Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
 

Look!!!

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is coming out!!!
WOOO HOOO!!!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371724/

I think that these two should be switched tho.
Mos Def .... Ford Prefect
Sam Rockwell .... Zaphod Beeblebrox

I just never pictured Ford being black...

And always saw Zaphod as darker skinned.

I dunno, I am so excited tho!

2005 is still a long way away, ack ack ack

Sam Rockwell .... Zaphod Beeblebrox

That is FUCKING PERFECT casting.

Here's hoping they don't fuck it up... The books, the radio dramas even the TV series are all top notch classics...

I second that...I have a bad feeling about it, though...bleah.

yea too many incidences where the movie just doesnt add up

I am a huge fan of Mos Def. Everything he does is gold. Except Brown SUgar. He shouldn't have been in that.

I think Warwick Davis as Marvin will be spectacular. I loved this book, I've never seen the PBS series, don't suppose anyone knows where i could get it?


P.S. I think Mos Def will do super as Ford Prefect, I feel like he's got an attitude that just...fits.

mmm im between the second and third books...

great books...
hope the movie is good...

Hmm, I always imagined Ford as being white and Zaphod as being Black.

Well shows what I know. I can't remember; is Doug Adams alive or dead?

He just recently died (like 2001 or 2002). It is pretty sad, he was such a fun author, and he left the series in such a dismal place. He was going to write a fifth book and was part way through it before he passed away.

..."So Long, and thanks for all the fish"...

Does this help you about getting it on dvd? :)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...232302-3228654

One of the things mentioned in a slashdot (?) discussion from a while back was that each version of this series was different for the medium used (i.e. the radio version is different from the books, which is different from the tv series). Either way I agree that we won't really know how good/bad this will be until we see it.

I'll second that. I love Rockwell's work.

This could either be really awesome or it could really suck.

Maybe you mean a sixth book? Number 5.

Anyway, the series should stand at the original trilogy. If you want more Adams, read the Dirk Gently books.

Yeah, he did write the fifth book, Mostly Harmless.

Although it's known as a trilogy in five parts, it really should be a trilogy in three parts, as Kadath said. I only read the fourth and fifth books in the series for the sake of completeness, I consider them vastly less imaginative than the first three, although just as well written.

edit: Martin Freeman will be a great Arthur Dent too. He is better known to limeys as Tim from The Office.

By the way... the TV series was on PBS but not made for PBS. It was a BBC series.

/stops being picky

I'm worried that they'll screw this up, like they do with every movie they make from a great book....

....except for Forrest Gump.. that was a great movie from a shitty book....

My fears exactly.. While I'd love to see it on the big screen, it takes away from some of the magic that made the books so good... The characters are no longer as dynamic because their appearances are defined and unchanged... But thats another discussion entirely...

Heres hoping that it does blow chunks.

Problem with making a movie like this is that no matter how technology increases, some things simply cannot be recreated with special effects. I'm sure they'll make the sudden creation of a fully grown whale hurtling towards the earth look impressive, but I doubt it will ever match the image in my head the book created.
Don't even want to think what the Bistromath would look like, if they ever got that far.
Then again, Tim from The Office, = perfect casting

Yea, I completely agree with that.

From a link on Fark I read John Malkovich has been added to the cast of THGTTG.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertain...lm/3634295.stm

I haven't read these books, or seen the televised programs about them, so I don't have any preconceived notions about what is good or bad about the casting.
I've heard a lot of people raving about how great the books are, and I will read them, but I'll wait 'til after the movie so I don't go into it with any prejudices built up.

I hope this turns out well.

The first two were definitely the best of the series, IMO.

Very interesting. I remember reading in my book that Doug Adams planned to make it into a film. Boy I whipped through that book faster than any I had before.

One of the funniest series of books ever written.
If any of you need a fix of the series without reading the books again, get the radio play! That was the original form of HHG, and it's just plain great and really really really funny. It comes in 2 sets of 4 cds each, I think.

You have to discover these gems via the book first, and then the radio play. Then seek out the TV shows.

I can't wait for the movie, either, although I hadn't banked on a black Ford Prefect. Still....I keep an open mind!

The radio was the original. I remember listening to it in bed as a young teenager when it was originally broadcast on Radio 4 a long long time ago.

Praying they don't fuck it up. Can't wait to see it.

LOve all of the books I think i read them all ... 3 right?

My favorite books a movie starring my favorite rapper? this must be a sign..

and Sam is perfect to play crazy Zaphod!!!!!

after suffering through that mostly awful film once in the theatre, that makes me curious how the book is.

I've was feeling pretty mixed about this. Then I read a posting by the scripwriter who picked up the project after Douglas Adams died: HHGG Interview with Myself. It certainly seems like his heart is in the right place. Now we just have to trust the directors.

Key quote:

I've got/read the books. Now I've got the tv series on DVD. It's a classic.

is the 1981 version of the movie good?

First picture I've seen from the new movie. Are there others?

http://www.afx.uni.cc/hhgttg.jpg

As everyone else said.. I so hope they don't screw this up...

In a word?

No.

I don't care if it turns out to be the worst movie ever made, I'm still going to see it.
I love that book series, and I'm pretty sure that Ford was supposed to be white, but it's a movie so they're gonna take casting liberties, I wanna see how they work with Zaphod's two heads.

I cant wait for this movie. I've seen the BBC version, it wasn't bad, it was just too British.

HAHAHA, it's his towel :)

Does it start off in America?

SIGH

There was something delightfully British about Arthur Dent. I just can't picture him with a Yankee nasal accent.


Mr Mephisto

I'm pretty sure it's British/has british Arthur... it's the cool guy from the Office :)

Links are on me.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/

this has probably already been posted under another thread, but there's a fairly new trailer out there...

http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/main.html

click on the Larger Trailers link to get a better view...

HA! The last post (the one with the good trailer) was post number 42!!

Well, I'm going to break that nice and tidy situation, and ask:

Since the new trailer has come out, what are people's thoughts now?

I am pleasantly surprised. I fell into the "somewhat shocked at Mos Def as Prefect," and the "I hope they don't fuck it up," camps, but after viewing the trailer, I think it will be quiet enjoyable. I am really looking forward to it. Mos Def is a good actor, and I think he will be a fine Ford.

I hardly ever go to the theaters (I wait for it on DVD and watch it in my theater) because I hate being in those cramped seats, not being able to discuss what I see with friends, and the food is too damned expensive. THIS will be one that draws me to the theater.

Should I bring a towel, or will I look like a dork? =)

Bring a towel ianthegoat! You never know...

As for the trailer. It seems way too focused on the action than the humor, but I guess it is easier to sell a movie in a trailer on its action and special effects than it is its subtle humor. Sigh... This movie is a dissapointment waiting to happen. If I keep my hopes down though, I may just enjoy it.

nice!

i'm sure it won't live up to the expectations of all fans of the books, but hopefully it'll be fun.

Exactly my thoughts. But the trailer didn't suck ass, so I do have some hope. Marvin doesn't really look the way I imagined him at all. Too happy/cuddly. :(

It makes sense, if you think about it. The body shape of the robot wasn't designed to be miserable, it was just his "genuine people personality prototype" that brought everybody down. We'll have to see what his body language is like, can't tell from the preview.

The trailer filled me with despair. All the actors in the movie are ones I enjoy, but I didn't laugh once. It looks stupid. I'm sure my expectations are unfairly high, but if you can't achieve a good translation into movie form, don't try. I'll see it, but I expect it to be less fun than the BBC version (oof).

The trailor didn't get my hopes up, either. But, lately all trailors are looking like crap to me. Edit all the explosions and loud screams in the movie together in one long string in hopes of grabbing peoples attention. The BBC series was pretty good (cheap, cheesy, but good).

I was worried at first, too, but I felt a lot better after this: http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/mov...interview.html

It will not match up to the expectations of some of the people who have posted in this thread have, due to the relationship you already have with the books no movie will recreate what you already have in your heads, also keep in mind the movie has to relate to a wider audience than just the exisitng fan-base. I'm sorry but it sounds like a lot of you will dissapointed no matter happens

I am too young to have enjoyed a Star Wars-type teenage life. I do enjoy the originals though, and I have only watched the Phantom Menace since the revival began years ago. I hate the way George Lucas has catered to the kids of the 90s instead of making it seem more "original". That's open to debate of course. Why do I say this?

Because quite simply, I think Hitchhiker's is going to BLOW AWAY anything Lucas manages to screw up. Honestly, I think it's what the world has been waiting for in this type of movie genre.

For those of who who don't know already, most of the radio shows and older visual recreations have contradictions that you can drive a Mac truck through, which means do not raise your expectations to an astronomical level. In that case, you will be disappointed in that the story might veer off in certain places.

Let's not forget to mention that the movie studio has to cater to the majority of moviegoers. From what I have read though, Douglas Adams' family has had very close contact with most of the cast and crew and have made sure that the vision and 90-95% of the story remains intact.

I can't wait!

The trailer had a bit of a Monty Python feel, especially the flyswatter sequence. Also, note that when he hits the alarm clock, the only readable book title on his shelf is "Slapstick" by Kurt Vonnegut; I'm not sure what message that was sending, but it had to be intentional.

It looks like a lot of fun. Aside from that fucking 'orrible voiceover dude, that is. And Sam Rockwell as Zaphod is an inspired piece of casting.

Yesterday I started re-reading the Increasingly Inaccurate Trilogy to freshen up my memory before the film hits theaters. I do so hope it doesn't suck.

There's a new internet only H2G2 trailer up. http://video.ugo.com/player.aspx?articleID=13939&ref=ts

It's done in the style of the book talking about movie trailers. Has Alan Rickman's voice as Marvin as well.

I'm currently searching for a higher resolution version, I'll post it if I find one.

Now that trailer was 10 times better than the first one. That is much more in harmony with what I expected from the movie. I also enjoyed reading that article you posted by the screenwriter RoboBlaster.

I am sure many many fans of the series are going to be dissapointed. This is a very loved piece of literature by many, but I think they can do it right and for the most part I think they are doing it right. That first trailer was just so not original I was very worried. Things are looking up though.

I've got my towel!

Oh my god! That trailer freakin rocked!!!!!

Here's another one, it may be the UK trailer, I'm not quite sure.
http://skyscape.sky.com/skynewsradio..._teaser-bb.asf
This one is has some different footage than the others...like Trillian actually speaking.

Things are looking on the up and up for this movie!

Oh, I like that one a lot better. Zooey Deschanel was Trillian is another great choice - she was gorgeous in 'Almost Famous'. And it doesn't have that godawful seppo voiceover dude. Word.

I for one am looking forward to this movie. I hope it does the books justice. I read these as a young teenager and fell in love with them. I have reread them many times and played the text game on bbc.com. I get a little anxious when there are movies made from great books, I hope they can live up to the expectation.

never read the book.
just a fan of Mos Def, hope its a good movie.

He said it. Pretty much, nailed it, in fact.

The best part for me? I read the book about 7 years ago. Thus, most of my memories about it are vague and fuzzy. I remember really enjoying it, but not enough to compare every movie scene to memory.

Thus, if the move is decent, I'll proly enjoy it, while "hardcore fans" will not. It's just how these things work.

my first memory of this book was getting the Resturant At The End of the Universe book on tape from my library and listening to it, it was the one read by Douglas Adams. I think all my thoughts as towards characters are based on how he read them, the way he did their voices, inflections, etc. I can't decide if I should see the movie or if it will infect my "pure" vision I have for the characters in my head. :crazy:

It seems the more I see and learn about this movie, the more I am impressed with it.

"a deep voice that sounds like a 7 foot tall man who has been smoking cigarettes since childhood" Brilliant!

If the movie is as good as the trailers then I think the vast majority will have very little to complain about.

New trailer here : http://video.ugo.com/player.aspx?articleID=13939&ref=ts. Shitty quality though.

The movie's looking pretty interesting. I'm glad they didn't try to go overboard with special effects; looks like they're using plenty of puppets and wisely chose not to include Zaphod's extra head and arm in each shot.

I just finished reading the whole series of novels, and I agree the first three were best. I didn't like how Zaphod suddenly disappeared from the story :/

Anyway, can't wait to see this movie.

Here are various resolutions of the new internet only trailer:
<a href="http://bvbp-qt.vitalstream.com/HitchhikersGuide/HG2TG_InternetTrailer_2237_0300.mov" target="_blank">Low-res</a>
<a href="http://bvbp-qt.vitalstream.com/HitchhikersGuide/HG2TG_InternetTrailer_2237_0750.mov" target="_blank">Medium-res</a>
<a href="http://bvbp-qt.vitalstream.com/HitchhikersGuide/HG2TG_InternetTrailer_2237_1500.mov" target="_blank">High-res</a>
<a href="http://bvbp-qt.vitalstream.com/HitchhikersGuide/HG2TG_InternetTrailer_2237_3000.mov" target="_blank">Super High-res</a>

I can't wait...good or bad :)

I think my biggest worry about this becoming a movie is the fact that most of what gave the books such brilliance was in the writing itself. That's not to say that the plot and characters weren't awesome, but I personally liked the way it was written best. (Asides and all...)

http://webpages.charter.net/gnortast...caps/Whale.jpg

heh... the whale.

Yeah, I have that worry too. The way that the the actual Guide would narrate and transition was what made the series so awesome. If that aspect isn't used correctly then the movie will suck. I think the television mini-series did it pretty well so maybe there's hope.

I wonder if they'll include an example of Brockian Ultra Cricket?

I've seen a trailer for the movie, I don't know if it was one of the ones linked in this thread, I haven't watched them yet, but it had a scene with the group(Zaphod, Ford, Arthur, etc.) on what I'm assuming was Magrathea, and they started getting smacked in the face by what appeared to be really long fly swatters coming from the ground, and I was just wondering "What the fuck?". I do not recall reading anything in the books that came even remotely close to that.

It's only loosely related to the subject at hand (the movie, of course) but since noone else has mentioned it, the BBC's got two nifty Flash editions of the old Hitchiker's Guide text adventure. Worth checking out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game.shtml

Awesome. I luurrve the designs.

Well, of course not. Every version (radio / book / stage / TV) has contradicted every other version, in both minor and major plot points. There's even a completely new character in this movie. As long as the "feel" of the characters is the same, it should be good.

I'm definitely going to see it! Having read almost all Douglas Adams' books, hearing the radio programmes and having watched the BBC television adaptation.

It's impossible to please all of the people all of time, but this movie stands a very good chance of at least pleasing those familiar with Adams' work.

For me (good or bad) it's going to be the last chance to glimpse into the mind of Douglas Adams, which is closely akin to taking acid and laughing your socks off...

Adams himself was working on the screenplay for the film before his death and did by his own admission change, alter and contradict the books, film is a different medium to written fiction there HAS to be differences to make it work.

I know nothing about the books but I saw the trailer last night when I saw Constantine and it looks HILARIOUS!! Plus it comes out on my birthday!!!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D (May 6th) I think I definitely gotta go see it if it's in the cards :).

Asta!!

I'm glad Mos Def is in it. He's got to be the only rapper that can also act. Everything he was is was good.

^ Haha I'm pretty fond of Ice Cube too :D

Asta!!

I don't know about that Ice T, Ice Cube and Will Smith all got their start in rap and have made names for themselves as actors.

The movie looks very special effects laden, which can be good or can be bad.... considering the movie probably good, but still not as great as your imagination when you're in your teens and reading the books.

Plus, the books were about that dry English humor as much as about sci-fi. Have a feeling the Python guys should have been in this.... Cleese, Idle and all.

Does anyone know if this is just HHG or is it a combination of all the books?

If so, that's kind of stupid isn't it?

I mean each book has a movie in itself (not sure of the last one.. I just read the first 4... HHG, Restaurant, Life the Universe and Everything and So Long and Thanks for all the Fish). How could they have sequels if they do all the books in 1 movie?

Just saw a link on FARK that went to a press review of this movie. They really tore it apart, saying that it completely destroyed the story and stripped out all the humor and character development and replaced them with slapstick physical comedy and special effects. Anyone who is a fan of the book will be supremely disappointed, and anyone who wants to see a good movie that makes any kind of sense will be as well. Hopefully the reviewer is wrong, but he went into quite a bit of detail on what is and isn't in the movie. If you don't mind a few spoilers, check the review out here:

www.planetmagrathea.com/shortreview.html

We have more comedians in england than the monty python lot (who are all getting on a bit now) some of whom are perfectly capable of using our dry humour to great effect

maybe i won't feel this way after seeing the flick, but i think Freeman as Arthur is a fantastic bit of casting.

What I'm still trying to figure out is who they made this movie for, exactly. Who would be excited - and therefore support it - besides fans of the books? I can't understand the decision to cut so much out of the movie.

I'll see it, but I'm going in with a rather jaded attitude.

I shall see it no matter what the critics say. Depending on your point of view and past experiences it could either be a good movie or a horrible one. I for one extremely enjoyed the movie Hell-Boy, but many others hated it.

Each to their own, I guess.

the early reviews were, by-and-large, very positive... yet the more recent ones and the latest trailer give me reservations.

i really hope this does the source material justice.

Meh, I've seen a few trailers for this movie and I don't think I'll see it in a theater. Just dosen't really seem like my kind of show.

I am aware of that and did not mean to seem insulting, it's just from what I know of the cast (and I admit I know very little) they are not great comedic talents.

I think that probably the best way to enjoy this movie is going to be to forget all the details from the books. I am sure that there are going to be many changes in the details, so it is probably best not to get too hung up on the fact that, "OMG! I never pictured Ford as being black!", or "OMG! they didn't do Zaphod's head correctly!" It is going to be different, because it has to be.

That being said, I hope they do keep certain important elements, such as some of the great lines from the guide.

Sorry about setting up the link wrong in my earlier post. Here it is again, but it actually goes somewhere this time :):

www.planetmagrathea.com/shortreview.html

I liked the trailer enough that I have a feeling I'll enjoy the film, but I have enough experience with good books being bad movies that I have some reservations.

Either way, I'm looking forward to this.

That's nearly word for word what I said when I saw the trailers :) I adjusted to Ford rather quickly, once I realized that I was being very silly and quite racist to think that he should be white, but I'm still rather peeved that Zaphod is missing an ENTIRE HEAD!?

How are they supposed to do the dialog where he talks to himself?! :P I'm still going to see it opening weekend, and I'm sincerely hoping to be entertained. (i.e. there'd better one helluva horrible poetry reading!)

I'm guessing that you haven't seen the full-on trailer then, because he's not really missing his other head. :)

They've moved it up to April 29th :)
I hope I have time to read the books before I see it :cool:

/NEVER read any of the 'hitchhiker' series yet, I heard about the books before on /. plenty of times, but I assumed it was just fanboys' drivel and then didn't really get interested in at all until i saw the trailer @ work.

I just got back from seeing this (came out today, the 28th, in Australia).. and I have to say, I'm semi-disappointed.. while I did enjoy it, it didn't seem to have the same feeling as the book/radio series (I haven't watched all the TV series yet, so I couldn't say...). They seem to work hard to incorporate some slapstick, and most the creatures (vogons especially) just reminded me of demented muppets. Quite a few "classic" lines weren't in there... and they seemed to glaze over a lot of the stuff to make it fit in a nice friendly movie.

That said.. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Am I just disappointed because it differed from my personal perception of the scenes/people/actions/etc? Probably.. but I think it's more than that. Some of the jokes seem very forced, making you expect a laugh-track right after them...

Semi-small spoilers:
Spoiler: They focus quite a bit on Arthur and Trillian and their love for each other. It get's annoying

So.. overall (IMHO).. it was OK, but not great by any extent.

The original radio series is being repeated on BBC Radio 4 (also available on-line) from next Tuesday, 3rd May at 18:30 GMT. Most programs are available for a couple of days after the original airing but I can't guarantee this one will be.

Unfortunately for some you need RealPLayer to make it work.

Here's the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/netwo...udiolist.shtml

Saw the movie finally last night.

It was varied in some parts, got annoying in others, but the bits where it was funny, i could barely breathe for laughter. The special effects on the whole were great, and it's definatly worth watching.

I had screener passes for it last night but had to decline going due to other plans.

Looks like from the intial reviews that I'm not missing much...