Rendezvous With Rama - Denis Villeneuve

Tools    





Denis Villeneuve said in a recent interview he's still forging ahead with his planned adaptation of Rendezvous with Rama, the sci-fi novel with which Arthur C. Clarke followed up his earlier 2001: A Space Odyssey, a movie some people have seen.

Needless to say, the prospect of another Clarke novel being brought to the screen and given the big-screen treatment must be quite enticing, even if it is directed by Villeneuve. Not everything can be perfect!

Here is an article from 3 years ago when the project was first announced in the Hollywood trades:


After tackling Frank Herbert’s speculative classic Dune, Denis Villeneuve is set to direct an adaption of another sci-fi story from genre staple Arthur C. Clarke.

Villeneuve will helm Rendezvous With Rama for Alcon Entertainment, which is financing the project and worked with the director on the Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal starrer Prisoners and Blade Runner: 2049. Along with Alcon co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary will produce via their Revelations Entertainment banner. Freeman and McCreary have previously held the rights to the 1973 novel for two decades, pushing the book outright in 2018.

The story from Clarke, the writer behind 2001: A Space Odyssey, follows a group of human space explorers who are tasked with intercepting an alien starship that is hurtling through the solar system. It is believed that the missions will lead to mankind’s first contact with alien intelligence.

“Denis’ vision for Rama felt completely aligned with Arthur’s wishes, so we are confident that teaming with our producing partners Andrew and Broderick at Alcon is the right next step in this over-20-year odyssey!” stated McCreary and Freeman.

“This is one of the most intelligent works of fiction in the genre; it poses as many questions as it does answers, and is a work for our time,” said Johnson and Kosove. “It’s perfectly fitted to our friend and collaborator Denis’ brilliant sensibilities and specifically to his love and passion for science fiction. We are also pleased to work with Morgan and Lori, who have a long-standing passion for this IP.”

Villeneuve’s Dune is approaching the $400 million mark at the global box office, with Legendary and Warner Bros. having already announced plans for a Part 2, which will be Villeneuve’s next project. He is also attached to direct episodes of and executive produce HBO Max spinoff prequel series Dune: The Sisterhood.



If anyone is interested, Villeneuve's comments are coming from a recent Vanity Fair interview, and he's quoted as saying:

You said you’re writing now, but you're attached to several projects. What’s your focus?

The thing I envy in my past is that before nobody cared about what I was doing next. [Laughs]. No, I'm joking, but it was easier to stay under the radar, and I don't like to have a lot of projects on the stove—I like to do one thing at a time. I have too many things right now. It's true that I'm working on Rendezvous with Rama and that screenplay is slowly moving forward. Cleopatra as well. And Dune: Messiah. I'm looking forward to going back behind the camera, and we'll see what will be next.
The fact that he's juggling several projects at the same time may mean a slightly longer wait for some of them to finally come to the screen, but if you're excited about the prospect of another Arthur C. Clarke novel brought to the silver screen - maybe that wait will be worth it.



So let me see if I understand this thread....you're linking an article from 3 years ago that still hasn't been made but it might get made but you created a thread where one would think that it's being made and coming out.


That the gist of it.



No, that is not the gist of it at all. The movie is definitely getting made, contracts have been signed, announcements have been made. And more importantly, Villeneuve himself has confirmed he's working on it. None of that should be surprising to anyone who knows how laborious the moviemaking process is, especially when it comes to big sci-fi projects.

How many years did James Cameron spend telling us that he was working on the Avatar sequel? It seemed to go on for almost a decade, or close to it.

The more time is spent developing a movie, the better the result tends to be.

So it is definitely best that Villeneuve not rush into production, because then it would probably not end up being the best screen adaptation of the source material. Way too many movies have been ruined by rushing them into production.