The co-writers and executive producers of the new Star Trek movie (and sequel) are adding yet another movie into their stable or production projects, and this one is yet another hard to believe adaptation. DreamWorks is now in talks for the rights to make a film based on the Fisher Price ViewMaster 3D Viewer toy, with Bob and Alex tapped to produce.
View-Master: The Motion Picture
The news of the ViewMaster movie comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which states that Fringe writer Brad Caleb Kane will pen the script. It is hard to get one’s head around the concept of a movie based on the View-Master toy, and it makes the recent announcements of movie adaptations of TJ Hooker and the Asteroids Videogame seem much more plausible. Kane gave a bit of a hint of the direction for the film on Twitter over the weekend, saying he wants the movie to be "like the old ’80s Amblin movies: ‘Goonies,’ ‘Young Sherlock’ … in that vein", which is similar to comments made by Orci and Kurtzman regarding the movie about MMORPG players they are making with
Masi Oka (announced one month ago).
With Bob and Alex attached to three big movies from Summer 2009 (Star Trek, The Proposal, Transformers 2), they are quite the hot commodities these days. Right now they are coming off the Transformers 2 press tour and trying to finish up the script for the comic adaptation of Cowboys and Aliens, along with managing a number of projects in development and keeping an eye on Fringe (which is in production now). Hopefully they will be able to put all that aside when they (along with Damon Lindelof) dive into the Star Trek sequel script, which they say is their next focus after taking a break.
Trek & View-Master
Speaking of the View-Master, there is a Star Trek connection to the toy actually. Over the years there were actually five Star Trek adaptation ‘reels’ made for the View-Master: TOS "The Omega Glory", TAS "Yesteryear", Star Trek The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and TNG "A Matter of Honor." More details on View-Master and Trek at Memory Alpha and the Have Phaser, Will Travel blog.
Trek and View-Master
(Image: Have Phaser, Will Travel Blog)
Perhaps there will be an film adaptation of the Pet Rocks.
Well, we did have “Armageddon” for that…
Wow… i had one of these when I was a kid. So getting it.
I remember my Kindergarden class had a Next Gen one, must have been the ‘A Matter of Honor’ one listed here, and I thought it was the coolest thing. There was one still where they were in the phaser-practice range firing phasers, and I remember never having seen that in any episode, and eagerly awaiting it coming up in the rerun scheduel. Hadn’t thought about it in years though, thanks for the memory!
Wow, what I wouldn’t give for those Star Trek slides. That said, how in the HELL does that toy adapt into a movie!?
well I am guess that it is not really about the toy, but will be about kids playing with the toy. I imagine some kids playing with some kind of magical version of a View-Master, not unlike Jumangi or Zathura. The kids get the magic View-Master and any reels they play with it become real.
Then again that is kind of the plot for the recent Eddie Murphy flop Imagine That, so maybe not.
Had the Omega Glory set. always wondered why there was not a real shot of the Enterprise and the Exeter in the set….instead of a shot of two of the model kits in space. Anyone know?
Yeah, Fringe is in production again. They were shooting a few blocks from my home the other day. Nice to see them following the wisdom of X-Files — Metro Vancouver is an amazing place for modern day sci-fi. I was treated very respectably by the people there as well. I will definitely be trying to get back into the Fringe crowd with the upcoming season… here’s hoping they can keep me interested this time.
Nice Trek viewmaster pic!
A quick merchandise question……don’t really know where else to ask. Does anyone know the price of the SDCC Hallmark Exclusive Uhura Keepsake Ornament? And if there are limits to how many you can buy? Hallmark knew nothing when I asked and I’m really trying to find out before I get to the con as I have a list of people who wants me to buy that one and the Star Wars one for them. Any help will be greatly appreciated as I really don’t know where to look for that info.
Also hoping the movie will still be showing somehwere when I get over to the US again next Wednesday…..can’t WAIT to be back! Have FUN y’all!
ahhhh one of my faves-I have all the trek viewmasters except the tng one-didnt even know they made one! As for making a movie around it–interesting-I also have many of the disneyland and disney viewmasters and scifi ones like tron,black hole etc–They were originally GIF viewmasters(a company)-best of luck on this one mr orci-gif made a black deluxe viewer that had a bigger image, a focusing wheel and self lit with 2 d batteries and a bar on the back you pushed to make it light up-awesome-mine got ruined when battery acid leaked all over it-i really miss that viewer
With these writers, not expecting anything great
opps the company name was gaf not gif haha typo-they also had a viewmaster projector i had also-
I believe the movie is going to be a Transformers spin-off, with the twist being that the ViewMaster transforms itself into an even lamer toy.
What’s next a Lite-Brite movie?!!!!
Hey Bob Orci I don’t know where to post this other than here to get a response from you, Why did Sam have to use the The Matrix of Leadership to bring Prime back? When the shard brought the kitchen appliancesto life, and Megatron was brought back with pieces of the cube, and Jet fire was brought back to life with shard as well?
Why couldn’t Sam just bring Prime back with the shard/pieces of the cube like all the other robots were able to broght back?
correction* were be able to be brought back
Wow- further proof of the utter death of original ideas in Hollywood.
I’m guessing something not too dissimilar from the last star fighter
I think this classic TV commercial has GOT to fit into the new Viewmaster movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5QGd-0X3bg
Hollywood sucks! ;)
This is up there with Aaron Sorkin’s movie about the making of Facebook in terms of uselessness.
21 –
That Facebook movie you deride is actually about the circumstances of its creation, and has very little to do with the site itself. Also, David Fincher has read the script and he didn’t seem to think it was stupid, so he signed up to direct it.
Crazy
This is getting ridiculous…
At least say that it is some kind of uber-horror movie.
Coming soon: Hungry Hungry Hippos:The Motion Picture Extravaganza.
With a special cameo by Lightbright and Speak & Spell.
So if anyone knows the answer to post number 9 please do let me know……or at least where to post/ask. Have FUN y’all! J-R!
It came with a mission from outer space …….
To teach human beings how to turn knobs to create art and messages …
coming in 2010
_____________Etch-a-Sketch :_______________
____________The Motion Picture_____________
____________This Film Is Not Yet Rated______________
*shake, shake, shake, shake*
ok, I can’t see that being made into a film…
but, I CAN see Cap’n Crunch or TV Guide being great films…haha
It sounds neat! I used to have one of these toys when I was a kid. :)
@6: I suspect that the reason the Omega Glory was photographed using models was in order to get a true 3-D effect.
ViewMaster is 3-D system. Real life reels (scenics, etc.) were shot with a stereo camera as were early cartoon/comic adaptations (e.g., Peanuts) which were first restaged using models. Reels based on TV shows and later cartoon reels just used two copies of the original 2-D image. I assume that the Omega Glory scene was specially created for the ViewMaster reel.
original idea in Hollywood? LOL
this is why I am adament that Trek XII be an original story and not a rehash of Khan, cause then the new universe will play as a series of What Ifs
I dont want that.
Although I have my problems with trek XI, on a whole I really enjoyed the film. Dont ruin a decent film with a rehased sequel.
Please guys have an original idea
31, 9/27,
That’s exactly right about the stereoscopic 3d effect, and either STARLOG or CINEMAGIC or maybe TREK had a short article with the guy who shot the pics, way WAY back.
Real question is: why OMEGA GLORY? So GR could get another residual check or as part of Bicentennial Fever?
I see how they might do it. View into the Viewmaster (I miss those things), and all of a sudden, you are in that world and not just in virtual reality.
You guys are kind of over reacting. The toy will just be a McGuffin to some kind of kiddie adventure. Very few films can be bioled down to there McGuffin or overall premise. The toy will probably provide a jumping off point, if I were to guess, and given the citation of Goonies, we’re in for an old fashioned children’s adventure. A hole that needs to be filled by more than Harry Potter and that dodgy Witch Mountain remake.
Oh, the good old days when Viewmaster reels came in the paper envelope and a little booklet. Now they just come on a paper backing.
Also when they actually used to have good reels based on tv shows and movies. Now all it’s only animated kids junk.
Wonder why I haven’t bought any Viewmaster reels in years. They just suck now,
Regarding the movie, sounds dumb to me.
I had the Omega Glory reel. Notice the shot on the cover? Perhaps the first attempt at a Star Trek Remastered Project, hmmmm?
One worry about O & K….with so much on their plate, will they have enough time to dedicate to Star Trek II (A)?
old ’80s Amblin movies:
Yeah,…those OLD movies.
Connect Four: Live Free or Die Diagonally…
sheesh maybe when I’m 80 I can hope the rehashes and exploits will finally run out and I will get something (truly) original..
is there nothing sacred?
how about CGI Montalban?
Anyone else have the Trek ViewMaster reels with Audio? Little plastic records mounted behind the VM reel? That was high end tech in 1974.
I remember having the STTMP viewmaster set when i was a kid. I used to get lost in that for hours, good times back then. (When imagination counted, now the toys do everything for the kid)
Dumbest. Idea. Ever.
If anyone knows the answer to post #9,please do tell!
In a World of Lifeless Dust…
One Brine Shrimp Finds the Courage…
to Spontaneously Come to Life…
when Added to Water…
This Summer…
You Will Believe…
“Sea Monkeys: The Motion Picture”
Why am I not surprised?
What’s next, the Tetris movie in cooperation with genius Uwe Boll?
Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell and Rob Schneider in “X-Ray Specs: The Motion Picture.”
I remember the original batman tv series viewmaster slides. I didn’t get to see the tv show as a kid, so watching the viewmaster slides was really magical.
These guys are either the most talented writers to come out of Hollywood in a long time to take on an idea this ridiculous ….
… Or they are just more of the same Hollywood opportunism, grabbing for any paycheck they can get, regardless of how much they must compromise their principles.
One thing is certain, they will not be nominated for an Oscar anytime soon.
I didn’t even know they still made View-Master toys.