The last big budget blockbuster that wasn't based on an earlier property

[MagicPrime]

I would have to agree with Cloverfield.

 

[StrainedEyes]

The last one that I remember was "Independence Day", but I'm sure there have been some since then. I just can't think of any.

I believe Independence Day was based on a coffee table book about toy ray guns.

 

[WorthyStevens]

Cloverfield didn't have a big budget.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

But it made a sh** ton of money.

 

[MagicPrime]

But it made a sh** ton of money.

QFT

 

[Shifty]

National Treasure or The Island?

The Island isn't a blockbuster.

And is so similiar to a novel The Experiment about an island that houses clones for the rich/powerful.

I believe Independence Day was based on a coffee table book about toy ray guns.

Yes it was, forgot. Plus its similiar to War of the Worlds where they are defeated by a virus but of course a computer one.

 

[WorthyStevens]

But it made a sh** ton of money.

No doubting that, but the topic is about big-budget movies, of which Cloverfield was only made for $25 million.

It is a blockbuster, though.

 

[The Kid]

Enchanted, I guess.

Though i'd argue the star wars prequels weren't based on or connected in any way to any preceding films.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Enchanted, I guess.

Though i'd argue the star wars prequels weren't based on or connected in any way to any preceding films.

There were some Star Wars films made in the late 70's and early 80's. Three I believe.

 

[Electrix]

It seems FOX have realised this:

In addition to Shazam! and The Nines, the other project that’s been keeping me busy for the past few months is a new deal over at 20th Century Fox, in which a group of 12 screenwriters will be getting first-dollar gross and a range of creative rights on their scripts. It was just announced.

The twelve writers (some of whom are teams) are:

* Michael Arndt (“Little Miss Sunshine&#8221
* Me (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Go&#8221
* Stuart Beattie (“Collateral&#8221
* Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio (“Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Shrek&#8221
* Derek Haas & Michael Brandt (“3:10 to Yuma&#8221
* Tim Herlihy (“The Wedding Singer,” “Happy Gilmore&#8221
* Simon Kinberg (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “X-Men: The Last Stand&#8221
* Craig Mazin (“Scary Movie 3 and 4&#8221, and
* Marianne & Cormac Wibberley (“National Treasure,” “National Treasure 2&#8243

The deal isn’t unprecedented. Producer John Wells put together group of screenwriters who made a similar deal at Warner Bros. earlier this year. We followed the trail they blazed, and we’re indebted. What’s different about our situation is that we’re not a production company. There’s no one “in charge,” and we’re not sharing profits among us. We’re nine writers (or teams) making the same deal.

And what is the deal? Here’s the short version.

We’re each committing to writing an original (i.e. not an adaptation) for Fox — our next original script, in fact. For it, we’ll take a greatly reduced upfront fee, in exchange for our full quotes plus first-dollar gross when the movie gets made. If the movie get made — that’s the gamble the writers are taking.

Helping to ameliorate that risk, we are producers on our projects, and can’t be rewritten except in fairly narrow circumstances. We consult on the major creative decisions (like director, stars, other producers). Lastly, if the project isn’t getting a greenlight, we have the ability to take it back in a timely fashion.

Read the rest here:
http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/the-big-fox-deal#footnote-link-5-821

 

[Galactus]

Ratatouille?