Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: the movie

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

20:31 / 06.04.06

check it, fools

"Clarke cited New Line's stewardship of both 'His Dark Materials' and 'The Lord of the Rings' as one of the reasons the studio had an edge in securing the rights."

Atta girl. I hope she becomes fabulously wealthy through this and as a result can sit at home and write books for me forever.

the permuted man

20:44 / 06.04.06

I'm sure I'll go see it. But how will I ever convince studios to make original movies if I keep doing so.

10:04 / 07.04.06

I am sure I will go and see it, but I am already a little depressed at the idea of such a rich reading experience being condensed into a couple of hours of wizards, which I cannot help thinking will be the inevitable result. Some books I would like to remain on an unfilmed pedestal!

10:14 / 07.04.06

My initial thoughts were Brilliant- then I wondered how you turn such a vast novel into just one film- I know there is a 3 volume box set available, but as seperate films they could be a little bitty and boring- I reckon it would make a better mini series- across 6 hours?

Anybody want to speculate on who they would like to see playing the parts?

Strange- David Tennant? Matthew Macfadyen? Ioan Gruffud?

Mr Norrell- Alan Rickman? Tom Baker? Kenneth Branagh? David Threlfall?

Childermass- Maybe a better rickman? Gary Oldman? Jason Issacs?

Our Lady Has Left the Building

06:23 / 08.04.06

I think Mr Norell has to be someone quite dry and restrained and dry and uncharismatic, while Jonathan Strange is quite the opposite, and younger. David Tennant for Strange? I can't remember off the top of my head how old Norell is supposed to be, but you want a Bill Nighy, if not the Bill Nighy.

Kali, Queen of Kitteh

07:24 / 08.04.06

I can't remember the last time that A) I was so out of the loop, and B) I was frankly horrified.

Is there really a need to make a fantastic book a movie at all? Especially when 99% of anyone will ever understand the beauty and poetry of said book?

ONLY NICE THINGS

07:48 / 08.04.06

Well, assuming a global population of around 8,000,000,000,000, the 1% who get it will still be an awful lot of people, and if only one in a hundred of those actually buys a ticket to see it, you're still looking at a tidy sum. Which, incidentally, probably answers your question about why one would make the film in the first place.

08:38 / 08.04.06

I sooo want to ba an extra at one of the faerie balls.

Kali, Queen of Kitteh

13:57 / 08.04.06

Tidy sum or no, I reserve the right to be in the back of the theater, definitely pretending not to enjoy it, but probably doing so on some level.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

07:01 / 09.04.06

I think Mr Norell has to be someone quite dry and restrained and dry and uncharismatic,...

muh-muh-muh-muh-muh-muh-muh-muh-MICHAEL CAINE

It totally works. And Gary Oldman as Childermass could be sweet.

Really, I'm not too worried about the problems adapting an enormous book into a movie that will be at most three hours long. This is the crew that put together Lord of the Rings, after all.

09:12 / 09.04.06

This is the crew that put together Lord of the Rings, after all.

Studio- ie. they finance it- not the same as crew at all- and sadly no guarentee of a quality product. It's probably worth watching to see who gets drafted in to direct before we jump for joy.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

18:24 / 09.04.06

Right-o. Maybe I should've said "set up" rather than "put together". At any rate, I'm optimistic.

Bard: One-Man Humaton Hoedown

02:53 / 10.04.06

I gotta say, the foot notes were half the fun in the book. Like the constant clever asides in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" novels (and radio plays...and television show...which were somewhat incorporated into the movie).

I lament for the footnotes.

the permuted man

13:14 / 13.04.06

I had a Childermaas thought on the commute today: Jean Reno.

Since the same studio doesn't mean much, I'm not too concerned, but I sincerely hope this doesn't end up like another Lord of the Rings. I certainly didn't read this as some drawn out, escapist period piece set to an uninspiring new age soundtrack. Granted, I didn't really like the Lord of the Rings books to begin with (excluding The Hobbit). I just don't want to see them be the mold for every fantasy movie to come. Besides, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a totally different type of fantasy.

Maybe they'll make two versions. I'd love to see Jackson's Lord of the Rings part IV and compare it to a Burton or Gilliam version.

14:05 / 13.04.06

????

Everything after casting Jean Reno...

uncle retrospective

14:23 / 13.04.06

????

Everything after casting Jean Reno...

If you didn't like Lord of the Rings it's easy to see hir point. If Enya crops up on the soundtract to this we should hunt someone down.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

18:49 / 13.04.06

Christopher Hampton is responsible for the screenplay. Has anyone seen Dangerous Liasons? Is it any good?

the permuted man

20:01 / 13.04.06

I haven't seen any of the movies in his Writer credits on IMDB, but there are sure a lot of them that are adapted from novels.

Keith, like a scientist

20:28 / 13.04.06

I don't think anyone's point is New Line = TEH AWESOME cause everything they do from now on will look like LOTR and LOTR was great.

I think it's more New Line = TEH AWESOME because they seem to be geeky enough that staying true to the books and not going cheesy fantasy is important to them to a degree. The people in charge, like Mike Ordesky and Bob Shaye, have proven themselves to be fans of the genre. I think we've all heard the stories of when PJ pitched LOTR to them as a two movie deal, and the first thing Shaye said was "Why in the world would you make two movies of this? It's three books, make three movies!"

They are also doing His Dark Materials, and it's clear that they encouraged that one writer out when he started deviating grandly from the original source with his vision. They've brought new people in. They gives me faith in them.

20:33 / 13.04.06

Dangerous Liasons (a wonderfully over the top period piece about an innocent young woman who ends up the pawn in a sadistic contest between two arch-manipulators) is very good indeed and if you haven't seen it you should hire it out immediately.
I am very encouraged by this news.

20:35 / 13.04.06

I thought everyone over a certain age had seen Dangerous Liasons.

20:40 / 13.04.06

Oh, and The Quiet American is, imho, one of the best films to come out of Hollywood in recent years.
What's wrong with you kids, why aren't you watching this stuff?

22:48 / 13.04.06

I believe the quiet american got a very limited release in the states- pretty much straight to video - its timng was v bad- post 9-11 the studio didn't want to be seen too anti american.

My thoughts are still studio 'schmudio' its the director that counts. They're just teh money men.

And as we know from countless adaptations the script writers may change- i kinda feel like seeing where were at with it in a years time- when they're in production as to whether its gonna be any good or not- at the moment its too early to call.

10:16 / 14.04.06

This is all true.

10:17 / 14.04.06

Boboss is right, how can anyone not have seen DL? Glenn Close, John Malkovitch, Uma Thurman, even Keanu Reeves is in it. I was quite worried until I read that, now I'm insanely looking forward to it. Boboss, we should have a Brighton outing to it (in three years when it comes out).

10:28 / 14.04.06

I like Jean Reno's look and intensity but I don't like that Reno almost certainly can't do a proper Yorkshire accent.

10:32 / 14.04.06

You forgot Michelle Pfeiffer, Q.

Yeah, as long as the press stays positive we should have a big ol' outing.

07:49 / 15.04.06

Steering us back onto topic- I don't see the comparison with LOTR- its a totally different type of book- much less classic fantasy than a period drama with magic.

I can see it being much more like a Dangerous Liasons/ Pride & Prejudice type affair. There are no dragons/ orcs/ goblins- the only battle scenes, although involving magic are based on human armies. I can't even see the worries of an enya-esque sound track- surely any idiot director will treat it with an appropriate score (i kind of see something similar to DL or P&P- simple classical to fit the period).

I realise that at this early stage i could be proved utterly wrong- and we'll end up with some nasty 'Knights Tale'-esque we will rock you thing... shudder..

Who would you like to see direct- my initial thought was Terry Gilliam- before remembering that he hasn't made a good film since 12 Monkeys- and hasn't made a great film since fisher king- i saw The Brothers Grimm last week and it was very shit.

So i'm thinking either one of two routes- someone proven to understand period drama- an Ang Lee or P&P's Joe Wright-a relative newbee I know, but P&P was brilliantly directed. (Donald flipping Sutherland as Mr Norrell- that would be v cool).

Or an uber stylised fantasy director- maybe Jeunet as i worry a bit about Gilliam...

any thoughts?

15:37 / 15.04.06

I like Jean Reno's look and intensity but I don't like that Reno almost certainly can't do a proper Yorkshire accent.

A problem that i can see effecting the casting in general- i was recently involved in something that required an actor with a yorkshire accent- 95% of the actors we saw ( many were household names) were utterly shit at it- so that leaves us Sean Bean and Peter Kaye for Childermass....

16:53 / 15.04.06

Or a newbie. Newline seem to be more than happy to have unknowns or relative unknowns cast in their big franchise movies (I'm thinking of LOTR and the plans for His Dark Materials here).

I'd be cautious about getting an uber stylised fantasy director on board because so often they don't know when to rein it in. The Victorian world of JS&MN needs to feel substantial and real and not like some fantasy playground, otherwise the genuinely unearthly fantasy stuff will be smothered.

Personally I think Jeunet would be awful. I'm not sure I've ever seen him do realistic.

17:55 / 15.04.06

The side of Jeunet i was thinking of was a Very Long Engagement- the most 'real' film i've seen him do- but then i like him very much as a director (Audrey Tautou as Mrs Strange!).

But i think your probably right regarding reining it in- other wise we could be looking at the 'adult Harry Potter' I've often seen it (wrongly) described as. So a Joe Wright or Ang Lee sort then?

Keith, like a scientist

18:11 / 15.04.06

Speaking of Harry Potter, I quite liked Cuaron's take on dark English-ness...would love to see him directing this, possibly.

21:53 / 15.04.06

I liked Cuaron's take too, but I'm not sure how much Englishness was actually present. Harry Potter has two feet firmly planted in the fantastical and fails utterly to present any kind of realistic Britain, so I'd say my personal jury is out on Cuaron's ability to recreate England circa C19 - I'd need to see more of his stuff.

Ang Lee is exactly the kind of director I'm thinking of.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

05:16 / 22.10.06

First draft of screenplay finished.

Apparently the movie is set to go into production next year.

HELLS YEAH

Check out the cast recommendations below the article. Alan Rickman as Vinculus? Really?

18:32 / 23.10.06

My initial reaction was "booo how could they do this it's going to suck," but upon reflection I think it could work. In the best of worlds we'll end up with something like The Princess Bride: The book also had tons of footnotes and commentary (which in my reading was actually the main thrust of the work) but the screenplay stripped all of the metafiction off and still managed to put together an amusing film. I could see a talented team whipping "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" into a decent movie. Especially if Gary Oldman plays Childermass. Really, wasn't the role written for him?