H2G2 Teaser

Da_Goat · Post by **Da_Goat** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 5:35 pm

http://hitchhikermovie.free.fr/pages/tr ... nload.html

diri · Post by **diri** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 7:23 pm

copy/paste from the posts I made on GH.
=====================================
a great self-interview from the movie screenwriter, Karey Kirkpatrick. , who apparently is working on a draft written by Douglas himself.
http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/hitchb ... rview.html
very interesting passages are, imo:

a) Talking about the search for a new movie director:

But what followed was an interesting process because several names were bandied about and I even met with one of them (and we’re talking A list directors here). And the general sentiment from all of them was “No thank you, I don’t want to be known as the guy who screwed this one up.”

b) and when they find em:

But Jay gave the script to Spike Jonze and Spike said he couldn’t do it but he knew the perfect guys and he suggested Hammer and Tongs. And when I got the call that I was to have a conference call with said Hammer and said Tong, I asked the question everyone seems to be asking – “Who are they and what have they done?” Needless to say, it wasn’t of much comfort to find out they had never directed a feature.

and then:

Let me just say of my experience with Hammer and Tongs that not since working with Nick Park and Peter Lord at Aardman have I worked with someone with more creative spark and inspiration.

c) And then:

Arthur, Ford, Trillian, Zaphod, Marvin, Eddie, Vogons, Slartibartfast, Deep Thought, Lunkwill & Fook, the mice, whales, petunias, dolphins, 42, even Gag Halfrunt; all present and accounted for.

W00T!!!!

d)

In my head, he [Jay Roach, the first guy who was put as director, but who then quit...too much stress...] watches it weekly) he thought “hey that writer seemed to create a feature film that worked as a big studio movie while still keeping an existing and uniquely British sensibility.” (I was an avid Monty Python fan growing up, one of those guys who quoted Holy Grail to the annoyance of all my friends, except of course for those friends with whom I was quoting Monty Python).

what does that mean? none of this yankee bullshit, ruining movies with their attitudes. go go Brits!

e) coo.

Never before have I been involved with a project where everyone seems to be aiming for a higher cause, which is great because it means egos get checked at the door.

. I love the passage about Vogon poetry and the Azgoths of Kria and how, during a recitation of a poem from Grunthos the Flatulent, four of his audience died of internal hemorrhaging, and the President of the Mid-Galactic Arts Nobbling Council survived by gnawing one of his own legs off. That just cracks me up every time I read it (and as of this date, it’s still in the movie)

May I say, F*cking Fantastic?

. I was going to watch the TV show, but Jay suggested that I not do that, just so that I wouldn’t have any of those images in my head. The idea was to try to create something rather than re-create (and I don’t think we have the rights to any new material created specifically for the TV show, so for that reason, I never watched it. Do you hear me BBC? I NEVER WATCHED THE TV SERIES).

Bless you!

seriously, this thing is looking way good.
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the link to the above self-interview is http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/hitchb ... rview.html ..

Now, the directors.
Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith form the team "Hammer & Tongs". So, these two are the ones directing HHGTG.
But, Houston, we have a problem. This is the first movie these guys have ever directed. Like, EVER. :?
So far they've only done music videos, http://www.bogodir.com/Director/Hammer,+Tongs/ .

But, it cant be so bad. First of all, as you read above, Spike Jonze believes in these guys to be a great choice for the movie. and remember, that even Spike himself used to be a music video director, with his first movie being the excellent Being John Malkovich. so, its not impossible. Also, they have the blessing of Jay Roach, the guy who was the first director.

Read these discussions on IMDB about the guys. most of the posts are brimming with great details and info.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1134029/board/nest/7977620 <-- best one.
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Cast

Okay, here we go with the shivers. I think Im about to have an orgasm, but lets see if I can hold it till I'm done with this post.

a) Zaphod Beeblebrox is Sam Rockwell! dont know who that is? This guy right here:

AWESOME!

in an interview, the two directors wrote:MJ: I know a lot of people feel Sam Rockwell is a great choice for Zaphod.

Garth: “Sam is an extraordinary fella. He’s the only man I know who can go from a high karate kick, straight into the splits without pulling a muscle and still look cool! He really took to Zaphod like a duck to water and his determination to ‘get it right’ is more than I could hope for. I would imagine it’s a bad idea to let him have an espresso before work unless we have a re-enforced set but other than that I think he’s going to be excellent.”

b) Arthur Dent is Martin Freeman!

No clue who this guy is, but he's Brittish, so it cant be a total disaster!

from an interview with the directors:

MJ: Can we start off by discussing the cast members who have so far been officially confirmed? Why did you pick Martin Freeman for the role of Arthur?

Garth: “Arthur Dent had to be Martin really. Martin screen-tested for the role many months ago now. Robbie saw the tape along with us and it was the kind of tape you hope you’re going to have but very rarely do, when someone just comes in and nails it.”

Nick: “One of the things that got us very excited was that Martin managed to make the lines written by Douglas really work, really sound like his own. He did it in a very throwaway way which made it incredibly funny. It made the lines come to life in a new way.”

Garth: “He has just been extraordinary. He has reinvented it so it’s still Arthur but it’s a very new, fresh take on it. As you’ve seen in The Office, he can make even the most preposterous situations real and have real heart. He’s just so natural and wonderful. To see Martin struggling with hitchhiking through the universe is going to be the most lovely thing to watch.”

c) Slartibartfast is Bill Nighy:

He's got the look, all right!

d) Ford Prefect is Mos Def!

this is one of the guy's from The Italian Job! Thumbs up!

MJ: What about the unusual choice of Mos Def as Ford?

Garth: “Well, you can’t get more of a contrast than between Martin Freeman and Mos Def. He’s just marvellous, a fabulous bloke. You wait till you meet him, you’ll love him. He’s perfect for Ford. We didn’t know much about Mos before we went to meet him; since meeting him and investigating everything he’s done, it was almost no question – it had to be him.”

MJ: Can you just allay the fears of some people that, although Mos Def is a rap artist, he won’t be playing a hip-hop Ford?

Garth: “No, I think that would be the most appalling thing ever in the history of the world. To be fair, I didn’t know much about Mos Def before I met him and didn’t think that he was going to be right. But that’s why I say, when you meet him, he’s the most wonderful actor first and foremost but he’s also incredibly funny, incredibly clever. He just fits the brief in a most unexpected way really.”

e) Marvin, the Paranoid Android is Warwick Davis!

f) Trillian is Zooey Deschanel!

Yeah, baby! thats what I'm talking about!

e) Mr.Prosser is Steve Pemberton!

*chuckles*

f) WHOA! Humma Kavula is John Malkovich!

GOGOGOOGOGOGO!

Seriously, I dont think it can get any better than this.

diri · Post by **diri** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 7:29 pm

wtf is going on. your board is destroying all " and ' ....
anyways, read the stuff here. http://www.gamehippo.com/phpBB2/viewtop ... 0&start=15 . one of the few threads on gh not hijacked by spam. yet.

John The Ax · Post by **John The Ax** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 2:37 pm

Nice. I'll have to watch this. Looking forward to the movies, can't be much worse than the BBC versions.

Post by **Dogbreath** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 3:23 pm

Almost all of them are perfect fits... but in the book Zaphod is black and Prefect is white, why'd they switch the two?

diri · Post by **diri** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 4:46 pm

I didnt realise Zaphod was black? and still, Sam Rockwell will be an eccentric Zaphod, just like he should be.

Post by **Dogbreath** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 4:49 pm

Yeah, it doesn't matter much... just wanted to know if there was a specific reason.

diri · Post by **diri** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 7:12 pm

Marvin the Paranoid Android should be a wicked sight to see in the movie. that guy is prolly going to be damn good at it.

"Life," said Marvin dolefully, "loathe it or ignore it, you can't
like it."

It seemed somehow unnaturally dark and silent, even for a ship
whose two-man crew was at that moment lying asphyxicated in a
smoke-filled chamber several miles beneath the ground. It is one
of those curious things that is impossible to explain or define,
but one can sense when a ship is completely dead.

Ford could sense it and found it most mysterious - a ship and two
policemen seemed to have gone spontaneously dead. In his
experience the Universe simply didn't work like that.

The other three could sense it too, but they could sense the
bitter cold even more and hurried back into the Heart of Gold
suffering from an acute attack of no curiosity.

Ford stayed, and went to examine the Blagulon ship. As he walked,
he nearly tripped over an inert steel figure lying face down in
the cold dust.

"Marvin!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"Don't feel you have to take any notice of me, please," came a
muffled drone.

"But how are you, metalman?" said Ford.

"Very depressed."

"What's up?"

"I don't know," said Marvin, "I've never been there."

"Why," said Ford squatting down beside him and shivering, "are
you lying face down in the dust?"

"It's a very effective way of being wretched," said Marvin.
"Don't pretend you want to talk to me, I know you hate me."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do, everybody does. It's part of the shape of the
Universe. I only have to talk to somebody and they begin to hate
me. Even robots hate me. If you just ignore me I expect I shall
probably go away."

He jacked himself up to his feet and stood resolutely facing the
opposite direction.

"That ship hated me," he said dejectedly, indicating the
policecraft.

"That ship?" said Ford in sudden excitement. "What happened to
it? Do you know?"

"It hated me because I talked to it."

"You talked to it?" exclaimed Ford. "What do you mean you talked
to it?"

"Simple. I got very bored and depressed, so I went and plugged
myself in to its external computer feed. I talked to the computer
at great length and explained my view of the Universe to it,"
said Marvin.

"And what happened?" pressed Ford.

"It committed suicide," said Marvin and stalked off back to the
Heart of Gold.

awesome stuff.