Media: Zeitgeist - Hollywood mines the seam of Victorian science fiction with update of Wells classic

September 10, 2004

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Media: Zeitgeist - Hollywood mines the seam of Victorian science fiction with update of Wells classic

It looks as if the 50s sci-fi revival might be coming to an end. All those brushed-aluminium flying saucers straight out of a kitchenware department, not to mention Cold War-era leaping paranoia and zombies. Yawn. We say it is time for something sourced in a more gentle era. That is why Zeitgeist is so pleased to inform you that next year's big thing is, wait for it, Victorian sci-fi.

Trust us. Tom Cruise has just signed one of those slice-of-the-takings deals he likes so much (and this one could be worth $300 million) to take the lead in a trilogy of films based on HG Wells' 1898 classic, The War of the Worlds, to be directed by Steven Spielberg.

We say the 19th-century revival starts here. And when Hollywood has finished with Wells (HG that is), it can revive Professor Challenger and then start working through the oeuvre of Jules Verne. Journey to the Centre of the Earth, anyone?

The high concept: The War of the Worlds

The budget: $300 million just for the first of the trilogy

Release date: They haven't even made it yet, stupid

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