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[Dan]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/28/television.miniseries.reut/index.html

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- NBC and ABC are developing miniseries revolving around the September 11 attacks, using the "9/11 Commission Report" as the blueprint for dramatic retellings of the events that led to the devastating strikes on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

NBC said Wednesday it has cut a deal with "Speed" screenwriter Graham Yost to develop a limited series exploring the circumstances surrounding the attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives and spurred the United States to mount a global war on terrorism.

NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly said the network intended to produce a "seminal" event for network television on par with the 1970s miniseries "Roots" and 1980s nuclear-attack TV movie "The Day After." The project will take at least a year to develop and might not be ready to air until the 2006-07 season, NBC brass said.

ABC, meanwhile, is understood to have been developing a similar concept for the past several months. ABC declined comment on their project Wednesday, but network sources suggested that the timing of NBC's announcement was motivated at least in part by NBC's desire to be the first to unveil plans for a September 11-focused miniseries.

Yost, who also created and executive produced the NBC police drama "Boomtown" and worked on the elaborate HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Band of Brothers," acknowledged that he had taken on a highly ambitious project that would take at least a year to research and develop. Most of the specifics about the project, including the number of hours, narrative approach and how it would be scheduled, have yet to be hammered out.

"I know I'll be crying every day that I work on this," Yost said. "It's an incredibly emotional story and an incredibly compelling story. It's an incredible honor and a responsibility, and I don't take it lightly, but it is one that I am eager to take on."

Yost said he had been thinking about developing a September 11 drama for some time but hesitated because the timing didn't feel right. But when Reilly recently pitched him the idea of using the "9/11 Commission Report" as a foundation for a drama, Yost "jumped at it," he said.

I don't even know what to think.

 

[Guzim]

Are you serious?

 

[belgurdo]

Why be offended? If they can do dramas of school shootings, massive Californian earthquakes, hostage situations, et cetera, then 9/11 gets no free pass either

 

[Late Stage Marxist]

"Don't pick the scabs or you'll never heal."

 

[Sullichin]

I'm not so much offended as I am fucking sick of 9/11.

 

[soundwave05]

They should get Bruckheimer to do a 9/11 movie with Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett and Liv Tyler.

"He's the best damn anti-terrorist operative in the world!"

 

[Dan]

Personally, I'm not offended that it's being done, but more that it's going to end up a big ratings tentpole for a network. I see little chance of it being truly respectful while accurate. Graham Yost has some pretty great stuff under his belt, but he had the support of Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and HBO on previous miniseries. At the same time, when he's handled things largely alone... those projects aren't nearly as good. Shit, he wrote the upcoming movie The Guide that features Halle Berry apparently using psychic powers and computer skills to "help people in trouble disappear." I'm sure that's a winner...

I have no doubt the events could be put on film in a respectable and great way, but I don't see forsee network television being anywhere near the top of the list of mediums for such a project.

 

[border]

You know, it's like some magical statute of limitations expired over the summer.....and all of a sudden the powers that be have decided that it is now safe to exploit the tragedy.

I go to the supermarket -- they are selling Firefighter (brand) Potato Chips! And fucking Firefighter Soda! That's right everybody, if you love America then you had better buy our sub-par products because we give a single digit percentage of the post-tax profits to some firefighter charity for allowing us to use their image and insignias to manipulate you!

Turn on the TV -- there's a firefighter TV show.

Go to the theatre -- firefighter movie(s), coming soon.

Now a miniseries already?

 

[border]

"I know I'll be crying every day that I work on this,"

I laughed out loud when I read this pandering bullshit attempt to try and make himself look sensitive in the midst of his feeding off the still-warm corpses of September 11.

Have I become too cynical?

 

[soundwave05]

I wonder how long it'll be before there's a pro sports team called the "Firefighters".

 

[Dan]

I laughed out loud when I read this pandering bullshit attempt to try and make himself look sensitive in the midst of his feeding off the still-warm corpses of September 11.

Have I become too cynical?

No, I snickered as well, although I suppose I'm extremely cynical as well.

Especially not when right after that the article mentions how he "jumped" at the chance to do the project. Yeah, I'm sure he did, but not out of anything beyond his own best interests.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

NBC and ABC are developing miniseries revolving around the September 11 attacks, using the "9/11 Commission Report" as the blueprint for dramatic retellings of the events that led to the devastating strikes on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Dramatic retellings of the foibles of nameless middlemen in various government agencies. Exciting.

 

[MrAngryFace]

They should make it then show it on pbs

 

[MetatronM]

Dramatic retellings of the foibles of nameless middlemen in various government agencies. Exciting.

Seriously.



"Agent Jack Ryan is the CIA's top operative. But what will he do when his secretary fails to forward an important internal memo regarding terrorist movements and next week's mess hall menu?"

Find out on an all new "Towers of Freedom!"

 

[MrAngryFace]

THERES A BABY STILL IN THE TOWER!

 

[Raven.]

Why be offended? If they can do dramas of school shootings, massive Californian earthquakes, hostage situations, et cetera, then 9/11 gets no free pass either

Cause the report it is based on is a joke, and the families ARE STILL DEMANDING A DECENT INVESTIGATION... Cause pretty much all corporate media has ignored the demands for decency from the victims' families, and still does... and now they praise this MOCKERY?!? Like why were they DENIED ANY INVESTIGATION for like a year, and why did they get this rigged joke... and why did the media remain silent, just like it did with iraq pre-war? My God what mockery they've made of those who've suffered so dearly...(Ignoring inside traders? they don't care who benefited? They don't care where the system failed, who failed us? Ignoring perjury? WHY?)

Someday a true independent investigation will take place... why was this denied in the first place? why?

 

[xexex]

NBC and ABC are developing miniseries revolving around the September 11 attacks, using the "9/11 Commission Report" as the blueprint for dramatic retellings of the events that led to the devastating strikes on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

oh just fucking great, more propaganda. like we need more of it.

 

[Ollie Pooch]

i can just imagine it now, showing the president as decisive 'they've hit us where it hurts - but freedom will march *cue music* *tears* *slow motion, walks out of oval office*

i think it's telling that they spent more money investigating the columbia shuttle disaster than they did 9/11 - and only after much heel-dragging by president bush (and stalling on getting people info - and setting a deadline on the end of the investigation). this will just serve as more bullshit propaganda. and people will lap it up

 

[Duke Juan the Beast]

I'm not so much offended as I am fucking sick of 9/11.

 

[LakeEarth]

Makes no sense. 9/11 already felt like a movie, and tehre's tons of video footage. I think they should make a movie with all the footage they got from random camcorders on that day. They did a couple like that, but they were very documentary like.

 

[Escape Goat]

Makes no sense. 9/11 already felt like a movie, and tehre's tons of video footage. I think they should make a movie with all the footage they got from random camcorders on that day. They did a couple like that, but they were very documentary like.

Theres already one out that one of the TV broadcasters made, I think it may have been CBS. It got rented quite a bit at the Blockbuster I worked at.

 

[FightyF]

Usually special fx for these TV movies suck. It's gonna make a real tragic event look cheesy (some guy on the 87th floor sees a plane flying towards it, runs away and jumps to a corny looking lame ass bluescreen explosion behind him).

 

[Socreges]

You know what I realized the other day:

My name originated from a clan in Scotland. Their motto, which is strongly attached to the name itself, is Ne Oublie. Translated, that means... Never Forget.

 

[Shinobi]

THERES A BABY STILL IN THE TOWER!

:lol

If they're gonna do this, do it right. Make it a big budget, R rated affair, showing every single element of gore that was reported (arms, limbs, streets slick with blood). The only way a TV movie could do those scenes justice is if it was made for HBO.

As for the 9/11 report being unsatisfactory to many, I can't say I'm surprised. Same thing happened with TWA #800...some 80 people say it got hit with a missle, but that went ignored in favour of some fuel tank spark. How that story got buried by virtually EVERYONE is beyond me...it's almost as if they were prepping for the last few years.