The Golden Compass Sequels May Be Filmed Simultaneously
I have been pleased with the trailers for The Golden Compas. It looks like a fantastic fantasy film and I look forward to seeing it. It appears the film is going to follow in the pattern of The Matrix and film both sequels back to back, on the conditional success of the first picture. We get scoop today from Sci Fi Wire:
Chris Weitz, who wrote and directed the upcoming fantasy film The Golden Compass, told SCI FI Wire that the proposed second and third films in the series will be shot back to back, but that the go-ahead will depend on how the first film does financially. The Golden Compass is based on Northern Lights, the first book in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.
“I think that would be the best way to do it, for certain,” Weitz said in a group interview in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 29. He added: “Once people are familiar with the first book, that puts things on a much better financial grounding, and then, I think, yes, two and three absolutely have a built-in audience.”
This is smart movie making and the most cost effective way to do things. With rumors that The Golden Compass is costing beyond the 200 Million mark - it will have to make a bundle in order to throw the doors open for the sequels to take place. The cast is outstanding, the sets look incredible and I want one of the CGI bears as my friend.
As a fantasy nerd I love every opportunity to see sword and sorcery on the silver screen. The fantasy genre allows you to create everything in the movie. You can have black grass and magenta skies, barfing dwarves and well mannered trolls, the possibilities are only limited by the vision of the author. I am loving what Lord Of The RIngs did for this genre and I hope it continues to bring in the money. I want to see as many CGI dragons as possible before I die.
18 Comments, Comment or Ping
#007#
Making sequals simultaneously is obviously cost effective and time saving, especially for premises that have been defined.
Nov 30th, 2007
Kurt
Smarter would be making these films for $100M or less. 200-frickin’-million dollars. How may produces are padding those numbers and skimming? Oi. To think DARK CITY was made for $27 and The Frighteners for $30M about 10 years ago. That’s nearly a factor of 10 people. Ouch.
If they have to film them back-to-back to bring in the cost TO $200 there is a problem here folks.
Nov 30th, 2007
Kristina
Yeah, this worked SO WELL for the Pirates and Matrix sequels….what high-quality films THOSE were….
Nov 30th, 2007
Kevin C
To be fair, Dark City would have been alot better with some more money in the budget.
Nov 30th, 2007
Kevin C
Thats not to say I dont agree with you. Tighter budgets tend to lead to increased creativity and better films in the end.
There is a middle ground here too though.
Nov 30th, 2007
FilmNerdJamie
To be fair, Chris Weitz said most of how/why the budget went up to $250 million was due to figuring how to pull off the effects. He says it’ll be cheaper to manage them with a tighter budget on the sequels.
Plus, all this talk about THE SUBTLE KNIFE and THE AMBER SPYGLASS being shot at the same time is good and all. But that’s going to depend on how THE GOLDEN COMPASS performs. I for one am going to the sneak preview screening tomorrow night…
Nov 30th, 2007
Stormy70
I have looked forward to this movie since I heard about it. I read the trilogy, and the only movie I will see will be the first one, as the last two books in the trilogy were so boring, I contemplated pulling out my fingernails.
I have heard the Golden Compass is talky and only has one major action sequence (the bear duel), so I will wait until good “word of mouth” reaches me.
I will drag my husband to most dragon movies. I wish Dragonlance was made with live action, instead of the Golden Compass, as that trilogy kicks ass.
Nov 30th, 2007
Alex
I read the book and thought it was fascinating. It had great characters and an interesting premise. I’m really looking forward to the film.
Nov 30th, 2007
calviin
i dunno about the back to back thing. Making sequels close together has not always been the best choice. You end up with the 2nd movie and 3rd movie each feeling like half a movie. So the second isn’t great because it doesn’t feel like it has an ending and the third doesn’t have a beginning and lost audience from the bad second movie.
See also: Matrix
Nov 30th, 2007
doug nagy
True words calvin.
Nov 30th, 2007
bassturd
you shall all burn for seeing this movie!!!!
Nov 30th, 2007
calviin
For anyone confused about what bassturd is exclaiming, let me venture my guess.
Philip Pullman’s wrote the “His Dark Materials” trilogy because he hates Christian tone of “The Chronixcles of Narnia.” See here: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp
So, there is a movement of Christians to boycott the movie, because they expect that after parents take their kids to see the movie, the kids will like the movie, and the parents will buy the book for the kids, not knowing of Philip’s dark and sinister plot to destroy Christianity by affecting the childrens. For most of us, this theory requires a little more suspension of disbelief than watching DragonWars as historically accurate. But to some of the “nuts”, they think that the idea that a kid reading these books will cause them to worship satan. Granted, these are same people who think D&D, videogames and Rock music will also make you worship Satan, so to say that this reaction from this is unexpected would just be foolish. I just hope they don’t campen my good time at the movies.
Dec 1st, 2007
Stormy70
The movie is rated PG-13, so marketing it as a kid’s movie is stupid. If Christians don’t want to see a movie that insults their faith, then more power to them. They have nothing to fear from the books, because the children reading them will be asleep 2/3 into book one, with no need to wake up for the next two books.
Dec 1st, 2007
nbakid2000
Guys, I’m venturing to say that the reason the Matrix sucked in most peoples’ eyes had NOTHING to do with filming simultaneously - it all depends on the script and filmmakers. In fact, there was a huge story in Rolling Stone about Larry Wachowski screwing up the series because he was fixated on his girlfriend and upset at having to be a man on the set of the movies instead of appearing as a woman.
Also, LOTR films were made simultaneously/back-to-back and those turned out well.
I don’t know what everyone’s deal is with this being somehow a BAD thing. It all depends on the script and the people in charge, not the shooting schedule.
Dec 1st, 2007
Matthias777
I’ve not read the books, nor do I intend to see the movie, albeit that’s not because I’m a Christian. It simply didn’t look interesting (to me, that is) to begin with. But I don’t see how anyone could blame someone for refusing to support a franchise whose primary purpose is to undermine their entire system of beliefs. Most people don’t realize that Pullman isn’t merely anti-Christian, but anti-religion. I do find it a bit disheartening that so many of the cast are actors that I think highly of—I find it hard to respect someone quite as much knowing that they’ve worked on a project knowing that the aim of the writer was to maliciously undermine people’s beliefs.
Dec 1st, 2007
nbakid2000
From what I understand, he’s not “anti-relion” he’s anti-Church/religous establishment.
Also, the movie is supposed to take out all the religous stuff and just focus on the adventure aspect. The studio said they intentionally did this as to not offend certain groups.
Dec 1st, 2007
TimD
Hollywood should stop making this trash and shame on the actors for signing up for this. What real role models they are.
This movie is based on a the first book of a trilogy
by atheist Philip Pullman. In the final book a boy and girl kill God so they can do as they please. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview that “My books are about
killing God.”
The movie is a watered down version of the first book and is designed to be very attractive in the hope unsuspecting parents will take their children to see the the movie and that the children will want the books for
Christmas.
Dec 3rd, 2007
sophia
I WANT SEQUILS IF U DONT MAKE SEQUALS I WILL BE MADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
WHO CARES IF ITS ANTI GOD I STILL BELIEVE IN HIM<
Apr 30th, 2008
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