Rendezvous with Rama

[Galactus]

"Rama" Film Still In The Works
By Garth Franklin
Thursday August 23rd 2007 12:04am
Morgan Freeman says that despite all the long delays, his planned adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's legendary sci-fi novel "Rendezvous with Rama" is still in the works reports MTV.

Freeman says "It’s a very intellectual science fiction film, a very difficult book to translate cinematically. [At least] we have found it very difficult to translate, to get ready for film...But it’s worth doing. We’re still at it."

The story follows investigation of a thirty-mile-long alien spaceship with mysterious origins that has been set adrift in our Solar System by an unknown intelligence.

Freeman says "I play the captain of the spaceship Endeavor that is charged with rendezvousing with this thing from outer space to find out what it is [and] what its intentions are."

David Fincher ("Se7en," "Fight Club") remains attached to direct.

 

[AhabTheArab]

good christ no. please do not do this. one of, if not the greatest, sci fi book ever written, CAN NOT BE TRANSLATED ONTO FILM.

 

[Kent]

That's what they said about Lord of the Rings. Personally, I'm very much looking forward to this... if it turns out bad, then so be it... I'll still have the novel.

 

[AhabTheArab]

the size will be the hardest part to really capture. the special effects could all be close up shots and what not, this movie better be at least 2 and a half hours, but the size of the ship itself, will not deliver.

 

[green]

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/13/david-finchers-rendezvous-with-rama-officially-dead/

David Fincher's Rendezvous with Rama Officially Dead
October 13, 2008
by Alex Billington


I really don't think we'll ever see this adaptation get out of production hell. Our San Francisco correspondent Marco Cerritos caught up with David Fincher over the weekend at another Benjamin Button presentation. While his interview will be published in a few days, we were anxious to find out any updates on his Rendezvous with Rama project. As a recap, "Rendezvous with Rama" is a book written by sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke that has been on the production slate for years. David Fincher was the most recent director attached, which meant there was a potential that one of my very favorite directors would tackle a highly praised sci-fi epic. Unfortunately the project is officially dead in the water… again.

Fincher told Marco that, "It looks like it's not going to happen. There's no script and as you know, [Morgan Freeman's] not in the best of health right now. We've been trying to do it but it's probably not going to happen." Freeman has actually been the frontrunner on this adaptation from the start. He first took an interest back in 2000 and has been trying to get funding ever since. As everyone most likely knows, he was hurt in a car crash back in August. In an update from Freeman last year, he confessed that "it's a very intellectual science fiction film, a very difficult book to translate cinematically." And while Fincher said he was attached, he now confirms that a script never came together and that it's officially dead.

This is quite unfortunate news for those, like me, who were excited to see David Fincher finally explore the sci-fi genre again (after Alien 3). The book surrounds a 30-mile long hollow cylindrical alien spaceship that is found in our solar system and the crew that is sent to investigate this "thing from outer space to find out what it is [and] what its intentions are." Sounds like an awesome concept and I wish it could've made it to the big screen. But considering this has stuck in the development stage for over eight years, I'm not sure we'll ever see it make its way out of production hell. There are really only a few directors out there that I think could handle something like this anyway. If not Fincher, then who else?

Darn.

 

[:eek:]

Morgan Freeman, David Fincher Still Planning A 'Rendezvous With Rama'

Posted 10/11/10 5:40 pm ET by Tom DiChiara in Interviews, News, Video


Morgan Freeman has wanted to bring an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's classic 1972 sci-fi novel "Rendezvous With Rama" to the big screen for the better part of a decade-and-a-half. But despite having David Fincher attached to direct back in 2007, the project -- which tells of a group of human explorers trying to unlock the mysteries of an alien vessel that enters the Earth's atmosphere -- has never taken off.
When MTV News chatted with Freeman at the junket for the action-comedy "Red," we asked the acting legend whether the spaceship has sailed on this particular "Rendezvous." He responded by uttering the word "no" about 37 times in a row. Care to elaborate, Mr. Freeman?

"We're still pushing for 'Rendezvous With Rama,'" he said. "That's a got-to-be-done movie. Just have to figure out how to do it. I've been trying for -- I don't know -- 15 years now to get a script. You would think it was easier than it is. It's not; it's really hard."
Freeman's not the only one still looking to adapt the book into a feature film. "Fincher is still part of the conversation," he assured us. "It's a hard nut to crack, but once it's cracked it could become something."
Freeman envisions that "something" as an "Avatar"-esque 3-D epic. "Now that we've got James Cameron who's done 'Avatar,' we know exactly what genre it has to be," he said. "It has to be done in 3-D. Absolutely has to be done in 3-D."

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Really, really, really, really awesome book. And Fincher would be THE man to make the film. And the space vessel in the story is so absurdly big that 3-D would definately add alot to the movie.

 

[:eek:]

20,000 Leagues Will be David Fincher's First 3D Film

Source: Collider
December 31, 2010


Steve "Frosty" Weintraub at Collider had a rare chance to sit down with filmmaker David Fincher this week to talk about the DVD and Blu-ray release of his acclaimed Facebook drama The Social Network. While most of the interview focused on the movie and Fincher's techniques as a filmmaker, he did learn that Fincher is already planning to shoot his version of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for Disney using 3D technology.

The director wouldn't commit to that being his next project as he'll still be working on his adaptation of Stieg Larsson's bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for the next year. He also doubts he'll be jumping right into an English version of the second book The Girl Who Played with Fire, because they still need to write a script and it will depend on how well the first movie does and whether Daniel Craig is pulled away to play James Bond in the 23rd installment of that franchise.

In the interview, Fincher also briefly mentions the long-in-development adaptation of Rendezvous with Rama that he hopes to do with his Se7en star Morgan Freeman:

"It’s a question of things lining up, I mean, you know Rendezvous With Rama is a great story that has an amazing role for Morgan Freeman who is an amazing actor and would be amazing in this thing. The question was can we get a script that’s worthy of Morgan and can we get a script that is worthy of Arthur Clark and can we do all of that in an envelope that will allow the movie to take the kinds of chances that it wants to take. ‘Cuz we want to make a movie where kids go out of the theatre and instead of buying an action figure they buy a telescope.

He also briefly mentions the potential of directing The Reincarnation of Peter Proud, a script that he really likes.

You can check out the full interview over on Collider.




​

 

[OtherwiseKnownAs]

Denis Villeneuve to Direct Rendezvous with Rama Sci-Fi Movie – The Hollywood Reporter

After tackling Frank Herbert’s speculative classic Dune, Denis Villeneuve is set to direct an adaption of another sci-fi story from genre staple Arthur C. Clarke.

Villeneuve will helm Rendezvous with Ramafor Alcon Entertainment, which worked with the director on the Hugh Jackman- and Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer Prisoners and Blade Runner: 2049. Along with Alcon co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosov, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreery will produce via their Revelations Entertainment banner, with Freeman having previously held the rights to the 1973 novel.

 

[The Shape]

I'm sure it will be cool, but I really don't want Villeneuve to be pigeon-holed as a sci-fi/alien movie director.

 

[gohei_]

Whaaaa I frelling love this book, and Villeneuve is a good a choice as anyone to tackle this.
I am totally onboard. Just please, for the love of god, make sure to not de-mystify the ship and it's creators. I loved the fact that there were so many questions left unanswered at the end.

 

[antsman41]

I'm sure it will be cool, but I really don't want Villeneuve to be pigeon-holed as a sci-fi/alien movie director.

Dune and Arrival are very different… as this also will be. We have nothing to worry about.

 

[Filmfreak]

I'm really interested about this too but he's beginning to have too many projects on hold. He's doing Dune: Part 2, has expressed interest in Messiah as well and is supposed to direct the pilot of Sisterhood, while also attached to The Son limited series for HBO, that Cleopatra film and now this.

 

[Asr]

Will definitely be interested to see this, I'm sure Villeneuve will do it justice!

There was a PC game made about this story that came out in the 90s developed & published by Sierra. Never got to play the game but heard a lot about it. There's a playthrough of it here:

 

[samsnee]

Wow. This movie has been in development hell forever. I remember reading about it since the 90s.

 

[samsnee]

I'm sure it will be cool, but I really don't want Villeneuve to be pigeon-holed as a sci-fi/alien movie director.

Agreed. Would love to see another Sicario type movie out of him.

 

[:eek:]

Denis Villeneuve Will Adapt Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama (superherohype.com)

 

[Man in the Suit]

 

[Web-Head]

Sounds right up Denis' ally so I'm looking forward to this

 

[Albright]

still with Morgan Freenan?

 

[:eek:]

Maybe or maybe not related to this project

"Dune" Duo Planning Another Sci-Fi Film? - Dark Horizons

Screenwriter Eric Roth has one hell of a resume over the years – “Forrest Gump,” “The Insider,” “Ali,” “Munich,” “The Postman,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Good Shepherd” and more. More recently he’s been teaming with celebrated directors – the one and only Martin Scorsese on...

www.darkhorizons.com