Comments on: Coming Never: Richard Gere as Blake

By: Ballard bundle « STEVENHARTSITE

Ballard bundle « STEVENHARTSITE — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:56:23 +0000

[...] Howard Shore. And here’s a list of Ballard novels that almost but never quite became movies, including an adaptation of The Unlimited Dream Company that would have starred Richard Gere, and a list of pop and rock groups that cite Ballard’s work as an inspiration. Possibly [...]

By: Tim Chapman

Tim Chapman — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:12:51 +0000

Stop the presses! Samuel L Jackson’s ‘Running Wild’ again has a green light, this time filming in South Africa and Germany (now there’s the smell of international funding).

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ia6e01d5af9d3596df93c8c569d8efda2

H20 puts ‘Wild,’ ‘Gate’ sequel on fast track
Thriller, horror sequel green-lighted
By Scott Roxborough
May 13, 2008, 12:50 PM

CANNES — Andras Hamori’s H20 Motion Pictures has green-lighted two new productions: the thriller “Running Wild,” based on the novel by J.G. Ballard and starring Samuel L. Jackson, and “The Gate — 20 Years Later,” a sequel to the 1987 hit teen horror title.

Jackson will act as a co-producer on “Running Wild,” a detective story about the investigation of a mysterious massacre at a wealthy gated community. Television and music video helmer Kevin Kerslake will direct in his feature film debut, from a script by David Leland (“Mona Lisa”). Shooting is set to begin this year in South Africa and at MMC Studios in Cologne, Germany.

By: Martin Jones

Martin Jones — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:30:50 +0000

Keep watching the ‘in’ box over the next week, Simon, as I have something to locate that might be an interesting footnote to the above.

Imogen Hassall? Ooooga Booga…

By: Simon Sellars

Simon Sellars — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:30:01 +0000

OK, Tim and Martin, I have now updated the post to include your comments and corrections (including something on Alien). Thanks!

By: Simon Sellars

Simon Sellars — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:56:16 +0000

Martin, you are quite correct about the Alien project. I’ve mentioned the novelization a few times on this site. Don’t know what I was thinking this time, but I’ve fixed the reference here. Cheers.

By: Martin Jones

Martin Jones — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:43:46 +0000

Marvellous article, Simon. I’m sure at the time of their meeting (which surely beats JGB’s encounters with Burroughs?!), Gere was convinced of his own ability to fly. As for the Alien script, somewhere Ballard is quoted as being asked to write the novelisation of the film, not the film itself. Imagine that one as a scuffed little Panther paperback…

As for the bikini girls… keep ‘em coming!

By: TimC

TimC — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:32:02 +0000

Another one – the BBC opera version of ‘The Sound Sweep’, as mentioned in Judith Merrill’s ‘England Swings SF’ and nowhere else.

There were also reports of a planned BBC series based on ‘Vermillion Sands’ from early 2000. This from a posting to the JGB list (no one ever managed to dig up further details) -
“Instead the BBC is producing Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence and working on
adaptations of Nancy Mitford’s Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate,
Kingsley Amis’ Take a Girl Like You, JG Ballard’s Vermillion Sands and Alex
Garland’s Tesseract.”

Correction to my first comment above – Mayersburg should be Mayersberg, of course. I read his ‘Hollywood the Haunted House’ recently too.

By: Simon Sellars

Simon Sellars — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:56:47 +0000

Thanks, Tim, had no idea about any of that. And they wanted to relocate Running Wild to an American island, just like The Wicker Man! That’s golden.

By: TimC

TimC — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:01:34 +0000

At the same time as the Maybury/Mayersburg ‘Super-Cannes’ announcement, Mayersburg was also lined up to write a ‘Cocaine Nights’ miniseries for ITV. Guess that never happened either.

And how could we forget ‘Running Wild’ starring Samuel L Jackson? -

July 29, 2003
BRIGHTLIGHT PICTURES AND H2O MOTION PICTURES ANNOUNCES FIVE PICTURE $50
MILLION PARTNERSHIP
Significant industry agreement will see five multinational feature films
shot in British Columbia

(VANCOUVER) Brightlight Pictures and H2O Motion Pictures are pleased to
announce a $50 million film production partnership. The collaboration
between the two companies will see over five multinational feature films
co-produced in various locations across British Columbia over the next three
years.
[...]
RUNNING WILD, based on a novel by J G Ballard (Crash, Empire of the Sun) is
written by David Leland (Mona Lisa, Wish You Were Here). Samuel L. Jackson
is starring as a forensic psychiatrist who investigates an unusual crime on
a Pacific Northwest island. Running Wild is slated for production summer
2004 on Vancouver Island. The producers have partnered with Alliance
Atlantis for this project.
[...]

Thanks for the ‘When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth’ pic, anyway. Mmm, fur bikinis…