I seriously think someone should remake this film and have it stick as close to the book as possible. This is one of my favourite books, and I was always disappointed by this film. The freakin' Outsider doesn't even look scary.
Has it been discussed before?
If heaven's for clean people, It's vacant
i totally agree. all of the films suck, why has no one tried tp redo this, or even better do it as a mini series so they cant have the excuse of cutting character development. id love to see this as a big budget blockbuster, although the outsider would have to be animatronic, CGI wouldn't look right.
share Don't you see? People only remake classics. It's a rule of Hollywood: either you have talent and make origional movies, or you have no talent and you ruin classics. When young directos look back over movies they can exploit, they definatly won't look at a movie like this, because they don't want to put effort into making it better.
Movies on IMDB are not overrated, you're just of the minority that don't bloody LIKE IT!
Well, I recken Watchers is a Classic. OK, It wasn't even Slightly like the book, but that was the point. One day I'll remake it properly, but till then Watchers is good enough.
shareWell I guess til someone properly remakes it...
I just wish it was more like the book, that's all.
I'm just a boat on the ocean, And I'm just a ship lost at sea
Remember a little movie called Love Don't Cost a Thing?
I wouldn't say that was a remake of a "classic," since Can't Buy Me Love was a cheesy 80s teen flick, without even the resonance of, say, John Hughes. I know, I gagged on that, too. ;) But no, Hollywood doesn't remake "classics," by any means, they remake what they think is going to make the most money, and (imo) the source movies are often obscure so there won't be too many hassles about rights or comparisons to the original.
Around the same time (1988), a movie came out called SHOOT TO KILL. Tom Berringer, Kirstie Alley, Sydney Poitier.
After seeing Watchers, and like all Koontz fans, being sorely disappointed... Betrayed even... I saw this, and wished. Change the plot a little bit... Change a few of the details... And this movie WAS WATCHERS. The characters were perfect... Sydney Poitier is rarely not perfect in his roles, but anyway...
If you haven't seen this movie... Do so... Then imagine what I just described...
What a coincident. I was just looking at the movie Shhot to Kill on eBay. My favourite seller was selling it and I was going to get it.
Now that you say that it's like Watchers, I have to see it. I liked Watchers.
This is my favourite book ever, ive read it so many times and i love it!
i had no idea there was a movie but looks as if the response wasnt so good.
I would LOVE to see a remake, but it would have to be EXACTLY like the book, otherwise it will be crap.
Heres who i would LOVe to be cast as the characters:
Travis: Either Joaquin Phoenix or Johnny Depp (sorry to be all cliched hollywood A listers but both have never exactly gone for the big hollywood movies all the time, like for example, Edward Scissorhand or The Village. They can both play quiet, depressed, kept to themselves kind of characters and they are amazing actors who are amzingly good looking without always being typically good looking, if u get what i mean)
Nora: Bryce Dallas Howard maybe? Or you know, maybe i could play her if she wasnt available lol, nah, that would be like a dream come true though lol
Ok right now i cant think of the other characters and who would be good to play them but i would like to hear more suggestions!
For director, I want to say M. Night Syamalan (or however you spell it) becuase he is so good at creating suspense and is good as scary movies, Tim Burton because he is wonderful and woulds make it quite magical as well, but im not sure if thats for the best, i dunno maybe he would amke it a bit too arty...hmm....or maybe Peter Jackson. Let me know what everyone thinks, these have just popped into my head now so maybe if you've sepnt more time thinking about it they might be better suited...meh...
How about Samuel L Jackson for Lrmurl Johnson??
shareThis movie was horrid, so bad that I HAD to sit threw the whole thing. The only thing the movie had going it was broadcast in HD. If the book has anything to do with the premise of monster chasing a super intelligent dog, I don’t want to see a remake. Just let this miscarriage of a movie flush.
I agree completly. My dream is to become a director and this is what I want my feature film to be. I got excited when I saw it was on one day, because this is my favorite book. After watching it I wanted to cry.
shareI think Lem Johnson should be played by Morgan Freeman. That's the only character I honestly would love to see played by.
"They will all taste Oblivion... which tastes just like Red Bull... which is DISGUSTING!"-O'Malley
I think Lem Johnson is more of Samuel L. Jackson. Hugh Jackman is Travis and Angelina Jolie is Nora
shareThe book was great ... it is a shame that they made such a crappy film out of it.
shareI had Angelina Jolie in mind when I was reading the book, when I first thought of an actor for her. But I dont know, could she play an innocent woman like Nora?
I think Hugh Jackman is too macho. I imagined Travis a bit more...un-macho lol but still brave, I see where you're coming from...
Oh now I really want them to make a remake...
yup... that movie looks horrible, not even renting it. However, i will remake it when i am a director. and stick true to the book.
shareThey've made it twice that I have seen and it sucked both times. They can't make this movie...it's just not capturable. It was such a great book that anything they attempt will make you hate the actors in it. I loved the book but the two movies I saw took something away from the joy I got from the book.
Let it die and hopefully someday no one will remember the massacre of a classic.
Chelle
Watchers is an excellent book. Unlike some of Koontz other novels, this one has great heart and complex characters to go along with the always reliable suspense. If a competant director were to take on this project and really do it justice (the 1988 version was a joke - Travis a teenager?!), I think this movie would have pretty good appeal for a variety of audiences.
My choice of cast:
Travis Cornell - Christian Bale (slimmed down from his Batman physique, obviously)
Nora Devon - Rachel McAdams (how she looks in Red Eye, not Mean Girls) - they could easily make her look homely and scared, but also pretty and vibrant after she comes out of her shell
Vince Nasco - Richard Burgi
Lemuel Johnson - Don Cheadle
Walt Gaines - Noah Emmerich
Tracy - Dakota Fanning is an obvious choice, but I think she would do well in this small role
The only other major characters who I couldn't think of good actors for are Garrison Dilworth, the attourney, who has to be a relatively spry, fit older man. And Streck, Nora's would be rapist, who much be an creepy, yet attractive younger man.
It would be tough obviously to get the needed performance/emotion out of Einstein from a dog, but the wonders of editing can do wonders, and I think they could make it believable.
Any thoughts?
Its a long shot that Watchers would be remade, but I maintain it could be an excellent film if given the right crew.
YES! I demand a remake as well! Wait a minute...no...I won't even call it a remake. There should be a REAL adaption of this fantastic novel. This is one of the greatest sci-fi/horror novels ever written, and this was the theatrical treatment it got?!?!?
I like a lot of the casting choices mentioned earlier. Personally when I read the novel I kept seeing Edward Norton as Travis and Carri Ann-Moss as Nora.
Maybe Dean Koontz should pen the script too. Who do you think should direct this?
If this was done right, the movie would reach the same classic status as the novel.
Definately in need of a remake!!!
Hugh Jackman would be good as Travis (don't forget, he was a marine and could be quite "pumped" still
I think M Night Shyamalan would be good to direct this movie. It's right up his street and he could make it suspenseful and exciting just like his other movie.
shareWost Suggestions on this board so far:
Angelina Jolie / Carrie-Anne Moss / Rachael McAdams as Nora (all are great actresses but FAR too confident to play a timid character) and Christian Bale as Travis? - Come on! an actor far too obsessed with himself to be effective in a romance
I think Morgan Freeman appears too kindly to play Lemuel. Denzel has the right look IMO, and seeing him go from uncompromising hard-ass to discovering his humanity would be interesting.
Vince - I'm thinking maybe Vin Diesel? Would love to see him play the soul-less and evil killer and he has the stature to command respect from the mob perhaps showing much of the mob style vocal talent he displayed in Multi-facial.
Nora - Maybe Evangeline Lily, but not certain. Trying to think of meek elfish looking actresses.
Yes, for the love of God and all that is holy, remake this film to be more faithful in the book. Or better yet, make the remake be a 3 part miniseries or even a television series.
These movies are a stain on the book and deserved to be burnt in a fire, with the exception of Watchers Reborn, which was the least painful film.
I don't care if Corey is in this movie, This is not Watchers.
However, if I remade this, I'd use the book as a blueprint. It would be more faithful to the book, but I'd cut Vincent Nasco's role out of the novel (a character whose subplot in the novel meant very little to me) and with that being done I'd expand a minor supporting role (there was a sheriff character looking into some of the deaths and murders caused by the Outsider) into a more supporting role and have him actively hunting down the Outsider, sorta being an antagonist to the monster. I'd also probably make the Outsider a bit bigger (6 to 7 feet tall rather than 5 feet like the novel suggests) while keeping him sympathetic. He'd probably have to be fully CGI, because these movies had some truly horrid live action creature effects. I know people complain about CGI, but the truth is the Outsider and other monsters shouldn't seem real at all because they're monsters, they don't really exist, making them feel unreal.
"Chew on this, motherfrakkers!"
This is one instance where I wouldn't mind seeing a remake. Maybe one that ACTUALLY FOLLOWS THE STORY!?! Because I read the book and this wasn't it. Oh wait... there was a Golden Retriever. I guess they thought that's all that was needed to remain 'true to the book'. :/
Girls do it better... http://www.sharptattoos.com
Someone in HOLLYWOOD please remake this movie and do the book some justice. The original movie although totally 80's and with Corey Haim to reach the younger audiences of that time needs a remake. Stop redoing the Spiderman-superhero and gives us something with substance. Any Dean Koontz book has it!
Watchers was a great book and the charachters were not teenagers the lead could be someone like Charlie Hunnum from SOA. Give us movies to sink our teeth into again.
yes,we do need this to be remade.loved the book.hated the movie
shareThank you for agreeing. I just read the book again and would love to see it on the big screen!
shareI am so glad that I am not the only one who absolutely LOVED the book, but HATED the movie. The movie was so horribly done that I comepletely put it out of my mind. The only way I'd like to see the book turned into a movie, however, is if the PTB were absolutely faithful (or at least faithful as possible) and followed the book VERY closely. The 1988 movie took the main characters and the plot points and considered that good enough. Too bad so much was changed in the movie because the book has the potential to be AMAZING.
share