A Christmas Carol opens here in the U.S. on November 6, and the new David Copperfield feature film is still somewhere in the early stages of production. Next in line, says ScreenDaily.com, is Great Expectations:
[Stephen] Woolley, a co-founder of Number 9 Films whose credits include Interview With A Vampire,
brought the project to Optimum. He is promising a dark and Gothic
version of the Dickens classic that will have elements of “suspense and
terror”.
That could work, I think -- if they don't overdo it. No Estella biting Pip on the neck, please and thank you.
What do you think?
Unfortunately, it sounds like they plan on overdoing it, a la BBC's new Wuthering Heights. I have "low expectations" for it, lol. ;)
Posted by: Nibs | August 27, 2009 at 01:56 PM
How the heck are they gonna do this in two hours? That's what bugs me about the big-screen adaptations. They have to seriously whack the plot in order to make it work at the box office, i.e., make it 'fit' for the masses. All in all, I tend to prefer the BBC mini-series formats for these great books. Just my two cents though.
Posted by: Christopher Harris | August 27, 2009 at 03:32 PM
Oh, and a great pun, Nibs! ;-)
Posted by: Christopher Harris | August 27, 2009 at 03:32 PM
It is a Gothic sort of story, so it might work.
Posted by: Christy | August 27, 2009 at 03:35 PM
I agree with an Christopher Harris's view that the television mini-series is a better way to go with Dickens, whose books originally came out in serial form. There have been some splendid ones over the years. Bleak House, starring Gillian Anderson and Charles Dance, made a couple of years ago for Masterpiece Theater, was extraordinary.
Posted by: Tim Guirl | August 28, 2009 at 01:08 AM
Hm, well, Great Expectations does have the advantage of not having many main characters or a very complex plot--in comparison with other Dickens works--I, too, would hope that they don't overdo the "terror", though. It's definitely scary/eerie enough without increasing it.
Posted by: Marian | August 28, 2009 at 03:09 PM
Hey Gina, I was wondering if you can inquire about news on DC at the VelvetOctopus site? Supposedly you can ask for more information, but I've e-mailed twice and got no response. I think you might have more influence as the owner of THE Dickensblog than a umble student like myself. ;)
Posted by: Nibs | August 29, 2009 at 10:34 PM
I don't know whether they're any likelier to answer me, but I can try. Is there anything specific you'd like to know?
Posted by: Gina | August 30, 2009 at 06:40 AM
I asked just for "more information", but I'd like to know release dates and a cast list in particular!
Posted by: Nibs | August 30, 2009 at 06:48 AM
They might not even have release dates at this stage of the game. But I can try to find out if they have any idea at all when it might come out.
Posted by: Gina | August 30, 2009 at 07:06 AM