnemonic. (I kinda dig it.)
#41
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
I read the novel back in the mid-eighties and loved it. I read all the sequels, too, and while I didn't love them I still liked them well enough--especially the last one where the scope of the creators' intelligence and power is revealed. I've been looking forward to a movie adaptation for a long time and I think Villeneuve could do a good job.
#42
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
I read the novel in the 1970s and I loved it. I re-read it a few years ago, and it's just okay. It has the best ever "sense of wonder", but Clarke really works his plot contrivances hard to get there. Here's one that bugged me.
The ship wasn't planned to go to Rama. It was the closest one available. It was en route to restock a supplies for science outpost (or something like that) and it got diverted. Luckily, one of the crew members of the supply ship was an Olympic medalist in ornithopter flying, and luckily he has his ornithopter on the ship. Now they can explore the amazing alien ship by air.
It's a book of flat characters and plot contrivances in the service of a Big Idea. I liked the big idea a lot, but the supporting structure didn't work for me. I'm not as forgiving as I was when I was thirteen.
Throughout the green screen era of movie making, movies have tried to top each other in the sense of wonder. I fear that, without strong characters or plot, Rendezvous with Rama would get lost in the crowd. It would be another John Carter.
The ship wasn't planned to go to Rama. It was the closest one available. It was en route to restock a supplies for science outpost (or something like that) and it got diverted. Luckily, one of the crew members of the supply ship was an Olympic medalist in ornithopter flying, and luckily he has his ornithopter on the ship. Now they can explore the amazing alien ship by air.
It's a book of flat characters and plot contrivances in the service of a Big Idea. I liked the big idea a lot, but the supporting structure didn't work for me. I'm not as forgiving as I was when I was thirteen.
Throughout the green screen era of movie making, movies have tried to top each other in the sense of wonder. I fear that, without strong characters or plot, Rendezvous with Rama would get lost in the crowd. It would be another John Carter.
Last edited by Nick Danger; 12-18-21 at 10:47 PM.
#43
Banned
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
Speaking of which, Amazon is still doing a Larry Niven Ringworld series? That’s the one I’m really interested in.
#44
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Rendezvous With Rama (D: Villeneuve)
https://www.cbr.com/rendezvous-with-...e-development/
Interesting. Nothing officially announced, but it sounds like things might be happening behind the scenes.
Interesting. Nothing officially announced, but it sounds like things might be happening behind the scenes.
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IBJoel (11-29-23)