War of the Worlds is a 2005 modern retelling of H.G. Wells' original novel. It is to be directed by Steven Spielberg, with a script by David Koepp and starring Tom Cruise.
In August of 2004, the Internet Movie Database reported that the film was "poised to make history in Hollywood as the most expensive film ever made - surpassing Titanic's $198 million budget." The report quoted an unnamed source that said, "No expense will be spared. Spielberg wants to make it the film of the decade." Some of this movie has been filmed in Rockbridge County, Virginia. The New York Times, the original source for this number, ran a correction a few days later that the budget is actually $128 million.
The film tells H.G. Wells' story "through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive it." Locations were in Bayonne, New Jersey, Athens, New York City, Virginia, Brooklyn and parts of Los Angeles. Steven Spielberg cast Ann Robinson and Gene Barry, the two stars of George Pal's 1950s adaptation of War of the Worlds, in cameo roles of his film.
Spielberg told the web site Dark Horizons: "I'm more interested in concept shots and money shots than I am in tons of MTV coverage, which certainly takes a lot of time. But if I can put something on the screen that is sustained where you get to study it and you get to say, 'How did they do that?' That's happening before my eyes and the shot's not over yet, it's still going and it's still going and my God, it's an effects shot and it's lasting seemingly forever. I enjoy that more than creating illusion with sixteen different camera angles, where no shot lasts longer than six seconds on the screen. To pull a rabbit out of a hat, because you are really a smart audience and you're in the fastest media, the fastest growing new media today and you know the difference between sleight of hand visually and the real thing. I think what makes War of the Worlds, at least the version that we're making, really exciting, is you get to really see what's happening. There's not a lot of visual tricks. We tell it like it is, we shot it to you, and we put you inside the experience. "
And this about the story: Spielberg: It's nothing you can really describe. The whole thing is very experiential. The point of view is very personal - everybody, I think, in the world will be able to relate to the point of view, because it's about a family trying to survive and stay together, and they're surrounded by the most epically horrendous events you could possibly imagine.
Main cast
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Tom Cruise — Ray Ferrier
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Dakota Fanning — Rachel Ferrier
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Tim Robbins — Ogilvy
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Miranda Otto — Mary Ann Ferrier
- David Alan Basche — Tim
- James DuMont
- Yul Vazquez — Julio
- Daniel Franzese
- Justin Chatwin — Robbie Ferrier
- Lenny Venito — Manny
See also
External links
Last updated: 06-02-2005 20:23:21
