Honestly, we can think of countless filmmakers whose specific strengths and sensibilities would give Sphere new form. James Wan ( Aquaman) could create another fantastical underwater world Alex Garland ( Annihilation) could home in on its psychological access points Lynne Ramsay ( You Were Never Really Here) could massage the novel’s surrealist qualities into something more digestible Guillermo del Toro ( The Shape of Water) would have a field day with its overall design, as would Peter Jackson ( The Lord of the Rings). may not be bullish on the idea after the financial shellacking the studio took two decades ago, but the material could shine under the right stewardship. But as a modern cross between Solaris, The Abyss and Inception, it has some structural and thematic support beams in place to make a damn good movie. How does one conjure a compelling story when its central tenets are purposely ambiguous? What is there to latch onto? Also, once you bypass the first layer of intrigue, Sphere isn’t the most groundbreaking concept-many of its elements are familiar to the genre. The narrative is built around inexplicable phenomena, a tricky foundation that any filmmaker would find difficult.
#MICHAEL CRICHTON SPHERE MOVIE#
Add in some groan-inducing dialogue, prosaic plotting and scare tactics that would never interrupt your resting heart rate, and you can see why the movie failed to connect upon release (though we still kind of love it for its endearing over-the-topness).
Sadly, we didn’t get them when Levinson attempted to translate it from page to screen 20 years ago. While no casting information has been announced as of yet, the talented production team already confirmed for the project should alleviate at least a modest amount of fears.It’s hard to say much more than that without getting into spoiler territory, but just know that it’s an exciting and often frightening chamber piece that would lend itself to some bewildering and fantastical set pieces and effects. Hey, just because the history of something is long doesn't mean it's particularly involved.įans of the novel who were put off by the film's lackluster attempt to adapt the story will hopefully get the satisfaction they desire with this upcoming series. However, after realizing he didn't know where to go with the story, he shelved it, finally returning to it and releasing it 20 years later. It was originally conceived as a companion piece to another of his famous novels, The Andromeda Strain. The history of Sphere as a story is surprisingly long, with Crichton beginning work on it all the way back in 1967.
#MICHAEL CRICHTON SPHERE SERIES#
Meanwhile, the rest of Athena Wickham's resume speaks for itself as well, with a run as producer on the surreal sci-fi series Fringe as well as an upcoming executive producer credit on Amazon's cautiously anticipated Fallout series. Denise Thé and Kilter Film are also involved with that project. Thé's work on Person of Interest should get the attention of audiences looking for solid writing and character work, while her time with Westworld might perk up the ears of those who enjoyed the Sphere novel and are hungry to have their minds jostled around. Kilter Film's Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy will serve as executive producers alongside Team Downey's Robert Downey Jr, Susan Downey, and Amanda Burrell. Athena Wickham, who works with Denise Thé on HBO's Westworld and also shared production duties with her on Person of Interest, will join the team as well. The series will be a collaboration between Kilter Film and Team Downey. RELATED: HBO Orders Season 2 of Perry Mason Reading Crichton came in part for reasons mentioned in On books, taste, and. HBO hopes to correct that mistake and do justice to Crichton's original story this time around, and with Thé on board, that goal seems reachable. Curiosity and recommendations inspired me to read Michael Crichton, if one can really call that activity reading, because he isn’t a very good author as far as I can tell, his one claim to literary style or merit is Eaters of the Dead, a decent novel with a structure that compensates for Crichton’s weaknesses. Unfortunately, due to negative reception from both critics and audiences (in a heartwarming rare moment of agreement), the movie bombed. Sphere, a sci-fi psychological thriller set off by an unknown spacecraft discovered at the bottom of the ocean, was already adapted into a film version in 1998. Helmed by Denise Thé, who will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer for the project, the Sphere series is being developed for HBO.
Michael Crichton’s 1987 novel, Sphere, is being adapted once again, but this time for the small screen. HBO is developing a series based on Michael Crichton's 'Sphere'
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