Prediction: Two years from now we’re all going to look back and wonder why it was considered news — much less exciting news — that upcoming blockbusters were being released in 3D.
With major announcements relentlessly pouring out that biggie-sized flicks like “Transformers 3,” “Clash of the Titans,” “Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows,” “Foundation,” “Spider-Man 2.0” and, as publicized today, “Green Lantern” and Zack Snyder’s “Sucker Punch,” are all going to be jumping aboard the technological gimmick-mobile like E.T. on a pile of Reeses’ Pieces, maybe it’s time studios’ re-evaluate exactly what constitutes a worthwhile press-release.
But ahoy, speaking of beloved cinematic extra-terrestrials, Shadow Locked has run an exclusive interview with Roger Christian, the noted art department genius who worked his magic on infinitely awesome classics such as “Star Wars,” “Life of Brian” and “Alien” — he also directed “Battlefield Earth,” but don’t hold that against him. Well, not too much — who had some interesting little nuggets to drop regarding the much-whispered about “Alien” prequel that Ridley Scott is attached to bring to the screen.
Christian firmly states that he’s confident Scott is more than capable of salvaging the nearly-decimated franchise:
- “Ridley told me some of his ideas when we were here in Toronto. He has a very clear understanding of where this should go,” he said. “They kind of stopped dead one of the greatest horror franchises there’s ever been, and it had legs to go on. So I’m hoping he’ll revive another three. The world certainly wants it, and the fans want it — everybody.”
Perhaps more shockwave-inducing, however, was Christian’s promise that the film will be presented in — wait for it — spectacular, eye-popping 3D! (Just as I imagine pretty much every tent-pole release will be by the time this project sees the light of day.)
Although that particular pronouncement does little to raise my pulse, I’m actually a tad surprised to hear that this endeavour looks to be moving forward, albeit in minuscule increments. Ridley Scott is one super busy dude, currently attached to a veritable cornucopia of developing film projects — including a “Brave New World” adaptation with Leonardo DiCaprio, a Gucci biopic and, most thrilling of all, a film version of the classic board game “Monopoly” (he obviously read my letters!) – and I’d sort of guessed that he might let this one passive-aggressively fall by the wayside after 20th Century Fox shot down Carl Rinsch, his son-in-law and first choice to helm the Xenomorph-populated prequel. Color me wrong (again), I suppose.
While I have a fair amount of faith in Scott, I just hope he doesn’t go all George Lucas crazy and feel the need to explain every single mysterious thing about his 1979 masterpiece. Do we really need to know the secret origin of the ill-fated space jockey? Or the exact history of the aliens’ race? No, no we don’t. Some things are seriously best left to the imagination.
I also really don’t want to find out that Ripley built Bishop out of spare parts when she was a spritely 10-year-old slave living on a scuzzy backwater desert planet, but that’s neither here nor there.
Best case scenario? Scott effortlessly segues back into his “Alien,” ”Blade Runner” creative zone and delivers an immersive, cold sweat-inducing sci-fi horror epic that properly reminds us, once and for all, that in space, no one can hear you scream — no matter how incredible it looks stretched to three-dimensions.
. . .
Follow Cam Smith on Twitter at http://twitter.com/camspcepisodes.
Love this paragraph:
Best case scenario? Scott effortlessly segues back into his “Alien,” ”Blade Runner” creative zone and delivers an immersive, cold sweat-inducing sci-fi horror epic that properly reminds us, once and for all, that in space, no one can hear you scream — no matter how incredible it looks stretched to three-dimensions.
You have no idea how excited I am about this project! I really hope he zones in on his original train of thought. This could really be spectacular.
That picture is awesome.