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Author
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Topic: "First Man" Neil Armstrong feature film updates
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Dan Lorraine
Member Posts: 373
From: Cranston, R.I.
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-05-2011 08:02 PM
   
Other than his astronaut experiences, the book was a real sleeper. Hopefully they never make the movie because it will be a huge bust!!Sorry, just my two cents. |
capoetc
Member Posts: 2169
From: McKinney TX (USA)
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 04-06-2011 12:47 PM
Yeah, I know what you mean... all that combat flying in Korea, flying the X-15, emergency return due to the stuck thruster episode on Gemini VIII, almost dying in the crash of the LLTV, preparing for and landing on the moon... yeah, you're right. Definitely not enough action for a movie...  |
Kite
Member Posts: 831
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 04-06-2011 02:23 PM
Well said. Just to add in Korea Armstrong ejected when brought down by a cable, hoping he wasn't in enemy territory, and being rescued. Later flying a B-29 when a propeller came away which could have sliced him in two and still landing it. There could be humour with his getting stuck with Chuck Yeager when testing the wetness of a dry lake, the 'Nellis Affair' when he and two more NASA pilots temporary closed the base, and leaving Milt Thompson stranded when towing the Parasev glider. Flying the X-15 on its longest flight when bouncing off the atmosphere and only just making it back would be another exciting part of the film. As already mentioned the close call of Gemini VIII, the crash of the LLTV and the thrilling first moon landing of Apollo 11 when almost out of fuel. With all these ingredients, made well, this film could rival Apollo 13 in popularity, in my opinion. |
issman1
Member Posts: 1042
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 04-06-2011 04:20 PM
If the first man on the Moon was as charismatic as Buzz Aldrin, it would be a blockbuster.And it would have to be a movie that could hold the attention span of the so-called Facebook Generation. Because that's who Hollywood target nowadays. Casting would be the key to its success, and I would suggest Leonardo DiCaprio. But if "Amelia, a similar aviation-themed biopic, is anything to go by it may not be box office material. A TV movie perhaps, as it seems Hollywood is more interested in remakes. |
AJ
Member Posts: 511
From: Plattsburgh, NY, United States
Registered: Feb 2009
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posted 04-06-2011 04:46 PM
Some of the best cinematic projects made in America these days are featured on HBO and Showtime. For one thing, they are far more willing to allow a series to be as long as it needs to be in order to tell a good story. Furthermore, the quality is aces. If it's done well, it could be a great miniseries. As for "Amelia" there is plenty of interest in Earhart, but I don't believe that the movie was either very good or publicized appropriately. |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 1309
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 04-06-2011 05:26 PM
My biggest concern regarding the viability of a First Man movie isn't that Armstrong's life lacks sufficent excitement or adventure...it's that it lacks drama. At least, the kind of drama that resonates with the public at large and makes a film successful.The last major (non-documentary) motion picture to chronicle actual people and events in the space program was, of course, "Apollo 13." That film was a commercial and critical success because it was built around an extended life-or-death crisis, and Ron Howard and company did an oustanding job of building and maintaining tension throughout. It also helped that the Apollo 13 drama featured so many key players, allowing the filmmakers to present events from multiple perspectives. The fact is, straight biography in general does not lend itself well to the "big screen," and even a life as full and fascinating as Armstrong's needs the kind of drama, and dramatic events, that make a LOT of people say, "Yeah, I'd pay 20 bucks to see that." Unless you'd accept something with near the level of dramatic license, historical revisionism, and outright sensationalism as the film version of The Right Stuff (And I don't think many of us would want that), I don't see "First Man: The Movie" happening. AJ makes an interesting point, though...First Man might be a very good fit for HBO, and perhaps the same team who gave us From the Earth to the Moon. We can dream, right..? |
LM1
Member Posts: 667
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 04-06-2011 05:38 PM
I agree that HBO would be the best venue for such a movie, which will require many episodes to cover the life of Neil Armstrong. Neil may not be charismatic, but his life is full of drama. It will be a challenge for writers and directors to come up with a movie like Cast Away or Saving Private Ryan. I nominate Tom Hanks for the role. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-06-2011 05:50 PM
quote:
Originally posted by GoesTo11:
...it's that it lacks drama.
Mathematician John Nash's life (and life's work) is not what I would describe as dramatic, but screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and director Ron Howard crafted a dramatic film nonetheless ("A Beautiful Mind"). I would think Armstrong's aviation and space exploits alone would better lend themselves to the silver screen, and his being (at one time) the most famous man in the world and yet shying away from that same fame would provide Armstrong (in the movie) the inner struggle needed for character development. |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 1309
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 04-06-2011 07:10 PM
"A Beautiful Mind"...great movie indeed.  Understand, Robert (and everyone else), I'm not saying that a biographical feature adapted from First Man COULDN'T work...just that it's not likely to be attempted, at least not as a major feature film. With the right cast, a great screenwriter, and a creative team committed to both entertaining a mass audience and doing Armstrong's life justice (and I would certainly put Ron Howard and/or Tom Hanks among that group if they decided to take such a project on), it could be brilliant. But my view is that given the current aversion to risk that prevails in "The Industry," and the investment that would be required to make Armstrong's exploits credible on the screen...well, you might as well think of "First Man: The Movie" as "A Beautiful Mind" with a $150 million budget. I just don't see a major studio rolling the dice on such a project in the current climate. But I'd love to be proven wrong, and have a worldwide audience introduced to the life of a man who will always hold a singular place in human history. Perhaps someone like Howard or Hanks (or, for that matter, Steven Spielberg or Jerry Bruckheimer) might have the will and the clout to get it off the ground, so speak.  |
AJ
Member Posts: 511
From: Plattsburgh, NY, United States
Registered: Feb 2009
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posted 04-06-2011 07:15 PM
quote:
Originally posted by GoesTo11:
I just don't see a major studio rolling the dice on such a project in the current climate. But I'd love to be proven wrong, and have a worldwide audience introduced to the life of a man who will always hold a singular place in human history.
I agree, basically because the major studios make crappy movies that cater to the lowest common denominator of intelligence and humor. That's another reason why I think it'd be a much better story told on the small screen. |
capoetc
Member Posts: 2169
From: McKinney TX (USA)
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 04-06-2011 09:54 PM
quote:
Originally posted by GoesTo11:
The fact is, straight biography in general does not lend itself well to the "big screen," and even a life as full and fascinating as Armstrong's needs the kind of drama, and dramatic events, that make a LOT of people say, "Yeah, I'd pay 20 bucks to see that."
It seems that Universal and Clint Eastwood must think there is potential, otherwise they would not have purchased the rights... |
Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 04-07-2011 05:39 AM
quote:
Originally posted by issman1:
If the first man on the Moon was as charismatic as Buzz Aldrin, it would be a blockbuster.
Armstrong is just as charismatic as Aldrin in my opinion... just different. I have spent a little time with Armstrong at a private function and the guy has a very evident enigmatic charisma that is difficult to put a finger on. It is a quality that I agree might be difficult to portray well in a movie. |
328KF
Member Posts: 1234
From:
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 11-03-2011 10:11 AM
In reading James Hansen's information surrounding the John Young biography, I came across this update on the First Man project: The film rights to the book are held by Universal Studios and a screenplay for the film has recently been completed by Mike Rich, whose movie screenwriting credits include Finding Forrester, The Rookie, Miracle, Radio, The Nativity Story, and the 2010 Disney release Secretariat. | |
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