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westworld Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Michael Crichton Passes Away at 66

Filed under: Obits »

Leave off Congo, forget Timeline, and don't even start on Sphere. The positive impact of prolific author Michael Crichton on the worlds of television and film with Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, and "ER" is difficult to dismiss, and it's a shame to see him pass away yesterday from cancer at the age of 66, according to CNN.

His medical background helped lend credibility to his work, especially Andromeda, Coma (which he directed) and The Terminal Man. Of course there's also the overriding elements of sci-fi, ranging from Jurassic to Westworld (which he also directed and is tentatively awaiting a remake). Corporate scandals were also a topic of interest in the early '90s with Rising Sun and Disclosure, and The 13th Warrior offered his own take on the Beowulf tale.

I remember his Prey, about nano-technology gone awry (but of course), making for a fun enough read and relatively ripe for a film adaptation (one that, as far as I know, has yet to be considered). Regardless, the man's works on-screen and off were entertaining and influential more often than not, and it's a pity to see him go.

Billy Ray Writing 'Westworld' For Warner Bros.

Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Warner Brothers », Scripts », Remakes and Sequels », Western »

Wouldn't you love to go to a theme park that supplied robots to fulfill all of your fantasies or at least watch people go and fulfill their own? Michael Crichton wrote about that very experience in 1973 and now Billy Ray is writing his take on what an android fantasy amusement park would be like in the remake of Westworld for Warner Brothers. In the original film the theme park supplies three worlds in which humans can play in; a Western themepark, harboring the android of Yul Brynner (the dreamiest bald guy I've laid eyes on), a Medieval world and Roman world. Humans paid a hefty $1,000 admission ticket to be satisfied in any way they desired and the robots were programmed to comply. Unexpectedly, the android Brynner begins to rebel against the programming and begins to attack and kill the humans. Eventually, someone puts an end to the android violence (after three attempts, mind you) by sending the gun-slinging Yul Brynner to his death.

Ray, who most recently came out with the February release Breach, with Laura Linney and Chris Cooper, reported to SCI FI Wire that "I love the basic idea of the movie, which is that our amusements can kill us." He didn't give any thoughts as to eventual casting, however. Who would you cast as the gun-slinging android? I vote Bruce Willis circa the current issue of Vanity Fair or Billy Zane ... he was just so spectacular in Titanic.

Westworld ... Sacramento .. Westworld .. Sacramento ...

Filed under: Classics », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Warner Brothers », Celebrities and Controversy », Politics »

The original Westworld, written and directed by Michael Crichton, starred Yul Brenner Bynner as a gunslinging robot on the loose in a futuristic amusement park. At one point, Jerry Weintraub was planning to produce a remake, and Arnold Schwarzeneggar was set to star (unfortunately, *not* in the Brynner role), but that project was shelved when the Governator took office. Now Warner Brothers says the picture is back on, and they've hired Tarsem (The Cell, Losing My Religion and other insufferably pretentious REM videos) to direct it. Though Schwarzeneggar is not currently involved in this incarnation of the project, Pamela McClintock at Variety is waiting with bated breath for the circumstances surrounding his casting to sort themselves out: "It's certainly not a given that he won't be in Westworld should he decide not to seek re-election in next year's election or should he lose the race." Still, it might be a long wait - the soonest Arnie could possibly lose his Sacramento job is January '07, and the guy made a vow not to make films whilst in office.
 
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