Time Magazine‘s Lev Grossman had the chance to speak to Chris Weitz briefly last week at Comic Con and asked him about the experience of picking up a film franchise from the second film, with an established readership and fanbase. The director again praised Summit Entertainment, the producers of Twilight and its sequel New Moon, and compared their dedication to New Line’s: “With Golden Compass I felt that by being faithful to the book I was working at odds with the studio.” Read more. Thanks again to Haku for the tip. Discussion continues here.
Weitz felt “at odds with the studio”
July 30, 2009
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I’m starting to get sad with what he speaks.
I mean, he’s speaking much like “Golden Compass” is past, which makes me believe less in a potential Director’s Cut someday soon.
Don’t you think that he’s sounding like he would never step in a New Line studio again even if they offered him a chance to recut his version of TGC? Which is already not much likely…
I wonder if he knows (or cares) that we HDM fans want a Director’s Cut so badly.
As much as a Director’s cut would be awesome, what would it accomplish now? New Line is now owned by someone else, the film didn’t make the cash they wanted “inside” the States and the only way they could pull off a sequel now is to recast Lyra and any other child actors as it’s been a year and a half, they’ve far outgrown the age of the characters.
I think we’re better off waiting and hoping someone else gets interest in the next 5 years or so and decides to retry with a film adaption.
I do blame New Line for all of this, the film could of been the next LOTR had they done it right, but I still have the impression that they cared more of this being a “Sink or Swim” film for cash. Maybe somewhere down the line, Wiez could get a director’s cut and show his true vision of the film, but as for the sequel, I think that’s done.
Yeah, I’d want to see the whole trilogy made, back from the beginning, someday soon.
But for now, I think a Director’s Cut would be good because of these reasons:
(“Why should The Golden Compass have a Director’s Cut”)
http://sphynx-sn.deviantart.com/art/quot-The-Golden-Compass-quot-Essay-123187223
Nothing like the complete trilogy, but it would accomplish something at least.
I think it’s still very possible that we’ll see the full trilogy on film someday. Though I feel like it won’t be for at least another 10-15 years to give TGC some time to slip into the past.
It would accomplish having an actual FULL movie. As much as I would love to see sequels, I don’t think we’re going to be seeing those for a long time.
I’m still of the opinion that HDM would be wonderful as a Miyazaki film.
I’d rather see the first one recut to its intended version than see sequels. Frankly, I just don’t think New Line can be trusted with the sequels, even under new management. And don’t get me started on Debrah Forte!
Surely Miyazaki would make a wonderful film. But in other hand, I think he would do more a, so to speak, Miyazaki movie than a HDM movie.
Taking “Howl’s Moving Castle”, for example. A brilliant film, but it’s otherwise equal to the book only to the half. Not that I’m complaining, the movie is perfect as it is. But I wouldn’t wish this to HDM. I wouldn’t like to sse, say, Mrs. Coulter becoming good (like the Witch of the Waste, which in the book is the main villain, and in the movie becomes an ally).
But it’s tempting to imagine Jordan College, the gyptians, the bears, the flying machines, the Aurora and the bridge to the stars, by Miyazaki’s hands. It should be just gorgeous.
Oh yeah, and Joe Hisaishi’s score should be as beautiful as Alexandre Desplat’s.
I get what you mean, Grissha. I love the movie and book versions Howl’s Moving Castle equally, but I don’t guess HDM would be quite the same thing.
But it would be beautiful! 🙂
What would a director’s cut accomplish? How about releasing from its hostage state the end of the film, the part I MOST wanted to see of the whole damn book, and which I’m *still* waiting to see….I refuse to buy a copy of the DVD which does not have this end. I think it was a terrible move that they didn’t release this end on the DVD, when they already knew that they weren’t making another film….
I’m saddened to hear that New Line is the one responsible, and bad that I had blamed Weitz before about the ending cut, etc….but yeah, more than anything I want to see Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman have their scene, and it frustrates me so much that the material/footage is out there, and yet we have no access to it for the forseeable future….
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