This sounds super familiar. I know i havn't read the books...was this done as a movie or series before?

ninbience: yup, back in the late 90's/early 2000 maybe? Sci-Fi had a Riverworld movie.

Yeah, was done either by Scifi Channel or Space Channel (Canada), and it bombed. Roman emperor meets spaceman meets caveman meets famous historical figures...

I really liked the Farmer books. I am truly disapointed that SciFi is going to be destroying the concept again. Seriously, A female samuari? seriously, there was already a strong female lead in the books without having to add this. When will SciFi learn that the majority of their audience are educated, older men and women who don't live in mom's basement and don't need to be pandered with gratutious 'boobies' in every movie and TV show they air (anyone remember LEXX). We want GOOD stories, not crap. Arghhhh!!! can we just go back to the days of Incredible Hulk reruns and MST3K?

The original movie that they did was intended as the pilot to a series which never happened so it leaves off with the lead character actually setting out to find the head of the river. This looks like it's actually got an ending which will be nice!

Actually, the first SCIFI movie of this was in 2003. Just five years later and they're doing a remake?! Talk about creative bankruptcy!

The original books were interesting, weird, different...and probably impossible to adapt into film. Of course, SCIFI--sorry, SYFY (barf!)--has less interest in making a good movie from a good book than in making CRAP they can regurgitate to an international audience.

no Burton?

WHY CAN'T THEY JUST FOLLOW THE BOOKS!!??

Ouch, come on give Sy Fy (it doesn't sound that bad) a break this could be very good if you give it a chance, you never know it might be different from the books but so is every movie adapted from a book.

this was a mini series on scifi a few years back. Is sci fi running out of ideas for things to do?

is scifi so desparate for new stuff that they will remake something they did only a few years ago. Come on, this is ridiculous.

"Give SyFy a break?" Why? Do you work for them?

Bored now.

Sir Richard Burton was THE central character of the books... Why can't SyFy (uck!) get this right???

Why not just continue with the movie they did a few years ago. I hate when they do crap like this.

yes it has been done before. and it had a bad ending was kind of hoping they would have made a part two or something. now they restarting it hope it ends better

Burton was important, but the one thing that made the original series terrible was the fact that they had people being resurrected at different times, not all at one as in the books. Part of the appeal was everyone confused and discovering the ground rules at the same time.

when are people going to realize when they make adaptations, they are ONLY good if they follow the books. This one is off base and will suck in comparisson to the novels. Jose Farmer is rolling over in his grave. SyFy screws up again!

When are people going to realize that when they make adaptations, they aer ONLY good if they do exactly as I SAY, with utterly no deviation from my sage instruction. This one is without mine holy sanction and will suck in comparison with the novels. Jose Farmer lives inside my head; I can hear his voices, his voices. SyFY screws up again! (His voices)

i wait for it

Mojoniesen, If you check, Tomoe Gozen is the name of a 13th-century female samurai described in Heike Monogatari. There is debate as to whether she was created for that chronicle, but the piece is considered to be a primarily historical chronicle, and the grave of one female character from it is known to exist.

Anyway, SciFi or SyFy or whatever, isn't creating an unbelievable character in the female samurai named Tomoe. She's been part of Japanese history for more than 600 years.

Sorry to be pedantic. As for the quality of the production, we can only wait and hope.

I don't require an exact faithful reproduction of a book when it is made into a film but there needs to be at least some attempt to follow the source material. I think having the same characters and basic plot is a bare minimum requirement. Otherwise, its just capitalizing off a popular name without showing it proper respect..

I was shocked when I saw this headline. My wife and I both remember the old one, why do they think this will fly where the other sank? You guys need to put down the J and admit you don't know what you're doing any more.

I will give this a chance. I liked Robert Wolfe's work on The Dresden Files and I have a lot of respect for him. However it is a little soon for them to be trying again on this and the description does stray from the books quite a bit.

The original book series had a fantastic idea and universe to work in. Using other characters isn't a sin against PJF but it does seem strange to utilize so little of what he created when the hard stuff like plot and characters is already a given.

I know what they are supposed to find at the end of the River. Do you?

'"Give SyFy a break?" Why? Do you work for them?

Bored now."

No Captain Jack Harkness (pfft) being 17 and living in Australia i think not, i just don't get why everyone is bagging everything Sci Fi does before they even see, but for some reason still come back for more???

Wait.. No Richard Burton?? No Kazz or Alice or Monat?? The main characters are from the “modern” era which in the books meant they were agents of the world builders. Once again im exited that one of my favorite SF books will be adapted to screen but I am as terrified as Hermann Goring on a dream gum binge that this will be another “Children of Dune”!!!!

For the record, the first Riverworld project didn't "bomb" or "tank" as it has been described here. They filmed the pilot and then, for whatever reason, decided not to do the series.

The pilot finally aired over a year after it was completed with scifi fully knowing there would be no series to follow.

Then guess what happened? The ratings were very good: "The two-hour original film Riverworld averaged a 2.2 rating, exceeding the time period average by 86 percent and becoming the most-watched original movie SCI FI has ever aired on a Saturday night (2.74 million viewers)."

Despite the fact that virtually no one who has read the Riverworld books had anything good to say about the first pilot, people did watch it. That is why they are doing it again.

You really had to be ignorant of the source material to enjoy the first miniseries "event". I vote for a fast-paced serial adaptation of the books!

The Columbia Shuttle disaster occured on February 1, 2003. The Riverworld miniseries was first shown on March 22, 2003.

Do any of you who saw that miniseries remember the opening scene.

Oh man... After the first "Riverworld" bomb, you'd think that Sci-Fi would take a hint and stop futzing with the material. Farmer's "Riverworld" series is one of the finest pieces of sci-fi literature of all time. (Well, at least the first two books are...) Honestly, it's my favorite book of all time. But they've done away with Richard Burton, replaced him with a generic "war reporter" and added a female samurai. (In the first book, "To Your Scattered Bodies Go", the female lead is Alice Hargreaves... The real-life inspiration for "Alice in Wonderland" who grew up in an isolated, high-society lifestyle.) Honestly, I can see the Sci-Fi execs sitting around a table and saying, "Hmmm... We need a strong female character. We had luck with Starbuck, right? So let's throw in a female warrior... Oh, wait, this thing is historical... So let's make her a SAMURAI. YEEEEAH, that's the ticket!"
I can't tell you how frustrated I am... And no, it's not because I'm a purist. Go ahead... Change the material if it doesn't work in a film or TV show. But please DON'T change the material because you think that Alice Hargreaves and Richard Burton are less "marketable." For Gods sakes, Sci-Fi... This is cutting-edge science fiction that, in addition to being a great adventure, is also a deep insight into human nature and society.
Also, what's with the lame set design for the so-called "Cavern of Souls"? It looks downright cheap.
But hey, at least they're keeping Mark Twain. (Mostly because anyone who went through high school has read or knows about "Huckleberry Finn".)
Please, Sci-Fi, don't underestimate the intelligence of your audience. Also, this material is too violent, sexually-charged, and thought-provoking to be done justice on cable television. Give it up, and hand over the reigns to people who will do justice to the material. For the love of God, please stop.

Oh man... After the first "Riverworld" bomb, you'd think that Sci-Fi would take a hint and stop futzing with the material. Farmer's "Riverworld" series is one of the finest pieces of sci-fi literature of all time. (Well, at least the first two books are...) Honestly, it's my favorite book of all time. But they've done away with Richard Burton, replaced him with a generic "war reporter" and added a female samurai. (In the first book, "To Your Scattered Bodies Go", the female lead is Alice Hargreaves... The real-life inspiration for "Alice in Wonderland" who grew up in an isolated, high-society lifestyle.) Honestly, I can see the Sci-Fi execs sitting around a table and saying, "Hmmm... We need a strong female character. We had luck with Starbuck, right? So let's throw in a female warrior... Oh, wait, this thing is historical... So let's make her a SAMURAI. YEEEEAH, that's the ticket!"
I can't tell you how frustrated I am... And no, it's not because I'm a purist. Go ahead... Change the material if it doesn't work in a film or TV show. But please DON'T change the material because you think that Alice Hargreaves and Richard Burton are less "marketable." For Gods sakes, Sci-Fi... This is cutting-edge science fiction that, in addition to being a great adventure, is also a deep insight into human nature and society.
Also, what's with the lame set design for the so-called "Cavern of Souls"? It looks downright cheap.
But hey, at least they're keeping Mark Twain. (Mostly because anyone who went through high school has read or knows about "Huckleberry Finn".)
Please, Sci-Fi, don't underestimate the intelligence of your audience. Also, this material is too violent, sexually-charged, and thought-provoking to be done justice on cable television. Give it up, and hand over the reigns to people who will do justice to the material. For the love of God, please stop.

h man... After Sci-Fi's first "Riverworld" atrocity, you'd think that Sci-Fi would take a hint and stop futzing with the material. (Despite decent ratings for their first try, the general consensus from viewers and reviewers alike was that it stunk.) Farmer's "Riverworld" series is one of the finest pieces of sci-fi literature of all time. (Well, at least the first two books are...) Honestly, it's my favorite book of all time. But they've done away with Richard Burton, replaced him with a generic "war reporter" and added a female samurai. (In the first book, "To Your Scattered Bodies Go", the female lead is Alice Hargreaves... The real-life inspiration for "Alice in Wonderland" who grew up in an isolated, high-society lifestyle.) Honestly, I can see the Sci-Fi execs sitting around a table and saying, "Hmmm... We need a strong female character. We had luck with Starbuck, right? So let's throw in a female warrior... Oh, wait, this thing is historical... So let's make her a SAMURAI. YEEEEAH, that's the ticket!"
I can't tell you how frustrated I am... And no, it's not because I'm a purist. Go ahead... Change the material if it doesn't work in a film or TV show. But please DON'T change the material because you think that Alice Hargreaves and Richard Burton are less "marketable." For Gods sakes, Sci-Fi... This is cutting-edge science fiction that, in addition to being a great adventure, is also a deep insight into human nature and society.
Also, what's with the lame set design for the so-called "Cavern of Souls"? It looks downright cheap.
But hey, at least they're keeping Mark Twain. (Mostly because anyone who went through high school has read or knows about "Huckleberry Finn".)
Please, Sci-Fi, don't underestimate the intelligence of your audience. Also, this material is too violent, sexually-charged, and thought-provoking to be done justice on cable television. Give it up, and hand over the reigns to people who will do justice to the material. For the love of God, please stop.

Oops... Sorry for the double-post before. I don't know why, but this page posted my previous comment twice.
Also, Mike - you're absolutely right. Sci-Fi's last attempt at "Riverworld" wasn't a total "bomb", in terms of ratings. But the general consensus from viewers and reviewers alike was that it stunk. (Which it did.)
Put it this way... Even though Steve Martin's first "Pink Panther" movie did okay at the box office, it was a terrible movie that didn't deserve a sequel. (Which was even worse.)

I liked the boat from the first Riverworld movie better.

I watched the Saturday night Movie "Riverworld" and remember thinking how interesting the concept could be if well thoughtout and done correctly (whatever that means). The movie had Nero the Roman there and had a building with folks fighting and killing one another and while some of the other characters were building a Riverboat to explore the river and as always they had to fight each other over control opf the boat etc. This does fit the new SYFY desire to avoid space programs, shows about the future and Science so iot is basicially pure fantasy fiction. I will give it a try but as is my new policy , I will only view it after recording with a DVR or download it off line. The disrespect I feel from NBCU to me as a core Science Fiction viewer for the past 16 years and the direction the channel is going now will not let mne get a LIVE VIEWER rating from me anymore.

Actually, this series will have Burton in it, although none of the press seems to have picked that up yet. Peter Wingfield (Methos from Highlander the Series) will be playing him and is already filming on it. I have hopes that this one will be better than the last.

Didn't SciFi screw this up a couple of years ago?

Have been a Philip Jose Farmer fan since my teens. We moved to Peoria Il. 20 years back and was fortunate to meet Phil and even have dinner with he and his wife Bette. The man was a great story teller.He sent me a copy of the original riverworld pilot before the world premiere on sci-fi back in 2003. Phil was not pleased with the film adaptation. Hopefully this new attempt will do it justice. There are countless untold stories since all who ever lived are raised on the river. Phil authorized several other writers to do stories based on the river. He was not opposed to the movie not strictly following his plot , but that it be well done.Still sad over his passing in Feb.Maybe if riverworld is done well someone will look at making a film of the World of Tiers novels.

First off, let me say this before I get started. Most of you people who are giving critcism should stop and give the new series a chance. Yes, I grew up on Riverworld and loved it as a teenager. And, I do agree that the 2003 pilot was not the best piece of sci-fi I have ever seen translated to the small screen. Yet, let us give the production staff at RHI and Robert Hewitt Wolfe a chance.

I scanned some of his posts on another sight, and I think he has the right idea. Look, PJF wrote the series to tie to people and characters that fit his time. So, if Wolfe updates the characters and makes them relevant to this time period, I think he is taking the correct approach. Not many students now would understand who Sir Richard Burton is and how he was searching the root of the Nile. Maybe forty years ago, it was relevant, but the characters are not as relevant now.

Also, screen adaptations need more romance and drama to get ratings. If no ratings, then the show does not continue. I am thankful that BSG did such a wonderful rewrite. I had my doubts at first about casting Starbuck as a woman (not that I am sexist, mind you), but it was just different than what I had known. But, I grew to love it and am very impressed with how BSG won over fans that hate normal sci-fi. Like my wife, she would never watch sci-fi before BSG, but now, we have conversations about BSG and how sci-fi is so relevant to our days and times.

So, let Wolfe have a chance. Don't second-guess what they plan to do. Give them a little license and a long leash: who knows we might have another BSG blockbuster and record-setting production soon. Because, if done right, I think Riverworld could easily last multiple seasons and, maybe, even become a transition from small screen to big screen in theaters. The openness of the plot, wealth of possible characters, infinite number of plots & turns & surprises, etc., would lend itself well to a big-screen adaptation one day. But, of course, first Wolfe and RHI have to win and win big on the small screen.

Please, put the 2003 version out of your minds and give them a chance. Consider that the "warm up" and testing of the material.

Ok, sorry for the lengthy post, but this had to be said. Always, the purists can ruin it, because not everything is made to be a clear and exact filming of the books. Remember, the concept of "adaptation" and give them freedom to surprise us.

Thanks for listening,
David Blaine Fullerton