J. Michael Straczynski on "Forbidden Planet" Reinvention

[J_UNTITLED]

From MTV Movies Blog...

"After the announcement that J. Michael Straczynski had been tapped to write the on again/off again remake of “Forbidden Planet,” geeks across the globe pretty much said the same thing: “Well, duh!” Given his resume — which includes creating the sci-fi cult hit “Babylon 5” as well as fanboy-acclaimed runs on such Marvel comics as “Fantastic Four” and “Spider-Man” — Straczynski’s pen and the remake of the 1956 sci-fi classic seemingly go together like unconscious damsels in distress and hulking, terrifying robots. And judging by the writer’s excitement for the project, he apparently agree.

“I’ve always wanted to do something involving ‘Forbidden Planet,’” Straczynski told MTV News. “It’s my favorite science-fiction film of all time. I’ve watched the rights go from one company to the next. I heard that the rights at Dreamworks were about to expire and I went to Joel Silver and said I think if you move quickly you can grab it and I can write it. And he did. It’s the dream of a lifetime to play in that universe.”

Straczynski — whose stock in Hollywood as a scriptwriter just enjoyed a major bump thanks to the success of director Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling” — was happy to hint at what fans of the original “Forbidden Planet” can expect from his take.

“I told [producer] Joel [Silver] this is how you do ‘Forbidden Planet’ without pissing on the original that no one has ever thought of,” said Straczynski. “When I told [the idea] to him, his eyes lit up. It’s not a remake. It’s not a reimagining. It’s not exactly a prequel. You’ll have to see it. It’s something that no one has thought of when it comes to this storyline.”

Straczynski will be paying close attention to detail, with the writer revealing conversations he’s had to ensure the film is as scientifically attuned as possible. “[When coming] up with the Krell backstory and who they are, I sat down with some of the nation’s best minds in astrophysics and planetary geology and A.I. and asked them — based on what we know now — what will a million years from now look like? The goal is to put things in there you’ve never seen before.”

As for the 1954 film’s retro look, audiences can expect an updated vision that keeps the original’s iconic nature in mind. “At the time it was made it was cutting edge,” Straczynski explained. “They weren’t trying to be ‘retro’ — they thought they were right on the cutting edge. People that went to see that film saw things they had never seen before. What we have to do now is have this one be as innovative now as the original was then. It doesn’t mean we should look backwards.”"

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Remakes are rarely as good as the original. The rare exceptions are The Maltese Falcon (1941), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and The Thing (1982).

I sincerely hope they don't try to remake Forbidden Planet. Just release the original on Blu-Ray, and call it a day.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Why doesn't Hollywood try to remake a bad movie like Bonfire of the Vanities instead? It's one of my favorite books, and the film version completely botched it. Since the movie version was terrible, why not give it another try, but this time stick close to what is actually written in the book, and don't miscast it like De Palma did.

[EricJ]

Take the Shakespeare out of FP, and all you've got is "Mission to Mars"...