As Interstellar arrives in cinemas, James salutes those films that take us, well, somewhere else...
(Note: this article discusses the ending of Gravity and 2001: A Space Odyssey and it will also hurl you into the void of outer space. Don't panic, and remember: "In space no one can hear you scream".)
We're going Interstellar. Finally, one of the most-eagerly awaited films of the year has landed in cinemas to pick us up and take us beyond the stratosphere and out of Earth's orbit. Interstellar will then, as the title suggests, propel us even further and push us beyond the outer reaches of the Solar System.
That's an exhilarating prospect but, putting the conceptual idea aside for a moment, Interstellar is exciting simply because it's a Christopher Nolan movie. For his first feature since The Dark Knight trilogy's finale he's assembled a cast of high-calibre stars (Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway,...
(Note: this article discusses the ending of Gravity and 2001: A Space Odyssey and it will also hurl you into the void of outer space. Don't panic, and remember: "In space no one can hear you scream".)
We're going Interstellar. Finally, one of the most-eagerly awaited films of the year has landed in cinemas to pick us up and take us beyond the stratosphere and out of Earth's orbit. Interstellar will then, as the title suggests, propel us even further and push us beyond the outer reaches of the Solar System.
That's an exhilarating prospect but, putting the conceptual idea aside for a moment, Interstellar is exciting simply because it's a Christopher Nolan movie. For his first feature since The Dark Knight trilogy's finale he's assembled a cast of high-calibre stars (Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway,...
- 11/6/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Some one once said that the line between deliberate rip-off and unintentional reflection is thin and blurry, you know, but I got to hand it to Harlan Ellison, as the legendary (in his own mind, it seems at times) writer is trying to keep Hollywood honest. His long-time feud with Gene Roddenberry notwithstanding, he sued and successfully won a lawsuit against Hallmark for their use of a scene from Ellison’s classic original Star Trek series episode City on the Edge of Forever (which is probably where the cast of Happy Days got their idea to sue when their likeness where being used to make profit for Paramount. But they failed).
Now he has agreed to an out of court settlement for the recent box-office misfire In Time. Ellison claimed that writer-director Andrew Niccol and the producers of the Justin Timberlake dystopian sci-fi thriller ripped off his own story Repent,...
Now he has agreed to an out of court settlement for the recent box-office misfire In Time. Ellison claimed that writer-director Andrew Niccol and the producers of the Justin Timberlake dystopian sci-fi thriller ripped off his own story Repent,...
- 11/7/2011
- by spaced-odyssey
- doorQ.com
Sneak Peek the new poster supporting the upcoming 'sword 'n sorcery' feature "Conan The Barbarian", directed by Marcus Nispel, starring Jason Momoa.
Synopsis of the new film, according to the accompanying Dark Horse Comics graphic novel adaptation :
"...After witnessing his wife burned at the stake, warlord 'Khalar Zym' (Stephen Lang) sets out on a quest to find the mythical 'Mask of Acheron', an ancient artifact that will bring his beloved back to life. In his search across the lands, Zym destroys a village in northern 'Cimmeria', where a boy (Leo Howard), born of battle survives and is cast out into the world, alone.
"Years later, Zym crosses paths again with 'Conan', the boy who survived. He must now contend with this barbarian nuisance who is now set on vengeance for the slaughter of his village.
"Zym and his daughter 'Marique' (Rose McGowan), eventually clash with Conan in an epic final battle,...
Synopsis of the new film, according to the accompanying Dark Horse Comics graphic novel adaptation :
"...After witnessing his wife burned at the stake, warlord 'Khalar Zym' (Stephen Lang) sets out on a quest to find the mythical 'Mask of Acheron', an ancient artifact that will bring his beloved back to life. In his search across the lands, Zym destroys a village in northern 'Cimmeria', where a boy (Leo Howard), born of battle survives and is cast out into the world, alone.
"Years later, Zym crosses paths again with 'Conan', the boy who survived. He must now contend with this barbarian nuisance who is now set on vengeance for the slaughter of his village.
"Zym and his daughter 'Marique' (Rose McGowan), eventually clash with Conan in an epic final battle,...
- 5/10/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Dark Horse Comics graphic novel adaptation of director Marcus Nispel's "Conan The Barbarian" upcoming 3D reboot starring Jason Momoa, reveals the plot of the film:
"...After witnessing his wife burned at the stake, warlord 'Khalar Zym' (Stephen Lang) sets out on a quest to find the mythical 'Mask of Acheron', an ancient artifact that will bring his beloved back to life. In his search across the lands, Zym destroys a village in northern 'Cimmeria', where a boy (Leo Howard), born of battle survives and is cast out into the world, alone.
"Years later, Zym crosses paths again with 'Conan', the boy who survived. He must now contend with this barbarian nuisance who is now set on vengeance for the slaughter of his village.
"Zym and his daughter 'Marique' (Rose McGowan), eventually clash with Conan in an epic final battle, the outcome of which will decide the fate of the world.
"...After witnessing his wife burned at the stake, warlord 'Khalar Zym' (Stephen Lang) sets out on a quest to find the mythical 'Mask of Acheron', an ancient artifact that will bring his beloved back to life. In his search across the lands, Zym destroys a village in northern 'Cimmeria', where a boy (Leo Howard), born of battle survives and is cast out into the world, alone.
"Years later, Zym crosses paths again with 'Conan', the boy who survived. He must now contend with this barbarian nuisance who is now set on vengeance for the slaughter of his village.
"Zym and his daughter 'Marique' (Rose McGowan), eventually clash with Conan in an epic final battle, the outcome of which will decide the fate of the world.
- 4/18/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sneak Peek the new teaser trailer supporting the upcoming 3D feature "Conan The Barbarian".
Starring Jason Momoa as the 'Cimmerian' warrior, the new film adapts the adventures of author Robert E. Howard's "Conan", set during the 'Hyborian' age.
Directed by Marcus Nispel, "Conan The Barbarian" co-stars Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard, Ron Perlman, Said Taghmaoui and Rose McGowan.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet..."
The new film started shooting March 2010, based on a screenplay by Joshua Oppenheimer ("Sahara") and Thomas Dean Donnelly ("Cowboys & Aliens") closely adhering to Howard's shadowy "Weird Tales" pulp magazine stories from the 1930's.
Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films produced "Conan The Barbarian" alongside Paradox Entertainment president/CEO Fredrik Malmberg, rights holder of the Howard estate.
Millennium is...
Starring Jason Momoa as the 'Cimmerian' warrior, the new film adapts the adventures of author Robert E. Howard's "Conan", set during the 'Hyborian' age.
Directed by Marcus Nispel, "Conan The Barbarian" co-stars Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard, Ron Perlman, Said Taghmaoui and Rose McGowan.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet..."
The new film started shooting March 2010, based on a screenplay by Joshua Oppenheimer ("Sahara") and Thomas Dean Donnelly ("Cowboys & Aliens") closely adhering to Howard's shadowy "Weird Tales" pulp magazine stories from the 1930's.
Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films produced "Conan The Barbarian" alongside Paradox Entertainment president/CEO Fredrik Malmberg, rights holder of the Howard estate.
Millennium is...
- 3/12/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sneak Peek the new "Conan The Barbarian 3D" motion poster, supporting the upcoming feature opening August 18, 2011.
Starring Jason Momoa as the 'Cimmerian' warrior 'Conan', the new film adapts the adventures of author Robert E. Howard's "Conan", set during the 'Hyborian' age.
Directed by Marcus Nispel, "Conan The Barbarian" co-stars Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard, Ron Perlman, Said Taghmaoui and Rose McGowan.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet..."
"Conan" started shooting March 2010, based on a screenplay by Joshua Oppenheimer ("Sahara") and Thomas Dean Donnelly ("Cowboys & Aliens") closely adhering to Howard's shadowy "Weird Tales" pulp magazine stories from the 1930's.
Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films are producing "Conan The Barbarian" with Paradox Entertainment president/CEO Fredrik Malmberg, rights holder of the Howard estate.
Starring Jason Momoa as the 'Cimmerian' warrior 'Conan', the new film adapts the adventures of author Robert E. Howard's "Conan", set during the 'Hyborian' age.
Directed by Marcus Nispel, "Conan The Barbarian" co-stars Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard, Ron Perlman, Said Taghmaoui and Rose McGowan.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet..."
"Conan" started shooting March 2010, based on a screenplay by Joshua Oppenheimer ("Sahara") and Thomas Dean Donnelly ("Cowboys & Aliens") closely adhering to Howard's shadowy "Weird Tales" pulp magazine stories from the 1930's.
Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films are producing "Conan The Barbarian" with Paradox Entertainment president/CEO Fredrik Malmberg, rights holder of the Howard estate.
- 3/3/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Jack Campbell is the pseudonym for John G. Hemry, a retired Naval officer and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. As Jack Campbell, he writes The Lost Fleet series of military science fiction novels. He also wrote the Stark’s War and Paul Sinclair series under his real name.
Often compared to Battlestar Galactica and StarGate Universe, The Lost Fleet follows Captain John “Black Jack” Geary and the stranded Alliance fleet as they retreat home across the enemy star system. The first three books in the series – Dauntless, Fearless, and Courageous – have been released in paperback in the UK by Titan Books, who very kindly sent us a copy of Dauntless for review. So impressed were we by the book, that we tracked down author Jack Campbell for an interview.
1. Dauntless throws the reader right in at the deep end, starting with the aftermath of a pitched battle.
Often compared to Battlestar Galactica and StarGate Universe, The Lost Fleet follows Captain John “Black Jack” Geary and the stranded Alliance fleet as they retreat home across the enemy star system. The first three books in the series – Dauntless, Fearless, and Courageous – have been released in paperback in the UK by Titan Books, who very kindly sent us a copy of Dauntless for review. So impressed were we by the book, that we tracked down author Jack Campbell for an interview.
1. Dauntless throws the reader right in at the deep end, starting with the aftermath of a pitched battle.
- 2/7/2011
- by Jack Kirby
- Nerdly
According to the official Nu Image website and confirmation from co-star Rose McGowan, director Marcus Nispel's reboot of "Conan" will now be released in 3D.
"...After his father is killed and village destroyed, 'Conan' ventures into an unforgiving world where he survives as a thief, pirate and warrior.
"On his path of wanton adventure and women, Conan chances upon the warlord responsible for his tribe's destruction. As he tracks 'Khalar Zym', Conan battles monsters, Zym's henchmen and 'Marique', a powerful witch..."
Based on the 1930's pulp magazine 'sword-and-sorcery' character created by author Robert E. Howard, "Conan" also stars Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Ron Perlman, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard and Rachel Nichols.
"Conan" started shooting mid-March 2010, from a screenplay by Joshua Oppenheimer ("Sahara") and Thomas Dean Donnelly ("Cowboys & Aliens").
Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films are producing "Conan" with Paradox Entertainment president/CEO Fredrik Malmberg, rights...
"...After his father is killed and village destroyed, 'Conan' ventures into an unforgiving world where he survives as a thief, pirate and warrior.
"On his path of wanton adventure and women, Conan chances upon the warlord responsible for his tribe's destruction. As he tracks 'Khalar Zym', Conan battles monsters, Zym's henchmen and 'Marique', a powerful witch..."
Based on the 1930's pulp magazine 'sword-and-sorcery' character created by author Robert E. Howard, "Conan" also stars Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Ron Perlman, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard and Rachel Nichols.
"Conan" started shooting mid-March 2010, from a screenplay by Joshua Oppenheimer ("Sahara") and Thomas Dean Donnelly ("Cowboys & Aliens").
Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films are producing "Conan" with Paradox Entertainment president/CEO Fredrik Malmberg, rights...
- 10/10/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sneak Peek actor Jason Momoa as the 'Cimmerian' barbarian 'Conan', surrounded by ale-house 'wenches', in a scene adapting author Robert E. Howard's "Conan", set during the 'Hyborian' age.
Directed by Marcus Nispel, the new "Conan" co-stars Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard, Ron Perlman, Said Taghmaoui and Rose McGowan.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet..."
"Conan" started shooting mid-March, based on a screenplay by Joshua"Sahara"Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean "Cowboys & Aliens" Donnelly, closely adhering to Howard's shadowy "Weird Tales" pulp magagzine stories from the 1930's.
Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films are producing "Conan" along with Paradox Entertainment president/CEO Fredrik Malmberg, rights holder of the Robert E. Howard estate.
Millennium is eyeing a potential franchise for the R-rated $85 million sex/violence feature,...
Directed by Marcus Nispel, the new "Conan" co-stars Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard, Ron Perlman, Said Taghmaoui and Rose McGowan.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet..."
"Conan" started shooting mid-March, based on a screenplay by Joshua"Sahara"Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean "Cowboys & Aliens" Donnelly, closely adhering to Howard's shadowy "Weird Tales" pulp magagzine stories from the 1930's.
Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films are producing "Conan" along with Paradox Entertainment president/CEO Fredrik Malmberg, rights holder of the Robert E. Howard estate.
Millennium is eyeing a potential franchise for the R-rated $85 million sex/violence feature,...
- 8/31/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Cj Cherryh has been in front of a great many themes now commonplace at ComicCon and elsewhere. Readers and fans have acknowledged her chops by voting her three Hugo Awards, three Nebula Awards, and fistfuls of other accolades over an illustrious thirty-year career. Her worlds of the imagination range from deep space to the Russian forests, from the intricacies of the human heart to the vaudeville of Hell itself. Her novels Downbelow Station, Finity’s End, Cyteen and others, set during the “Company Wars” of the 25th Century, built up a gritty, realistic universe of working men and women surpassing the similar visions of the Alien series or Blade Runner. Cyteen is, in this writer’s opinion, the finest exploration of the ramifications of human cloning yet written. Her Foreigner series has long explored the conflicted loyalties of a human envoy to an alien world, while her Fortress in the...
- 8/1/2010
- by Steve
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
"Creating The World Of "Pandora" is the new, 22-minute featurette, supporting "Avatar", the science fiction epic feature, written/directed by Roger Corman alumnus James "Terminator" Cameron, starring actors Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Stephen Lang.
Inspired by the 1957 short story "Call Me Joe" by author Poul Anderson (about an attempt to explore Jupiter using remotely controlled artificial life-forms, focusing on the feelings of a disabled man who operates an artificial body), "Avatar" is set in the year 2154 on 'Pandora', a moon in the 'Alpha Centauri' star system.
Humans are engaged in mining Pandora's reserves of a precious mineral, called 'unobtanium', while the 'Na'vi', a race of indigenous humanoids, resist the colonists' expansion, which threatens the continued existence of the Na'vi and the Pandoran ecosystem.
The film's title refers to the genetically engineered Na'vi bodies used by a few of the film's human characters to interact with the Na'vi.
Inspired by the 1957 short story "Call Me Joe" by author Poul Anderson (about an attempt to explore Jupiter using remotely controlled artificial life-forms, focusing on the feelings of a disabled man who operates an artificial body), "Avatar" is set in the year 2154 on 'Pandora', a moon in the 'Alpha Centauri' star system.
Humans are engaged in mining Pandora's reserves of a precious mineral, called 'unobtanium', while the 'Na'vi', a race of indigenous humanoids, resist the colonists' expansion, which threatens the continued existence of the Na'vi and the Pandoran ecosystem.
The film's title refers to the genetically engineered Na'vi bodies used by a few of the film's human characters to interact with the Na'vi.
- 1/20/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Just to prevent James Cameron’s head from swelling too much from the astonishing global Avatar phenomenon, folks keep reminding him of how derivative and clunky his script is. It’s been compared to everything from Pocahontas, The New World, The Last Samurai and Dances with Wolves to Ferngully. Truth to tell, most screenplays are derivative, and this one’s more “original” than all the knock-offs, remakes and sequels everyone makes now. Of course many of Cameron’s ideas came from somewhere. He grew up steeped in sci-fi, and at some point probably read Poul Anderson’s story “Call Me Joe,” first published in 1957. He says he doesn’t remember it, and that they scanned his script—that’s industry-speak for checking to see if some other published work shares aspects of his …...
- 1/6/2010
- Thompson on Hollywood
Thanks to 20th Century Fox, the latest, greatest trailer for James Cameron's forthcoming sci-fi epic Avatar is now online, and you can watch it by clicking on the Trailer tab above.
It's impressive, and you'll want to check it out. Particularly for those who have found that the online publicity for the film hasn't quite got under their skin yet. This trailer should change all that.
The film is being heralded in many quarters as technologically innovative, but has also been accused of perhaps being a bit conventional in story. By now, many of you will have read about last week's claims that James Cameron’s story bares a resemblance to a novella by Poul Anderson. Yes, the notion of a paraplegic who telepathically connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet seems lifted from "Call Me Joe", but it's probably a bit of a red herring,...
It's impressive, and you'll want to check it out. Particularly for those who have found that the online publicity for the film hasn't quite got under their skin yet. This trailer should change all that.
The film is being heralded in many quarters as technologically innovative, but has also been accused of perhaps being a bit conventional in story. By now, many of you will have read about last week's claims that James Cameron’s story bares a resemblance to a novella by Poul Anderson. Yes, the notion of a paraplegic who telepathically connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet seems lifted from "Call Me Joe", but it's probably a bit of a red herring,...
- 10/30/2009
- CinemaSpy
The new trailer for James Cameron's Avatar has been out in theatres for a week or so now, but it has finally debuted online today in HD over at Yahoo! [1]. This comes hot on the heels of recent accusations against James Cameron that he may have stolen some of the ideas [2] for Avatar from a 1957 short story by Poul Anderson entitled Call Me Joe. Fortunately for Cameron, this new trailer is a huge improvement over the initial teaser trailer, and is likely going to be impressive enough to erase any of these thoughts of plagiarism from people's minds. This three and a half minute clip provides a lot more context for what is going on in the film, including who the Na'vi are, why the military is interested in them, and what Sam Worthington's back story is. However, it certainly reinforces the fact that most of the action will...
- 10/29/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Avatar, James Cameron’s $200 million dollar sci-fi epic and the first feature film he’s directed since Titanic, has been surrounded by much hype, anticipation, and now controversy. Sci-fi fans and film bloggers are calling into question Cameron’s ethics as discussions of plagiarism start to make the rounds on the web. Speculation started in full force when a blog reader dubbed “Goldfarb” suggested to io9 [1] that the plot of Avatar bears an uncanny resemblance to the 1957 novella Call Me Joe [2], written by Poul Anderson. Both plots involve a paraplegic protagonist who mentally pulls the strings of an artificial life form, engineered for the purpose of exploring a planet with an environment hostile to humans. People have noticed similarities not only in themes and subject matter, but many skeptics have also pointed to obvious parallels in the visual aspects of the creatures in the film and the one depicted on...
- 10/29/2009
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Another take at Michelle Rodriguez in "Avatar" has been exposed through a brand new photo. Uncovered by MarketSaw, the image sees the Ana Lucia Cortez of ABC's series "Lost" as her character, the retired Marine pilot Trudy Chacon. In the picture, she is captured standing next to an aircraft.
While Rodriguez has kept a tight lid on her character's part in the movie, she has previously shared how she got involved with the project. In a group interview while promoting "Fast and Furious", the 31-year-old recalled as quoted by Sci Fi Wire, "James saw me in Girlfight. It's that movie. It's the only movie I was ever a lead in, and I guess I did a good job, because people watched it and liked it."
"Avatar" is a live action movie directed, co-produced and written also by the "Titanic" helmer James Cameron. It lines up Sam Worthington as Jake Sully,...
While Rodriguez has kept a tight lid on her character's part in the movie, she has previously shared how she got involved with the project. In a group interview while promoting "Fast and Furious", the 31-year-old recalled as quoted by Sci Fi Wire, "James saw me in Girlfight. It's that movie. It's the only movie I was ever a lead in, and I guess I did a good job, because people watched it and liked it."
"Avatar" is a live action movie directed, co-produced and written also by the "Titanic" helmer James Cameron. It lines up Sam Worthington as Jake Sully,...
- 10/28/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
It's not uncommon for people to try and make some scratch off of a successful film. In late 2006, Borat was an unexpected smash hit at the box office, but due to its documentary filming style, floodgates were opened that allowed just about anyone involved a way to sue the makers of the film (though every case has been dismissed). Now, with James Cameron's Avatar being spun as a movie that will revolutionize filmmaking, people have already begun questioning its originality, with the release date still two months away. The makers of Delgo (a.k.a the most unsuccessful film ever made) have already threatened a lawsuit and now the writers over at Io9 have drawn comparisons to "Call me Joe," a short science-fiction story written by Poul Anderson in 1957. While the Delgo accusation is just nonsense, Cameron might have some questions to answer about this one. In the story,...
- 10/27/2009
- cinemablend.com
ver since the details of the Avatar plot-line surfaced, a small flame of controversy has surfaced questioning it's similarites to Poul Anderson's 1957 Science Fiction short story Call Me Joe. It looks like the small flame has now become a bonfire. The buzz over the parallels center around the fact that both stories follow a wheelchair-bound human who has their consciousness projected into an artificial cat-like creature that is adapted for life on a world that doesn't support humans. Check out the list of parallels below: 1. Both main characters, Ed Anglesey (Call Me Joe) and Jake Sully (Avatar) are paraplegics 2. Both main characters connect telepathically to artificially created life forms in order to survive the alien planets 3. Anglesey & Sully revel in the freedom and power of their new bodies 4. Both artificial bodies are blue and cat like 5. Both characters battle fierce predators on the alien worlds 6. The main characters both...
- 10/27/2009
- by Dave Campbell
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Tell me what book/movie/cartoon series/video game the following synopsis sounds like:
A paraplegic telepathically “connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet.” The man “revels in the freedom and strength of his artificial created body, battles predators on the surface, and gradually goes native as he spends more time connected to his artificial body.” Hmm, that sounds quite a bit like James Cameron’s much anticipated new sci-fi flick, Avatar, doesn’t it? Well, that also describes “Call Me Joe,” a 1957 novella written by Golden Age science fiction writer Poul Anderson.
Thanks to io9 for doing all the research, but it appears the story being told in Avatar has been told before. There is no word either from Cameron or 20th Century Fox whether the film was “inspired by” Anderson’s story, but “Call Me Joe” has never been referenced in...
A paraplegic telepathically “connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet.” The man “revels in the freedom and strength of his artificial created body, battles predators on the surface, and gradually goes native as he spends more time connected to his artificial body.” Hmm, that sounds quite a bit like James Cameron’s much anticipated new sci-fi flick, Avatar, doesn’t it? Well, that also describes “Call Me Joe,” a 1957 novella written by Golden Age science fiction writer Poul Anderson.
Thanks to io9 for doing all the research, but it appears the story being told in Avatar has been told before. There is no word either from Cameron or 20th Century Fox whether the film was “inspired by” Anderson’s story, but “Call Me Joe” has never been referenced in...
- 10/27/2009
- by Kirk
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A controversy has erupted over whether James Cameron borrowed the plot for his upcoming epic (from a story from the golden age of science fiction) without crediting the author. Although Avatar has been touted as one of the few originals amidst a tidal wave of remakes, the similarities between Cameron's movie and Poul Anderson's now rather obscure 1957 novella Call Me Joe really are striking.
No one expects a movie plot to be completely without influences. In fact, filmmakers have been fairly up front about the fact that Avatar draws on a Pocahontas narrative. But this goes a bit beyond the usual unaccredited borrowing, if the summary of Anderson's book on io9 is any indicator:
Like Avatar, Call Me Joe centers on a paraplegic — Ed Anglesey — who telepathically connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet (in this case, Jupiter). Anglesey, like Avatar's Jake Sully,...
No one expects a movie plot to be completely without influences. In fact, filmmakers have been fairly up front about the fact that Avatar draws on a Pocahontas narrative. But this goes a bit beyond the usual unaccredited borrowing, if the summary of Anderson's book on io9 is any indicator:
Like Avatar, Call Me Joe centers on a paraplegic — Ed Anglesey — who telepathically connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet (in this case, Jupiter). Anglesey, like Avatar's Jake Sully,...
- 10/27/2009
- by Bill Stouffer
- Reelzchannel.com
"Avatar" apparently couldn't stay away from controversy. After "Delgo" filmmakers threatened to sue for stealing their story ideas earlier, the upcoming sci-fi movie has been slammed with a rip-off report. I09 has recently reported that there are too many similarities between this James Cameron's feature project and a 1957 novella by Poul Anderson entitled "Call Me Joe".
Claiming to have been tipped by its reader, the site pointed out on the similarities from the wheel-chair bound lead character to the artificial created body. "Like Avatar, Call Me Joe centers on a paraplegic - Ed Anglesey - who telepathically connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet (in this case, Jupiter)," it began explaining.
"Anglesey, like Avatar's Jake Sully, revels in the freedom and strength of his artificial created body," the site went on detailing, "battles predators on the surface of Jupiter, and gradually...
Claiming to have been tipped by its reader, the site pointed out on the similarities from the wheel-chair bound lead character to the artificial created body. "Like Avatar, Call Me Joe centers on a paraplegic - Ed Anglesey - who telepathically connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet (in this case, Jupiter)," it began explaining.
"Anglesey, like Avatar's Jake Sully, revels in the freedom and strength of his artificial created body," the site went on detailing, "battles predators on the surface of Jupiter, and gradually...
- 10/27/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
This morning an article popped up on i09 that cited comparisons between James Cameron’s 3-D epic Avatar and a 1957 novella by Poul Anderson. Titled “Call Me Joe,” the story centers on a paraplegic hero who telepathically connects to an artificial life form in order to roam a harsh planet.
In Cameron’s movie, the names are changed but the basic premise is similar. Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully, a wheelchair-bound war hero recruited into an interstellar mission to explore Pandora. He links his mind to an avatar in order to assimilate to the native culture, but ultimately comes to understand the resistance towards the encroaching humans.
The plots diverge there however, with Joe becoming self-aware and ultimately separating himself from his human operator. There’s no love story, which Cameron insists is the core of his $230 million film despite the marketing centered on it’s groundbreaking technology and flashy gun battles.
In Cameron’s movie, the names are changed but the basic premise is similar. Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully, a wheelchair-bound war hero recruited into an interstellar mission to explore Pandora. He links his mind to an avatar in order to assimilate to the native culture, but ultimately comes to understand the resistance towards the encroaching humans.
The plots diverge there however, with Joe becoming self-aware and ultimately separating himself from his human operator. There’s no love story, which Cameron insists is the core of his $230 million film despite the marketing centered on it’s groundbreaking technology and flashy gun battles.
- 10/27/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
While geeks the world over are eagerly awaiting Avatar, the return of James Cameron to the original sci-fi territory he's proven a master over with The Abyss and Terminator/Terminator 2, fans of obscure science fiction novellas from 1957 are being struck with deja vu. A reader tipped off genre champions io9 to the story Call Me Joe by Poul Anderson, a story that sounds remarkably like Cameron's supposedly original script that revolves around humans that use the bodies of an alien species via a mental connection as physical avatars, and proceed to use said avatars to exploit the resources of the alien's home world.
From the io9 post, "Like Avatar, Call Me Joe centers on a paraplegic - Ed Anglesey - who telepathically connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet (in this case, Jupiter). Anglesey, like Avatar's Jake Sully, revels in the freedom...
From the io9 post, "Like Avatar, Call Me Joe centers on a paraplegic - Ed Anglesey - who telepathically connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet (in this case, Jupiter). Anglesey, like Avatar's Jake Sully, revels in the freedom...
- 10/26/2009
- by Peter Hall
- Cinematical
The line between deliberate rip-off and unintentional reflection is thin and blurry. There's now an accusation that James Cameron's upcoming Avatar might sit somewhere uncomfortably close to that line. Seems that the film bears an uncanny resemblance to Poul Anderson's 1957 short story Call Me Joe. io9 was directed towards a synopsis of the tale, which the site recounts as follows: Call Me Joe centers on a paraplegic — Ed Anglesey — who telepathically connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet (in this case, Jupiter). Anglesey, like Avatar's Jake Sully, revels in the freedom and strength of his artificial created body, battles predators on the surface of Jupiter, and gradually goes native as he spends more time connected to his artificial body. That's a pretty striking similarity, and there's also the case of the cover art associated with the Poul Anderson short story...
- 10/26/2009
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
The Lethal Weapon duo of producer Joel Silver and writer Shane Black are bringing their trademark high-octane action to the small screen. They are teaming up with Emmy-winning director-producer Thomas Schlamme for Nice Guys, a buddy detective drama for CBS. The network has given a put pilot commitment to the project from Warner Bros. TV and studio-based Silver Pictures and Thomas Schlamme Prods. that Silver called "essentially a reinvention of the private eye genre." The show, said to carry a $2 million penalty, is part of an ambitious TV slate for Silver Pictures, which is stepping up its efforts in television, renewing its overall deal with WBTV for two more years and tapping former Columbia TriStar TV drama co-chiefs Danielle Stokdyk and Jennifer Gwartz as co-heads of the company's TV division. Senior vp TV Gregory Noveck has left the company to pursue other interests. Silver Pictures also has set up a family drama centered on a child prodigy with writer Josh Friedman at Fox and Time Patrol, a drama based on Poul Anderson's futuristic novel, at Sci Fi Channel.
- 9/24/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.