Amazon's Utopia (US Remake - written by Gillian Flynn)

[Foggy]

A US remake of Dennis Kelly's Utopia is on its way, with director David Fincher and Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn at the helm...

Utopia, currently in production on series two, will return to Channel 4 later this year. Wait a little longer, and like Broadchurch before it, the series will also have a US twin. It's been that announced Fight Club and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo's David Fincher will be continuing his collaboration with Gone Girl's Gillian Flynn to produce a remake for HBO.

If Channel 4's Utopia was going to end up anywhere on US TV, then HBO is the place. Depending on how faithful a remake the Fincher/Flynn version of the 2013 series will be, there are a handful of scenes that the networks might find very difficult to swallow.

The premise of the series, which follows a group of conspiracy theorists brought together by a catastrophe-prophecying graphic novel, is no easy swallow either. As the six-part drama progressed on Channel 4, it posed complex moral questions about utilitarianism and overpopulation, offering no simple answers.

Utopia's idiosyncratic style, from director Marc Munden, was a key part of the first series' identity. Will David Fincher's direction achieve the same arresting effect? More news as it arrives.

Read more: http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/utopia/2...#ixzz2tBzW6lHG

A bit uneven on this news, love Fincher but the original series is so fantastic and note worthy for it's style alone (which is rather polar opposite from Fincher's)

Here's hoping for the best though, the subject material is right up his alley, and the material could go in various different directions.

And of course I recommended the UK show immensely, it's terrific.

Utopia | Coming Soon | Channel 4 - YouTube

[SleeperAgent]

I like Fincher, and I like Utopia. What I hate is the U.S. remaking all the great British shows. There's no way that Fincher could make Utopia better. I thought better of HBO than to just remake stuff from other countries.

How does this get funding but great shows like Deadwood, Carnivale, and Rome aren't even given proper endings?

[lolwut]

How about The Girl Who Played with Fire instead? One series remake at a time Fincher!

[CHEЯNOБLY!]

Originally Posted by SleeperAgent

I like Fincher, and I like Utopia. What I hate is the U.S. remaking all the great British shows. There's no way that Fincher could make Utopia better. I thought better of HBO than to just remake stuff from other countries.

How does this get funding but great shows like Deadwood, Carnivale, and Rome aren't even given proper endings?

I would've said the same thing. The original UK series was incredible...dystopian, conspiracy filled, timely nightmare of a series. Ate it up with a spoon. It was pretty much perfect...except the last two episodes were disappointing, disjointed and felt like it was repeating itself.

However, it was canceled and cut short. This makes me feel like a HBO version could be interesting and warranted...I'd like to see how they continue the series if they make it past 2 seasons. I kind of wish Dennis Kelly was involved, but Flynn being involved def has my interest.

I'm down to see how this goes.

[kristoffer]

I wonder if we will already see this in 2015 ?

[theusher]

David Fincher HBO Pilot ‘Utopia’ In Jeopardy Over Budget Issues

Prospects appear grim for Utopia, HBO’s drama pilot from David Fincher, an adaptation of the Channel 4 series created by Dennis Kelly. The issue I hear is budgetary, as the director and the pay cable network are yet to agree on a budget for the high-profile, big-scope project. The pilot already has cast a number of actors, including Fincher’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara, though all deals are contingent on a budget agreement, which has not been reached yet and chances are getting slimmer. I hear HBO executives want very much to be in the David Fincher business and are hoping for a hail mary pass but odds appear slim at this point.

I hear the plan had been for Fincher to prep Utopia before resuming work on his other HBO project, 1980s comedy VideoSynchronicity, whose production was halted for additional script work. Fincher is a very hands-on filmmaker, so no writing can be done without his involvement. If Utopia doesn’t go forward, Fincher may focus his attention on VideoSynchronicity .

Utopia revolves around the die-hard fans of an iconic, underground graphic novel who are suddenly launched into their own pop-culture thriller when they learn that the author has secretly written a sequel.

http://deadline.com/2015/07/david-fi...bo-1201488110/

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by theusher

David Fincher HBO Pilot ‘Utopia’ In Jeopardy Over Budget Issues

http://deadline.com/2015/07/david-fi...bo-1201488110/

No! I need my Fincher, Flynn and Mara!

[NoFro]

Fincher is making this for HBO which, notoriously, is a channel with plenty of money to spend on TV shows. This show was already made on Channel 4 in the UK and looked fantastic; I doubt it cost a huge amount to make.

How much money could the guy need?

[theusher]

^

Some numbers I heard mentioned — north of $100 million as the lowest Fincher would go for the series, while HBO’s highest offer was pegged at $95 million, with the two sides not able to close the gap

Seems like they cheaped out for $5 million.

Also the actors have now been released from their contracts (same with the cast and crew for his other HBO show Videosynchrazy):

Still no official word from HBO, but I hear that the actors cast in Utopia have been released, indicating that the pilot may indeed be dead.

Maybe Netflix would love to get their hands on this. Something similar happened when HBO offered a pilot and then were outbid by Netflix, which committed $100 million for 26 episodes.

[SleeperAgent]

Originally Posted by theusher

^



Seems like they cheaped out for $5 million.

Also the actors have now been released from their contracts (same with the cast and crew for his other HBO show Videosynchrazy):



Maybe Netflix would love to get their hands on this. Something similar happened when HBO offered a pilot and then were outbid by Netflix, which committed $100 million for 26 episodes.

Maybe I'm crazy, but HBO should just give Channel 4 half of that money and to continue the U.K. series and own all the U.S. rights.

[Foggy]

$95-100 mill is egregious, like someone said, it was probably barely a fraction of the price to make the show in the UK, and that still remains one of the most distinctive and cinematic dramas to come out of the UK.

Yeah, for 5 mill, they might as well stick it in the pot as well. But for that cost Fincher better be making this damn good.

[theusher]

Yeah, I don't know, the whole thing seems kind of weird. I mean isn't that the cost for a season of Game of Thrones? And that's their most expensive show. And I wonder what would happen if the show would be greenlit and then would continue for 4 or 5 seasons? I kind of doubt Fincher would return for all of them. Look how poorly received True Detective is, partly because it lacks the great directing from Season 1.

[Ultra_Violence]

I hope this never gets made. The original series is brilliant. We don't need an Americanised version of it, thank you very much.

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by SleeperAgent

Maybe I'm crazy, but HBO should just give Channel 4 half of that money and to continue the U.K. series and own all the U.S. rights.

Not crazy at all. Not by a long shot. This is exactly what should be done.

[NoFro]

Originally Posted by Naiera

Not crazy at all. Not by a long shot. This is exactly what should be done.

It would be fantastic if it happened, though it won't. As sure as I am that Fincher could make a good a show, I doubt he could make something as unique and visually distinctive as the Channel 4 show. I think the warped sense of humour might get left behind as well.

[theusher]

‘Utopia’ With David Fincher Dead At HBO As Actors Are Released; Here Is The Cast That Had Been Rehearsing For A Month

There was no last-minute miracle for Utopia. I hear HBO and David Fincher were not able to reach a compromise on the size of the budget for the conspiracy thriller series. As a result, the cast of the project had been officially released by HBO. While never confirmed, I hear it included Rooney Mara, Colm Feore, Eric McCormack, Dallas Roberts and Jason Ritter. I hear they had been rehearsing for up to a month while budget negotiations were unraveling.

HBO has the rights to Utopia, an adaptation of the British series, so Fincher cannot take the project elsewhere, like his House of Cards home Netflix. I hear HBO brass continue to be high on the project and may try continuing it with a new director. While the pay cable network also is said to be high on the cast, the actors have been released so a potential new director could make their decisions but the current cast members will likely be choices if available.

I hear Fincher reached out to some of the actors a week ago to tell them that Utopia was over though official release by the network did not happen until late this week. It is unclear how the fallout with HBO on Utopia would affect Fincher’s other HBO project, 1980s comedy Videosynchrazy, whose production was halted for additional script work.

Utopia revolves around the die-hard fans of an iconic, underground graphic novel who are suddenly launched into their own pop-culture thriller when they learn that the author has secretly written a sequel.

[SleeperAgent]

Listen to us HBO!

Give Channel 4 some of the money to make season 3 and just keep the US rights!!!!!

[Naiera]

Yeah. Bankroll dat UK shit.

[BluraySe7en]

While I was intrigued by Fincher taking this on I'm not gutted by him leaving we've got Vinyl & Deuce on it's way so HBO have plenty to keep me interested. That being said I thought Channel 4's first series of Utopia was audacious, original and utterly thrilling but despite the opening prequel episode of S2 which was truly brilliant and made me think we were going to get a great follow on from the brilliance of S1 the series took a nose dive and by the end became quite formulaic and underwhelming so I was quite interested to see if HBO and Fincher would have done with this if they'd done a 2nd season.

I wonder if this scuppers all deals with Fincher and HBO as weren't they developing a 50's set original noir detective series created by James Elroy? I certainly hope not as this was the most intriguing project and I'd rather see DF develop this rather than remaking a UK series. I saw the point of HOC because the UK show was decades old and they way they adapted to it to suit the US political system was great.

Though I am getting tired of American TV wanting to adapt other countries work, for instance Borgen (how will this work in the U.S?) and also the word that HBO are looking at The Legacy. Please just make new original programming you are more than capable of it, you gave us Twin Peaks, X-Files, The Soprano's, The Wire, Justified & Breaking Bad why remake stuff so much it shows a lack of imagination and lets face how many canceled? The Killing, The Bridge just to name 2 and the original versions were infinitely better. The UK is dipping their toe in this as well, The Tunnel was pale shadow of the original Bridge.

[theusher]

I wonder if this scuppers all deals with Fincher and HBO as weren't they developing a 50's set original noir detective series created by James Elroy?

Haven't heard anything new about that for a while but if he needed that big of a budget for Utopia he would probably ask for even more for that. Also, his other show is still on hold so I don't know how well things are sitting between him and HBO at the moment.