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Captain Blood getting rebooted—in space!
Warner Brothers has set Michael and Peter Spierig to direct and John Brownlow to write a new sci-fi version of Captain Blood, the 1935 swashbuckler pirate classic that starred Errol Flynn as a wrongly imprisoned British doctor who escapes to become a pirate in the Caribbean, Variety reported.
Their big idea: Set the story in SPACE!
After WB and producer Bill Gerber dusted off the library title and had Brownlow do a faithful first draft, they sought out pitches from filmmakers. The Spierig siblings won the gig with a bold animatic presentation, Gerber said."At first, I felt like I was in that scene in The Player, where Buck Henry pitches the sequel to The Graduate," said Gerber. "But when I took a look at their animatic depiction of a pirate battle in space, it had such a distinctive visual look to it that I said, 'Great, I get it.'"
Gerber said that despite the radical period and venue switch, the film will be fairly faithful to a plot in which the doctor, Peter Blood, joins up with a French pirate (played in the original by Basil Rathbone), only to clash with the buccaneer when the woman he loves (Olivia de Havilland) is captured by the pirate skipper.
The Spierig brothers wrote and directed the upcoming vampire movie Daybreakers, which premieres this week at the Toronto Film Festival and opens wide on Jan. 8, 2010.
By Kevin at 2:24 AM ON 07/31/09
Space piracy. Wonderful. Novel idea. Those Hollywood writers are always on the cutting edge.
Not. Dumb in 1930, dumb now.
By S.W. at 2:35 AM ON 07/31/09
Kevin,
Ah, I love it when people talk about themselves in their comments. So you were around in the 1930s, eh? What was it like? Do enlighten us!
But seriously. This sounds like a good idea in my book; kinda like Disney's Treasure Planet which, personally, I enjoyed thoroughly when I saw it in theaters. Here's hopin' this gets done right!
By familyman5999 at 6:23 AM ON 07/31/09
I hope this gets done right too, SW, but I don't know. The original was a classic, and you know how remakes can be a lot of times. Still, reserving judgment for now.
By J-Skooltiger at 8:47 AM ON 07/31/09
I hope they pay homage to the great Korngold score.
By Roadking at 9:48 AM ON 07/31/09
Why can't these hollywood idiots go for something original??? Tales of the Honorverse anyone? or perhaps Ringo's "Gust Front"? enough action and story for everyone!
By Bandit at 12:16 PM ON 07/31/09
Can anyone say Capt. Harlock? how about Ice Pirates
By Peregrine at 1:45 PM ON 07/31/09
I loved the original and would love to see this redone as long as it is a great redo. Capt. Blood in space will get people to see it. The truth is that these classics are not making it in front of people any more. There is more competing for our attention. If this is good it will cause people to want to go back and compare it to the original; similar to the way many first saw the Magnificent 7 and went back to see the Seven Samurai. Outland was a great space remake of a land locked classic and this can be the same. Looking forward to a good remake but will cringe if it is bad.
By redm at 3:05 PM ON 07/31/09
Was I the only one who thought the title was referring to the video game of the same name (which had no relation to the '35 movie)
By Gill Avila at 9:41 PM ON 07/31/09
***By redm at 3:05 PM ON 07/31/09
Was I the only one who thought the title was referring to the video game of the same name (which had no relation to the '35 movie)***
Yes, you are...
By DocHamm at 12:33 PM ON 08/01/09
The original is wonderful! I can never see it enough and am sad that younger generations are so quick to write off such classics. It was films like these that inspired current directors and film makers. As long as they stay true to it's course, a space version should turn out pretty good. Now who do I pay off to get Gerard Butler cast as Captain Blood?
By divephotog at 1:13 AM ON 08/04/09
I can see a good number of possibilities for this, in the light of human story telling, and detailing, but just as many to go wrong. One has to remember the economy which Cpt Blood originally was a hit in, and it was as opressive as ours today, which made it a story on the current times and dreams as well. As far as the ideal Blood, let's see John Barrowman on a big screen again... - kh
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divephotog:
I can see a good number of possibilities for this, in the light of human story telling, and detailing, but just as ...More »