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matt_thomp wrote:This article that quotes James Cameron describes both a good and bad situation for a Rifts movie to get finished.

On the one hand, if Hollywood exec's are THAT desperate for a story with an established brand or recognizable name, then Rifts might get made sooner rather than later. But Rifts is not well-known by gazillions of people around the globe, the name alone isn't going to completely guarantee a profit.

Seriously, Battleship?! What's next, a 3D horror flick of Hungry Hungry Hippos?

Cheers,
Matt

wait he says that hollywood is desperate that the movie already have brand recognition or it will not be made. And that this is whats wrong with the industry...
Says the man planning 2 sequels based off his box office block buster film Avatar?
Pot meet kettle.

This is nothing new. Hollywood hasn't had an original idea for sci-fi or fantasy (that was picked up by a big name company) in a long time. And before someone says, "what about the SciFi Channel originals", I'm going to remind you all of one thing: SciFi Channel original movies have all involved a low-budget, crap effects, lame writing, horrible acting, and barely a glimmer of originality or intelligence.

It just seems like nothing gets made in Hollywood anymore unless it's already a commercial success. Even Pirates Of The Caribbean was based on a popular Disney park ride. I fear originality has gone the way of the dinosaurs, my friends.

I do not forsee a RIFTS movie being made until one of two things happens: 1) JB realizes he has (at least) enough fans available to guarantee he gets paid enough for making the movie, or 2) someone else convinces JB to release the rights to a company that would just want to see this movie made.

Originality has not died yet, I just watched the official trailer for the new movie, Rubber.

Hollywood is up against several huge problems right now.

1) There is a global recession. It's been going on for several years now and many people have gotten out of the habit of going to movies or buying DVDs. Economists are boasting about a "jobless recovery" and last time I checked, unemployed people don't go to the movies.

2) DVD sales have tanked. Not just the recession, but the switch to Blu-Ray and the rise of Netflix / Red Box / Movies on Demand have eliminated most of the customers who used to buy DVDs.

3) Nobody knows how to properly monetize the future of streaming media. Netflix is insanely cheap and that model can not support $200M budget blockbusters. However, the Netflix model has gotten people used to supercheap movies on demand. Thus the problem is compounded.

4) Big screen 3D TVs are the future. TVs just keep getting bigger, better, and cheaper. In 5 years, you'll score a brand new 60 inch 3D plasma for $1000 or less. Why pay $15/ticket when you got that TV? Especially when $3000 will buy you a 90 inch!!!

Looking at just these 4 issues, you can see the problem of investing $200 MILLION into a movie (budget + advertising) and you have to be insanely careful to turn a profit, thus the reliance on sequels, prequels, and big name recognition IPs. Its why big name superheroes are the norm and why big toys are getting films.

BTW, Battleship is probably gonna rock. And we all know that Hungry Hungry Hippos would be a huge hit movie with little kids.