Peter Jackson is planning a $200m remake of 'THE DAM BUSTERS' alongside Sir David Frost who bought the rights last year.
Peter is apparently making it as a memorial to the New Zealand pilots who flew bombers including those who died in the Dam Busters mission.
It seems the biggest problem is what to call Commander Guy Gibson's dog originally called *beep*
BTW, the original famous music by Eric Coates is staying.
did you also read that in the daily mail??
cus i did about an hour ago....
Could be very interesting, I’ve grown up watching this film many times with my dad on projector and later on VHS, of course already you’ve got people saying it’s going to be terrible without seeing one frame of footage or any promotional material you’ve got to admire the hypocrisy of people saying that the war should be remembered and when then do they say you shouldn’t.
Got to admit until recently I thought Peter Jackson apart from Braindead was massively overrated but I’ve recently come around to what a good director and decent guy he is, Amazing how people say they hate remakes though and love stuff like Ben-Hur, The Magnificent Seven or some other brilliant film that is a remake of something else.
I'm really worried about the flying scenes, SFX, stuff like that. CGI people never make aircraft move realistically. It will look like a video game imho. I hope I am proven wrong.
shareAs there are only two flying Lancasters left i`m afraid we`re probably going to have to rely on it.Initially a bit skeptical but now that Peter Jackson is going to direct i`m quite looking forward to it.
shareThe best thing about Jackson directing is that while he wants to make his own film, he also believes in respecting and paying homage to the original film.
His King Kong remake was clearly a labour of love and respect towards the original.
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Of the 19 Lancasters involved in the raid (B.III Specials), 8 did not return and the remaining 11 would have, in all probability, been returned to their normal spec once it became clear no more raids using the Upkeep bomb were planned.
Even if they want to use the last 2 flying Lancs left, it would be highly unlikely they'll get them to use - they have very few flying hours left on their airframes and so flights are very strictly rationed.
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Knowing Jackson he'll overkill with CGI.
share>>Peter Jackson is planning a $200m remake
$40m
"Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."
- H. G. Wells (1866-1946)
All I can say is I hope he doesn't ruin it.
Its possible my all time favorite film and I really will be upset if it doesn't do justice to the raid.
About the dog, they took a painting of N down from, I think it was the mess Hall, at Scampton a few months back as some people complained about the name, N is as much a part of Scampton history as the red arrows are, and GG didn't name him that to insult anyone, he called him that because he was a black lab and if people look up the meaning of the N word they'll get it, you know?. it doesn't bother me lol but then I'm not offended by anything really lol. But I can see why if would offend. But like I said that dog was like a lucky charm to the squadron when it was formed, and as far as people know it's still buried in the grounds at scampton. When it was run over on the night of the raid they didn't tell anyone on the raid for fear it would bring bad luck, so it has to be in the film, manybe they could just call him N lol ;).
Yep you are right. The budget is $40m not $200m.
If Hollywood has anything to do with this remake, then no doubt it will be the Americans flying the mission instead of the Brits.
Probably Tom Hanks taking the lead role. With Will Smith as Barnes Wallace.
Instead of destroying 3 dams in the Ruhr valley, Germany, it will be somewhere off the Florida keys and end with America saving the world yet again.
>> With Will Smith as Barnes Wallace.
One thing is for sure, with american money the dog will have to get a new name.
"Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."
- H. G. Wells (1866-1946)
One way to avoid the dog with the name that rhymes with 'trigger' but starts with the letter n is to remove it from the film altogether.
A more radical idea is to write in a black character who can say it. That seems to be a perfectly acceptable state of affairs in cinema nowadays.
Actually, the budget is $78 million and jackson is producing, not directing.
shareWhilst I can see your point, thouse of us who know the movie inside out and have relatives who were there would be up in arms if they did something that radicle, fair enough take N out of the movie, but don't start adding characters that didn't exsist just for the sake of it.
I really will be very up set of Hollywood starts taking liberties with this movie, stick to the facts and they will be ok.
It could be even better now that the information is no longer classified.
Just please god don't cast Nic cage as Guy Gibson lol
My heart sank when i heard this yesterday. After reading Jacksons comments on the project, i must admit, i am looking forward to it.
How can i say this without being rude. 'Please no US stars or Gibson'
Edited: for crap spelling
At least PJ will look for unknown or little known actors, he likes to cast for talent rather than star status so I'm hoping the same will be true here. Fair enough if the big name fits the part, but I don't want to see big names for the sake of it.
The only person who I think would shine in thios film Is Hugh Dancy, I don't know if he'd be good for Gibson, but hes an amazing actor and hes English.
My local newspaper (Lincolnshire echo) says it looks likely that they'll be filming around Scampton so I cannot wait, I'm gonna see if I can get a roll as an extra lol.
I will be so mad if they cast an American as Gibson it just wouldn't be right! Does anybody have any thoughts on who could play Gibson?
Hihonyr8811- I too live in Lincolnshire and i am going to try my best to get a part as an extra!x
'And there are voices that want to be heard, so much to metion but you can't find the words...'
"Does anybody have any thoughts on who could play Gibson?"
How about Hugh Grant? (If they could make him look young enough!) Guy Gibson was only in his 20s at the time. Hugh Grant should probably be in there somewhere though. Maybe he could be Barnes Wallis.
Now let's see, what other posh English actors have we got? How about Orlando Bloom?
I've been longing for a remake of this for years, but then my Dad said: "It would be all computer-generated and Americans" and I thought "Good point". I hope to God they don't over CG it and make it seem like Americans were solely responsible for the whole thing, a la U571 and "Saving Private Ryan". The BBMF (Battle of Britain Memorial Fund) would probably let them use their Lancaster a bit. Other than that, they could achieve better things with large-scale RC models than CG. Remember the Splash-down in "Apollo 13"? That was a model dropped from a helicopter - looked very convincing. Remember the Battle of Britain scenes in "Pearl Harbour"? CG Heinkels - very unconvincing. Simplest solution is always the best when it comes to flying stuff, I reckon.
Me and my dad have been toying over who could play Guy Gibson ( well ve been throwing out teh ideas and hes been slating them!lol)
We thought of:
Hugh Grant... probably a good person to play the role but i wouldnt want to see him as Gibson!
Orlando Bloom... too tall Gibson was only short
Sean Bean???... i really like this idea even though hes too old and as my dad puts it... doesnt speak *posh enough*!
Ewan Mcgregor... i think, given the chance he could be pretty good!x
'And there are voices that want to be heard, so much to metion but you can't find the words...'
Personally, I'm excited about this.
Look at it this way: even if it tanks, even if it totally sucks and is worthless, it will get a DVD release. As is always the case when a remake is released on DVD, the original will get dusted off and remastered and given a nice DVD treatment. For me that's great news, as it isn't currently available in my area. (Canada). So, at the very least, I get a nice copy of the original on DVD which isn't out now.
Secondly, Peter Jackson has proven himself to be a capable director/producer who above all has respect for the material. I think he will not disappoint us here.
Thirdly, the budget is $40M. This is quite modest by todays standards, and I think as such will prohibit the filmmakers from getting carried away by the spectacle. Great things can be done in aviation movies with low $ if the filmmakers want to. Look at "Dark Blue World" (Spitfires) or "Map of the Human Heart" (Lancasters) for examples. Both of these movies were made on low budgets and both have impressive, realistic aircraft scenes.
On the subject of the dog, N. It really doesn't matter to me. I know that back in the day, it wasn't such a big deal, but it is now. Dramatically, the dog's name is irrelevant - the point is that his name was used as a codeword. We can call the dog anything and it will still have the same impact and importance at the end when his name comes through on the Morse Code. The reality is that people who throw the N word around nowadays are racist. Back 60+ years ago, to Brits whom had probably never even met a black person, it wasn't an indication of racism or hate, just a naughty sense of humour and a lack of worldliness.
In any case, I'm excited about this news. It's one of my favourite stories of WW2, and this is a great opportunity to see it done well. The original still holds up nicely in many ways, and it will always be welcome on my DVD shelf in spite of the sometimes dodgey tracer fire and dam-burst effects. If Peter can preserve what's good about the original while improving on its weaknesses, we'll have a real winner.
-Marlon
It's actually a $76million budget. Also he won't be directing it. He'll just be the producer for this movie
shareI'm looking forward to this remake.
The key to any success for it is Peter Jackson. He's someone who clearly knows how to work with material that people are very familiar with (i.e. King Kong and Tolkien). He is able to innovate while still paying homage and respecting what was done before.
I even have thought of the perfect role for Andy Serkis (if Jackson is going to cast him again) to play. He could be Mutt Summers. (The Vickers test pilot who dropped the test bombs for Wallis). He's the right age and has the right look for the character.
I don't really think this is a movie that actually needs remaking, but Jackson seems to have a genuine respect for the subject. As good as the original was, the effects were a bit under par- understandable given the shortages at the time, and if PJ can get all the character driven scenes right, I'm sure he could make this fantastic. The Curtis biplanes near the end of King Kong looked like the most realistic CG portrayal of aircraft I've seen. If anyone can make a bunch of polygons look like a Lancaster lumbering over the trees with it's upkeep bomb glinting in the moonlight, they can.
If you went up to Guy Gibson in his heyday and told him that in a few decades people would make a film based on his exploits with his dog deliberately renamed because of possible connotations on the other side of the world, he's say that'd be mad. And it is, but I guess it's something we'll just have to put up with.
$76million NZ
$40 millon US
"Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."
- H. G. Wells (1866-1946)
Just be thankful we haven`t got George Lucas or Michael Bay in the cockpit.If Jackson stays faithful to the story & doesn`t overkill on CGI at the expense of good modelwork then I feel quite confident.
The dog is tricky as the word is rightly deemed offensive & derogatory today, but if it was used the Director should include a brief footnote before the film starts .I suspect it won`t .
Lastly I think it would be a nice touch if Richard Todd was given a nice cameo role should he wish to be involved.
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I hope actor Roy Dotrice will be cast in this "Dam Busters." The actor himself flew in that squadron. Not to mention spending part of World War II in the POW camp made famous for the "Great Escape."
shareIs that the same person in Heroes of Telemark(playing the traitor) & father of Michelle Dotrice(Betty from Some Mothers Do Ave Em)?
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They could have the dog in the film, but simply not mention it's name.
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"I've never seen a sight that didn't look better lookin' back".