SEQUEL NEWS: Fox Struggling with Hiring Writers

Started by Gazz, Mar 27, 2013, 05:50:54 PM

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SEQUEL NEWS: Fox Struggling with Hiring Writers (Read 59,301 times)

Gazz

Gazz

QuoteExclusive: Watching the 18 hours of extra features on the Prometheus Blu-ray I learned that Twentieth Century Fox didn't trust screenwriter Jon Spaihts enough to run with his script, so they hired a big name to "clean up" Spaihts' vision. This big draw was none other than "Lost," Cowboys & Aliens and Star Trek Into Darkness writer Damon Lindelof, pictured.

Those of you who've obsessed over the quasi-Alien prequel as much as I have know that Spaihts' vision was a one-shot**, meaning Prometheus lead right into Ridley Scott's 1979 Alien. In fact, a source in pre-production at the time had leaked story details proclaiming that the movie takes place on the planet LV-426 where the elusive Space Jockey was first seen. At the finale of Prometheus, the Jockey ship that crashes is the exact same ship that Ripley and her crew discover in Alien. It's a beautiful way to bridge the new sci-fi epic with the old one. But, if you saw Prometheus, you know that's not what happened. The movie's events don't even take place on the same planet, occurring instead on LV 223 (which is ridiculous and means the Engineers are truly terrible at piloting their ships, crashing them all over the place).

Why? Greed took over.

Lindelof transformed Prometheus into a "trilogy", thus stripping the first film's conclusion of any meaning and setting Ridley and Fox up for disaster. This disaster was perpetuated when Lindelof announced he wouldn't be penning the sequel. So, in short, the guy who convinced the filmmakers to make a trilogy, left them in the dust...

Sources close to the sequel have told Bloody Disgusting that the studio and Scott are literally "freaking out" over how to continue the story of Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), and are taking pitches from basically anyone who can crack the story*. While a sequel is nearly inevitable, it definitely puts it in flux, and in a state of jeopardy.

*We expect everyone surrounding the project to deny this story. That's standard procedure. Don't believe 'em.
**Twitter follower @JonSheasby pointed us to a contradiction at Empire Magazine, where Spaihts says Scott and him talked trilogy prior to Lindelof's hiring. You can read the bits below.

Spaihts tells Empire in an old interview: "I did have a plan for multiple films and the conversations I had with Ridley was about a new franchise, from the beginning. We talked about a possible trilogy, or a duology, but more often as a trilogy. And I did have pretty broad notions as to how we were going to get from this world to the original Alien – the baton pass, closing the circle, if you will. So yes, I did have plans for two other films. I came up with an even more twisted sequence than the Medpod, but I cannot tell you what happens...

"My vision of the trilogy would have involved the arrival of the Yutani Company and a couple of other major plays around the Engineers themselves: the revelation of an additional grand Engineer design, and the possibility of seeking an Engineer homeworld. That shot of the ship flying at the end offers a lot of creative ways to play with this. But it feels like it brackets you into the search for the Engineer homeworld and home civilisation. That's an interesting challenge."

In the end, the push to make this a new trilogy is causing a huge headache at Fox as they struggle to figure out the new film's arcs. We'll update you when we hear more.

SOURCE: http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3225329/prometheus-2-in-space-no-one-can-hear-ridley-scott-and-fox-scream-at-damon-lindelof/

Devin Faraci confirms Fox have been talking to many screenwriters in his report:

QuoteI can't verify everything in BD's report, but I can tell you I know that Fox has been taking many, many meetings with screenwriters, and that screenwriters have been pretty much bringing in their own pitches, not working within an established frame. I actually don't think this is a bad thing, and the Exquisite Corpse nature of the sequel could give the new writers a chance to make serious course corrections. But that's on the creative end - on the studio end the up-in-the-air nature of the sequel really opens the door for tons of terrible ideas, executive tinkering and Ridley Scott dithering. Maybe Prometheus 2 will die on the vine. More likely, Prometheus 2 will end up being really rushed and half-assed.

SOURCE: http://badassdigest.com/2013/03/27/prometheus-2-a-complete-clusterfrak/

ShadowPred

Cvalda...now's the time to get your screen-play powers into gear!!!

Gazz

In my opinion I think it's good news that people are bringing in their own ideas for completing the a Prometheus trilogy. Prometheus may be a clusterf**k of half developed ideas BUT there are the beginnings of better things there also. I would rather someone bring focus to this series. To take a certain element of Prometheus and run with it, rather than throwing everything they can at the wall in an attempt to make something stick.

First Blood

Quote from: ShadowPred on Mar 27, 2013, 05:55:13 PM
Cvalda...now's the time to get your screen-play powers into gear!!!

This! :laugh:

Blacklabel

Quote from: ShadowPred on Mar 27, 2013, 05:55:13 PM
Cvalda...now's the time to get your screen-play powers into gear!!!

Oh god, yes. Cvalda, now's the time to grow huge brass balls, go to Scott Free Productions and pitch them something badass and epic. :laugh:

Spoiler
I had a few ideas for how a sequel could go.. i'd be happy to lend a hand. lol :laugh: I even have an idea that solves the black goo problem.  :laugh:
[close]

Cvalda

Oh, you guys. :P


Quote from: Gazz on Mar 27, 2013, 05:50:54 PM
But that's on the creative end - on the studio end the up-in-the-air nature of the sequel really opens the door for tons of terrible ideas, executive tinkering and Ridley Scott dithering. Maybe Prometheus 2 will die on the vine. More likely, Prometheus 2 will end up being really rushed and half-assed.
Much like the first one, then.

Gazz

As someone who actually enjoys Prometheus (somewhat), I too sincerely hope not.  :P


Cvalda

If only that were how it's done, Blacklabel :P

All I've got to pitch anyway is "David is just a head at the moment. Remember that scene in Re-Animator...?"

Blacklabel

Blacklabel

#9
Dont bring "reality" into this :P lol


Seriously (not really) now, I'd start with the idea of Shaw going into "paradise".. and making her a sort of Satan figure that invades the garden of eden, and is hell-bent on tearing down her God's work. Also, we really need to give back some lovecraftian appeal to the xenomorph... She's traveling on a spaceship with bioweapons... but they should come into play at some point. (third or second act at least)

Yeah, the re-animator scene could still be in there, too.  :laugh:

zuzuki

Like the op said Spaihts talked about a trilogy from the start so i think this is all bull****, just some angry Lindelof hater. And how the hell did Spaihts version linked the 2 movies? It had a ton of pyramids situated along the ecuator of lv-426 that sent light beams into the sky at the end. If i remember right they didn't find any such thing in Alien or Aliens, Not to mention the life-suport module that crashed next to the derelict with one survivor,that again,haven't been spotted.

I do believe they are throwing ideas at the wall right now. I just hope they go to the engineer homeworld.That is all they have to do and end the story. No 3rd part, don't risk it

Cvalda

I just find that kind of overblown fantasy mythology totally incongruous to the original film, and reaching into space opera, which Alien never was and never should be (you've already got your Star Wars and Star Treks for that, can we not have one sci-fi series that is gritty, harsh and realistic?).

The only interesting angle I can see a sequel taking is exploring the relationship between Shaw and David. They're all each other has now.

ShadowPred

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR...PITCH, CVALDA...PITCH!!!!!!

Blacklabel

Blacklabel

#13
Quote from: Cvalda on Mar 27, 2013, 06:42:35 PM,can we not have one sci-fi series that is gritty, harsh and realistic?).

Can we not have a scifi series that is gritty, harsh, fantastical and so nightmarish that it makes everything else out there look like dog piss? :P

I vaguely remember that the producers didnt like Giger's stuff because it was "unrealistic".. (Or was it Ron Cobb, who wanted to design the alien?) ...his stuff seemed to come straight from all our darkest nightmares... the most appealing moments for me of the first alien film were when the crew was going down the "rabbit hole" down into a weird dream... the entire first movie is about the moment where those dark nightmares start invading reality... 

if the franchise wants to have legs, that's what it should have more of, tbh :P not mere repeats of "people getting lost in dark corridors with lurking monsters".

Cvalda

It was less because they thought it was "unrealistic" and more because it was "profane" :P

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