Butler's Script Sale of the Week...
November 20th, 2001
A good amount of sales this week, but nothing that really jumps out and grabs you. There were a few notables: the Michael and Kirk Douglas project, SMACK IN THE PUSS; the Jim Carrey annual attempt for an Oscar project, CHILDREN OF THE DUST BOWL; the creepy Civil War mystery, FAITHFUL.
My pick this week is the big screen adaptation of the Ray Bradbury short story,
SOUND OF THUNDER.
The time-traveling action/adventure is pure JURASSIC PARK territory - with a twist. An enthusiastic big game hunter travels back in time to try his hand at bagging some really big prey. He gets his chance with a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but wimps out. In his retreat from the mighty T-Rex, the terrified hunter stumbles off the pre-determined path and, as a result, alters the course of history.
Yeah, it sounds like your run-of-the-mill, high concept, special effects flick, but with Bradbury as the source this project has a bit more street cred than anything Jerry Bruckheimer can dream up. Bradbury is a sci-fi legend. His novels and short stories have been turned into numerous films and TV programs. Most recently is the update of his THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES (2001) being produced by Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. Bradbury is old school - when sci-fi was a vehicle for socio-political commentary on the present through the conceit of the future - rather than the "new" sci-fi, which too often is merely a showcase for hyperreal digital effects.
Pierce Brosnan is on board in a further bid to prove he's more than James Bond. If this works out it could widen his appeal to a younger group of movie-goers. I've no problem with him taking on the role.
I wish I could say the same about the director. If Bradbury is old school, then the director of THUNDER, Peter Hyams, is as new school as it gets. Hyams has a filmography that reads like a bargain bin of big budget sci-fi: THE RELIC (1997), END OF DAYS (1999), TIMECOP (1994), 2010 (1984). The concept for all these films sounded great on paper, but their execution was sorely lacking. They were all competently and professionally produced (perfect viewing for a lazy afternoon), but they all lacked that something extra - the very something extra that Bradbury's work consistently contains.
Another worrying point is the scribes assigned to adapt. I've had a hard time finding anything that Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer have written. Obviously they've impressed somebody in order to get the job. But did they impress the right people?
Anything written by Bradbury has great potential. I'm sure the writers are competent. Brosnan always does a great job. And Hyams will surely produce a film with enough marketable clips to get people into the theaters.
But when the source material is written by someone as talented and insightful as Bradbury, shouldn't we ask for, and expect, a bit more?
-- Edward Butler
My pick this week is the big screen adaptation of the Ray Bradbury short story,
SOUND OF THUNDER.
The time-traveling action/adventure is pure JURASSIC PARK territory - with a twist. An enthusiastic big game hunter travels back in time to try his hand at bagging some really big prey. He gets his chance with a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but wimps out. In his retreat from the mighty T-Rex, the terrified hunter stumbles off the pre-determined path and, as a result, alters the course of history.
Yeah, it sounds like your run-of-the-mill, high concept, special effects flick, but with Bradbury as the source this project has a bit more street cred than anything Jerry Bruckheimer can dream up. Bradbury is a sci-fi legend. His novels and short stories have been turned into numerous films and TV programs. Most recently is the update of his THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES (2001) being produced by Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. Bradbury is old school - when sci-fi was a vehicle for socio-political commentary on the present through the conceit of the future - rather than the "new" sci-fi, which too often is merely a showcase for hyperreal digital effects.
Pierce Brosnan is on board in a further bid to prove he's more than James Bond. If this works out it could widen his appeal to a younger group of movie-goers. I've no problem with him taking on the role.
I wish I could say the same about the director. If Bradbury is old school, then the director of THUNDER, Peter Hyams, is as new school as it gets. Hyams has a filmography that reads like a bargain bin of big budget sci-fi: THE RELIC (1997), END OF DAYS (1999), TIMECOP (1994), 2010 (1984). The concept for all these films sounded great on paper, but their execution was sorely lacking. They were all competently and professionally produced (perfect viewing for a lazy afternoon), but they all lacked that something extra - the very something extra that Bradbury's work consistently contains.
Another worrying point is the scribes assigned to adapt. I've had a hard time finding anything that Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer have written. Obviously they've impressed somebody in order to get the job. But did they impress the right people?
Anything written by Bradbury has great potential. I'm sure the writers are competent. Brosnan always does a great job. And Hyams will surely produce a film with enough marketable clips to get people into the theaters.
But when the source material is written by someone as talented and insightful as Bradbury, shouldn't we ask for, and expect, a bit more?
-- Edward Butler
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