Is "Mystery Ridley Scott Sci-Fi Movie" Actually 'Brave New World'?
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, RumorMonger
Jessica posted about Ridley Scott's recent cryptic announcement that he is returning to science-fiction with an adaptation of a book that he's been trying to adapt for 20 years. Scott refused to reveal the name of the book, but the sci-fi blog io9 has connected the dots to credibly speculate that he's talking about Aldous Huxley's dystopian masterpiece Brave New World. Indeed, it's a bit rich for Scott to be coy about this now, since news of his plans was going around back in March. At that point, Leonardo DiCaprio was being mentioned as a possible star. Brave New World is a great novel, and it's a shame that it mostly plays second-fiddle to Orwell's 1984 in the false-utopia pantheon. It's actually very different from Orwell's towering vision, cautioning not against authoritarianism and government oppression run amok, but against a culture that consumes itself in the pursuit of eternal, mindless, carefree happiness. It's not as literally dark as Scott's futuristic Blade Runner -- done right, Brave New World shouldn't really be an effects extravaganza -- but it's at least as bleak. If this is indeed what Scott has in mind, it's exciting news, and overdue: I haven't seen the 1998 Peter Gallagher TV-movie attempt at an adaptation but, uh, neither has anyone else.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-05-2008 @ 9:39AM
NP said...
I thought the quote said he's been trying for 20 years to find the right book, not that he's been trying to adapt a certain one for 20 years?
Reply
6-05-2008 @ 10:07AM
Eugene Novikov said...
His phrasing was that he'd been waiting for 20 years for the book and he's finally "got the book," which I assumed meant he was waiting for the rights to adapt it.
Reply
6-05-2008 @ 10:16AM
NP said...
Oh I see.
Reply
6-05-2008 @ 10:40AM
Ryan said...
Did anyone else pitch a tent in their pants when they read this? I've been praying for a 'Brave New World' movie since, well I'd have to say since before I remember.
Reply
6-05-2008 @ 4:17PM
Astin said...
Actually, I have seen the 1998 TV movie. Yup, I'm the one. We were reading Brave New World in a Science Fiction class at the time, so it seemed appropriate.
I recall very little of the movie though, other than it had a happy, non-Soma-filled ending on a beach. It wasn't particularly faithful as I recall.
Reply
6-09-2008 @ 11:17PM
Wes Umstead said...
I like your comparison of "Brave New World" and "1984." Neil Postman makes a similar point in his excellent book "Entertaining Ourselves to Death." His thesis is that our society has ended up more like Huxley's vision than Orwell's.
Reply