Caffeinated Clint
Jon Spaihts, co-writer of 2012’s most talked-about science-fiction film “Prometheus”, is returning to space for “The Black Hole”, a reinvention of Disney’s early VHS favourite which “Oblivion” director Joseph Kosinski is slapping his own stamp upon.
Personally, I think these two are a great match, and having loved Kosinski’s “TRON Legacy” – and looking forward to seeing “Oblivion” in all it’s IMAXy glory – I’m positive it’s going to be a spectacular-spectacular for the ears and eyes.
Now, I don’t remember the original “Black Hole” (1979) much, only that it was a popular little title at the video store. It was also, according to historians, the most expensive movie ever made back in the day.
The film starred then A-listers Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, and Ernest Borgnine in a tale of “a group of space explorers aboard the USS Palomino who come across a lost ship, the USS Cygnus, hovering outside a black hole. Inside the Cygnus, the explorers meet a scientist commanding an army of faceless robots, who explains that his crew deserted him as he planned to go through the black hole. The explorers soon discover that the robots are the remnants of the former crew and that the scientist has no intention of letting them leave”, according to THR. (And just hearing the synopsis again makes me want to dig up the DVD… I know it’s here somewhere).
“The Black Hole” has been on the drawing board at Disney for some time. In 2009, Travis Beachman was on writing duties; his libretto seemingly sucked because it wasn’t long before Disney announced they’d be moving on from the project – making another Pixar thing, or something.
Spaihts script is shaping up to be bigger, more epic, and quite darker – why is it I think ‘Nolan Batman’, when I hear that word ‘Darker’, I mean it’s not like he and it were the start of all things moody in cinema – than the original film.
I’ll know after this week, at which time I’ll have seen “Oblivion”, whether or not I really, really care for this project or not. I’m guessing I will.
