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[Lucky Forward]

http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/sfnews2/04_sept/news0904_9.shtml

In news fit to set Steven Spielberg's hair on end, Pendragon Pictures has just announced the completion of principal photography on their take of H.G. Wells' The War Of The Worlds. Set in Wells' intended turn-of-the-century English locale, the movie is the world's first authentic adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic 1898 novel.

The live-action production, lensed in complete security under the cover title The Great Boer War, taking two and a half months to complete on location in England and the Pacific Northwest. The picture wrapped almost three years to the date when Pendragon's original updated version of War Of The Worlds was shut down due to the events of September 11th.

Director Timothy Hines reflected to the 'Nest, "We never stopped really. After an initial two-week hiatus, we saw the light in adapting a dead-on accurate version of The War Of The Worlds from the original source material, thanks to the influence and advice of people such as Charles Keller, the director of the H.G. Wells Society and tens of thousands of fans who wrote us."

Concerning the announced Spielberg/Cruise production, Timothy Hines is philosophical, "We communicated with the principals at Paramount before 9/11. They acknowledged in writing through their attorneys that we can make our picture. At that time an Executive producer on Dreamworks' The Time Machine invited us to his home in Las Vegas, where he informed us that Tom Cruise had aspirations to make the picture. They essentially all told us to go away. Since then, many friends and allies of Tom Cruise have communicated to us the same sentiment.

"Now that they have announced that they are doing a modern version, I think there's room for both our productions to exist. What they are doing sounds interesting. From what I understand, they are changing the story dramatically, whereas we have point-by-point recreated the book for the screen. Our production of The War Of The Worlds is set at the turn-of-the-century. We're almost a back story to their version, sort of like a prequel."

Pendragon Pictures expects a spring 2005 release for H.G. Wells' The War Of The Worlds, however the exact date will be announced by Pendragon's distributor at MIPCOM this October.

 

[Prospero]

This could have the cult appeal that the Spielberg version won't. The production design seems decent if not spectacular. With unknown actors it'll live or die by its screenplay, though.

 

[Patrick Klepek]

wow, principal photography is already done? i didn't even know it had started.

 

[Prospero]

This isn't the Spielberg production we all knew about. It's another one, apparently shot under Return of the Jedi-type secrecy.

 

[Patrick Klepek]

oh, damn. that totally flew over my head.

 

[distantmantra]

My cousin is friends with the guys at Pendragon Films, he supplied them with some airsoft weapons for props. He's been talking about this movie for a while, but I never really gave it much thought.

 

[open_mouth_]

damn, I thought this was the Spielberg one that I mistakenly thought would be the one doing a close adaptation of the book Anyhow, I'm looking forward to both of these versions because I loved the book and kept visualizing each and every scene in my head as if it were a movie to begin with.

As for Spielberg's version (with Tom Cruise?), even though they're updating the setting to present day from what I hear, it should be very cool cause that blockbuster combo didn't dissapoint in Minority Report.