Press Release: War Of The Worlds Star Talent

By Azad June 12, 2001 1:18 PM

Film Press Release:

PENDRAGON PICTURES

WAR OF THE WORLDS
PRODUCTION INFORMATION ANNOUNCEMENT

June 11, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The principles of Pendragon Pictures are in negotiations with the representative of Academy award winner Sir Michael Caine, to lead the cast of the $42m WAR OF THE WORLDS, which will begin filming this fall. Pendragon Pictures has also approached representatives of Charlize Theron, and Matthew McConaughey. The international cast will be anchored with British and American talent. Pendragon is also in the process of screen testing national and international news and media personalities as well as newcomers and semi-unknowns.

Movie critic Harry Knowles of www.aintitcool.com fame has agreed to perform a cameo in WAR OF THE WORLDS where he dies a horrible, gruesome death on screen.

Talks are progressing between Pendragon Pictures and Universal Pictures acquisitions for a worldwide distribution arrangement.

WAR OF THE WORLDS' director Timothy Hines emphasizes this adaptation will be serious and hold back nothing when it comes to the darkness of the original story. "I intend to cut the film as NC-17 and resubmit until the ratings board allows an R. This won't be from gore and violence, which goes along with the territory in WAR OF THE WORLDS, but from the sheer psychological terror that the script invokes."

Hines balks at criticisms concerning his updating of the material. "Wells wrote WAR OF THE WORLDS in the 1890's and set it in the 1890's. He didn't set it in the 1790's. He never intended it to be a period story. He meant it to be a contemporary examination of strong and powerful forces rolling over militarily defenseless cultures. We remain completely true to that spirit, and not in a cartoonish way."

As for issues of updating and technology, "The beloved fans of WAR OF THE WORLDS will just have to wait and see," says Hines. "I'm enjoying watching the world trying to figure out how we are going to handle modern Earth technology, versus Alien technology conceived in the mind of a Victorian genius. Nobody has even come close to figuring out how we will make it work. But I'm excited as to how people will react when the film opens."

On the $42 million-dollar budget, which some consider small for such an epic, producer Susan Goforth comments, "Technology is changing so rapidly, no one can speculate from the outside as to what we are doing. It's an amazing time right now. Every time you blink, something has evolved to a new level. We are taking total advantage of what's available and at the same time using older technologies in new ways, to bring the best special effects possible to the large screen."

MONSTER NEWS has an in-depth interview with WAR OF THE WORLDS director Timothy Hines in the June 2001 issue. You can sign up for MONSTER NEWS for free by going to www.themonsterclub.com.

Check out the tribute to recently departed Cinefantastique and Femme Fatales editor Frederick Clarke by Pendragon's stills photographer, Jan Deen on the OTHER LINKS page at www.pendragonpictures.com.

| comments: 7

Reader Discussions:

Post YOUR opinion too!

RE: Press Release: War Of The Worlds Star Talent   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on June 13, 2001 6:19 AM

Not to jump topic, but what is with the lame quotes that you guys have been putting out?  
Have you run out of interesting quotes, or have you just gotten lazy?

Curious

RE: RE: Press Release: War Of The Worlds Star Talent   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on June 13, 2001 6:58 AM

Yeah, I agree, Quote of the Day...blows goat cack now!  The quotes have been really lame lately.  Get it together boys!

RE: RE: Press Release: War Of The Worlds Star Talent   reply

Posted by Loath (loath@dtheatre.com) on June 13, 2001 12:51 PM

Actually, there's an automatic daily cycle. Just about all the quotes were put in on the same day.

RE: Press Release: War Of The Worlds Star Talent   reply

Posted by the watcher (No Email) on June 14, 2001 9:04 AM

I don't understand what Hines means when he says 'gore' comes with the story. I have read "War Of The Worlds" many  times, saw the 1953 classic, and all of the 'War' television series.  With the exception of the latter, there really wasn't  any gore.  Has modern man become so jaded that he can enjoy nothing without blood?  If we truely are a society that craves gore and guts for entertainment, how can we call ourselves and 'advanced and civilized society'?  Have we become as primitive as cro-magon in our tastes?
I think in a word, yes.
I hope this picture remains true to it's story, but upon reading this release, I have serious doubts.

RE: RE: Press Release: War Of The Worlds Star Tale   reply

Posted by Pumpkin Boy (pumpkin_pie_studios@hotmail.com) on June 15, 2001 10:05 AM

We big dumb apes.
Like gore.
Gore good.
Me go watch Dead-Alive and Evil Dead Trilogy now.
Blood funny.

RE: Press Release: War Of The Worlds Star Talent   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on June 15, 2001 11:51 AM

Haven't we had enough remakes?

Doesn't the original stand on its own?

Can't anyone come up with an original storyline for a feature film these days?

RE: RE: Press Release: War Of The Worlds Star Talent   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on June 18, 2001 6:27 PM

What ever happened to the rumors that Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" was being made? That story was the most Epic of Epics. They had better not cast Hayley Joel Osmond for the "Sixth" freakin time.