Disney Heading Back Into The Black Hole
Posted by sean in Latest News, Movies on December 1st, 2009
Eager to avoid typecasting so early in their careers, Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski and producer Sean Bailey have moved from the Disney sci-fi remake to… well, to another Disney sci-fi remake.
The studio’s 1979 classic The Black Hole is remembered for being both very expensive to make and very, very creepy. It follows the crew of a spaceship who stumble upon a seemingly dead ship hovering in a gravity field just outside a black hole. The only one aboard is a doctor, seemingly driven mad by solitude and accompanied only by his army of faceless robots (no, I didn’t make any of that up). It’s also notable as the studio’s very first PG-rated release. And now, it will be remembered as one of today’s many, many, many movie reboots (OK, so that’s not such a rare distinction). That said, at least Disney is tackling movies that could actually benefit from a retooling. Tron is one of the most beloved films of all time, and The Black Hole has a creepy plot that would stand up today, and a twist that sends the perfect cold feeling through your gut. But, let’s face it: neither 1979 nor 1982 had the kind of special effects we can pull off today – or anywhere near them – and both films come off as pretty cheesy when you pop a DVD in now.
The script will come from Travis Beacham, who penned the script for another upcoming remake that’s worth doing for effects’ sake: Clash of the Titans. I could go off on a “back in my day…”-style rant about how these dang kids should make their own dad-gum movies… but I won’t. Instead, I’ll say that you’ve probably already seen the Titans trailer, which looks awesome. You’ve doubtless already seen some Tron footage, which looks similarly awesome. And if you were born after, say, 1990, there’s a chance you’ve never seen any of these movies. And yes, you should go back and see the originals – but hey, what’s wrong with bringing a beloved story to a new generation? Especially when you can make the explosions look so much prettier now!
