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Hello all,
I haven't really contributed much to these forums (I probably should instead of just reading and so often shaking my head in disagreement with so many of the suggestions put forth here) but I've been checking back in every few days, for the past several months, to see what's developing.
I loved the Elric story as a young teenager and reread it a couple of years ago in the Eternal Champion collections. I'm almost 20 years older now than I was my first time through them. It was quite an experience. A good friend of mine saw me reading one of them and his eyes lit up. Turns out he read them so many years ago, too. I lent him the books as I finished them and we each revisited this work that had made an impact during these especially formative years in our lives. It made for great discussion.
We had stepped into this other world to escape our typically dysfunctional American families and brought these ideas and feelings back with us that played a real, active role in helping us to develop and maintain our own identities in a world that often seemed mad and chaotic. It's odd looking back at it. I feel a bit silly placing such importance on any one work of fiction but it's absolutely true.
So thank you, Mr. Moorcock.
On to the topic of the movie...
I really, reeeeeally ask that people be willing to get away from the familiar with this. I cringe when someone states that Brad Pitt would be good in the lead role. I wonder, when someone grabs Joaquin Phoenix out of Gladiator and throws him into the mix for the role of Yrkoon, if they read the same books that I did. There's a girl who has started an online petition to have Peter Jackson direct... how plump the ego must be that drives that self-righteous, myopic cause
"How about the composer from Gladiator?" "The sword maker from Conan." "Orlando Bloom as Moonglum." "The dinosaur guys from Jurassic Park for the dragons..."
ARRRGGGHHH!! I feel better, thank you.
This project has the chance to be something unique, something special.
This is opportunity for a new voice to be heard, a new vision to be projected, new ideas to be portrayed, new faces to be seen.
I understand the business aspect of it all and, unfortunately, in able for a project such as this one to be made properly $$$ certain compromises (or straight out sacrifices) are inevitably made. I hope that the execs at Universal can have enough faith in this project and its artistic source(s) to do something uncharacteristic and let go just enough so that it has a chance to be what it could be. This movie shouldn't be driven down the "blockbuster" path. Cast an unknown in a role if that actor is right for it. This story has its own power. Let the art do its thing. Don't lock your heads onto what you're familiar with and hope that Universal doesn't either.
Be willing to take a chance.
I haven't really contributed much to these forums (I probably should instead of just reading and so often shaking my head in disagreement with so many of the suggestions put forth here) but I've been checking back in every few days, for the past several months, to see what's developing.
I loved the Elric story as a young teenager and reread it a couple of years ago in the Eternal Champion collections. I'm almost 20 years older now than I was my first time through them. It was quite an experience. A good friend of mine saw me reading one of them and his eyes lit up. Turns out he read them so many years ago, too. I lent him the books as I finished them and we each revisited this work that had made an impact during these especially formative years in our lives. It made for great discussion.
We had stepped into this other world to escape our typically dysfunctional American families and brought these ideas and feelings back with us that played a real, active role in helping us to develop and maintain our own identities in a world that often seemed mad and chaotic. It's odd looking back at it. I feel a bit silly placing such importance on any one work of fiction but it's absolutely true.
So thank you, Mr. Moorcock.
On to the topic of the movie...
I really, reeeeeally ask that people be willing to get away from the familiar with this. I cringe when someone states that Brad Pitt would be good in the lead role. I wonder, when someone grabs Joaquin Phoenix out of Gladiator and throws him into the mix for the role of Yrkoon, if they read the same books that I did. There's a girl who has started an online petition to have Peter Jackson direct... how plump the ego must be that drives that self-righteous, myopic cause
"How about the composer from Gladiator?" "The sword maker from Conan." "Orlando Bloom as Moonglum." "The dinosaur guys from Jurassic Park for the dragons..."
ARRRGGGHHH!! I feel better, thank you.
This project has the chance to be something unique, something special.
This is opportunity for a new voice to be heard, a new vision to be projected, new ideas to be portrayed, new faces to be seen.
I understand the business aspect of it all and, unfortunately, in able for a project such as this one to be made properly $$$ certain compromises (or straight out sacrifices) are inevitably made. I hope that the execs at Universal can have enough faith in this project and its artistic source(s) to do something uncharacteristic and let go just enough so that it has a chance to be what it could be. This movie shouldn't be driven down the "blockbuster" path. Cast an unknown in a role if that actor is right for it. This story has its own power. Let the art do its thing. Don't lock your heads onto what you're familiar with and hope that Universal doesn't either.
Be willing to take a chance.
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