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"Atlas Shrugged" Movie

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Does anyone know the current status of the Atlas Shrugged movie? I have not been able to find anything written about it after the beginning of the year. Does this mean it has been canned?

What I did find:

http://www.crusaderentertainment.com/relea...index.php?nid=6

http://www.atlassociety.org/news_atlas-shrugged-film.asp

http://boxofficemojo.com/articles/news/?id=030517atlas2.htm

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/articles/news...30517atlas1.htm

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I am extremely curious about that movie. In some ways, I am concerned due to the large differences between Contact the movie and the original book. The movie had a compromise between faith and reason, whereas the book didn't. James Hart wrote the screenplay for Contact.

But reading some interviews, he seems to really love the story of Atlas Shrugged, reading the book a great deal, having gone through some kind of transformation at some stage in his life that changed his outlook.

The movie instead of being set in the past, will be set 15 years into the future of this world.

So I am hoping the movie turns out to be really good. :lol:

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A movie should NOT attempt to fit in everything from the book, especially in Atlas Shrugged's case. One has to adapt the story to fit the medium.

This is true. It is like when all the self-styled literary big shots denounced the LOTR movies because they didn't include every elven song, hobbit picnic, and long historical recount present in the books.

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The movie instead of being set in the past, will be set 15 years into the future of this world.

That will be Hart's first mistake.

He should set it in the present.

Taggart's Comet could be nuke-powered, or look like the EuroStar or Acela Express ;)

All else remains the same, as the books central themes and plots are relevant to modern times AND "timeless."

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I think he is setting it in the future not because of the technology, the book itself is timeless, but so as to give people reason to believe the world will goto hell in the next 15 years because of the logical outcome of the philosophy that is often said today.

That way the movie serves a bit more as a warning sign to people who see it instead of people just disregarding it as an alternate timeline that ain't gonna happen.

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There are some great visuals in Atlas Shrugged that will do great in film (Wyatt's Torch is the best of them, plus the mountain, NYC going out, The John Galt Line, etc.).

The question is how they are going to handle the speeches. The best way I could think of is to abbreviate them, and cross cut to other plot points which illustrate what the speaker is saying.

Oh yeah, and Ragnar Danneskjold should be awesome ;) and the 5th Concerto should be beautiful.

'Nuff Said.

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I wonder who'll play the role of Dagny...

I agree, choosing the actors is so crucial and I think was part of what made The Fountainhead as effective in the film-form. Especially since the story will inevitably have to be shortened to fit into a film...

the actors ability to embody the character is going be everything to me. I'm not surprised this film is taking longer to come out than expected, what an undertaking. If the same kind of middle-ground is created between Faith and Reason (as it was in Contact) it will destroy the entire message and I'm sure ________ (the man who is writing the screenplay - I've blanked on the name) has to take that into heavy consideration, among MANY other things.

A question, should they actually have Halley's 5th Concerto in the film? As much as I'd like to hear the kind of Concerto Rand envisioned, in a way I don't want to associate any one composer of our time with that ideal.

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Kevin Spacey as James Taggart.

Ya got me going! :D

Dagny Taggert- Emma Thompson or Natasha Richardson

James Taggert- Tim Robbins

Wesley Mouch- Tommy Lee Jones

Hank Rearden- Kenneth Branagh or Liam Neeson

Ragnar Danneskjold- Johnny Depp

John Galt- Brad Pitt

Francisco D'Anconia- Antonio Banderas

Eddie Willers- Judd Law

You just cannot resist getting a high powered cast together for what could be the biggest blockbuster of all time. ;)

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I've always pictured Sigourney Weaver, Glenn Close, or Jodie Foster.

Jodie Foster is a decent choice, as she's about the right age.

She's not statuesque enough. Both my choices for that role have more stage presence.

Dagny Taggert should have methodical stage presence, in my opinion.

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the actors ability to embody the character is going be everything to me.

I've also been trying to put together a movie cast in my head lately. The characters are just so much larger than life. I can't imagine anyone doing them justice--especially Galt. I'm really excited to see the portrayal of him, but think I'll just be disappointed. (Admittedly, this is probably because I'm absolutely smitten with him... :D )

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