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Ridley Scott's Return to Sci-Fi is Huxley's Brave New World

by Alex Billington
June 5, 2008
Source: Rope of Silicon

After the news broke yesterday that Ridley Scott would be returning to sci-fi in the coming years, speculation quickly began surrounding exactly which book Scott might be adapting. Our friends over at Rope of Silicon did some snooping and discovered that Aldous Huxley's Brave New World is most likely the tome he will tackle next. The 1932 masterpiece has been adapted five times previously, as a radio broadcast, multiple films, and multiple stage performances, including a 1998 made-for-TV film directed by Leslie Libman and Larry Williams. The classic sci-fi novel presents a strikingly realistic warning about our present society and seems like an immense work of fiction perfect for Ridley Scott to bring to life.

The original confirmation actually came from an article a couple of months back in the LA Times that specifically stated that "a movie of 'Brave New World' is in the works, produced by George DiCaprio and starring his son, Leonardo, directed by Ridley Scott with a screenplay by Andrew Nicholls." I'm not sure how this got passed over, but alas, it's been discovered and it confirms that Scott will be directing an adaptation of that book presumably with DiCaprio starring. As far as we can tell, Andrew Nicholls is a TV writer who hasn't actually written a feature film until now.

The book itself is a vast novel that tells of a futuristic dystopia. "Community, Identity, Stability" is the motto of Aldous Huxley's utopian World State. Here everyone consumes daily grams of soma, to fight depression, babies are born in laboratories, and the most popular form of entertainment is a "Feelie," a movie that stimulates the senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Though there is no violence and everyone is provided for, Bernard Marx feels something is missing and senses his relationship with a young women has the potential to be much more than the confines of their existence allow.

As I originally stated in the first article, I'm looking forward to Scott's return to sci-fi. However, I'm concerned about the quality of his last few films (except American Gangster) and whether he might still be able to go back to his Blade Runner roots with Brave New World. Considering he once said that "there's nothing original" and "we've seen it all before" in regards to sci-fi, he must believe that Brave New World is the last great sci-fi epic that still has the potential to be original and unique in a world humdrum Hollywood blockbusters. Does it have that potential?

Filed under Discuss, Movie News, Rumors

From around the web:

http://www.andreascliment.com Andreas

Are you sure that the writer is Andrew Nicholls and not Andrew Niccol? Considering Niccol's previous movies have had similar themes (Gattaca) I wouldn't be surprised if LA Times got the name wrong. If it really is Andrew Nicholls that's cool too, just thought I'd mention the possibility. I'm really excited about Ridley doing Sci-fi again!
E

why does this sound so much like ... Equilibrium ....?
Cory

There is a God. Sits behind only the Godfather by Mario Puzo as one of my all time favorite novels, a novel I so desperately wanted to see adapted the right way. And now, it's in the hands of Sir Ridley. I await the masterpiece....
Mark

It sounds like Equilibrium, because Equilibrium stole it's whole story from nearly any scifi classic ever made.
David

Brave New World is one of my favorite science fiction books and whenever I read it over again I think to myself why doesn't Hollywood remake this book. I had watched the original movie in high school, but I think that Ridely Scott will do this great novel its do justice.
RalphyBoy

Just as long as they leave in references to "Centrifugal Bumblepuppy" and "Hunt the zipper"
Tom

LOL. after proclaiming "there's nothing original. We've seen it all before", it's now revealed that scott will adapt a book that has, as noted, already been adapted several times before. talk about irony.
http://movieguyreviews4u.blogspot.com Ryan

Awesome.
jason_md2020

LOVED THAT BOOK! Back in high school we had to pick three novels by different authors & unite them under a theme. My three were 1984, Fahrenhiet 451 & BNW. I think I scared my teacher with my report on, "How to manipulate a population by the control of information." BNW is VERY relevant to today. Pick up a copy, read it and take a good look around at the "civilized" world. Huxley was scarily on the money. Never seen this book done justice on screen. But I'm pretty sure if anyone can pull it of Ridley can. Antidepressants = Soma
Derek

The only person that I think should be allowed to make a Brave New World film is Terry Gilliam.
http://rhptkfgs.blogspot.com ramez

I hated that book written so obscurley in an obnoxious satyrical style and had the most terrible plot development. Yuck
Vince

I bet they screwed up the name, and it's actually Andrew Niccol, the writer of Gattaca, Truman Show, etc.
http://outlander.solsector.net/ AD

That was my thought too... But mosly because Gattaca is one of my all time favorite Sci-fi movies. Simone, Lord of War and The Truman show were all interesting in their own ways. But I think the pairing of his writting with Ridley's direction would be near perfect.
askika

the 1980's film is great, doesn't need to be redone. people who need it to have new actors and special fx wont understand it anyway so why bother?
Taraje

Am I the only one that wants to see him do Neuromancer? (or do you think it would be too much like BladeRunner?)
DR DTX

---Hey Scott! -It's 2010 -and Huxley's already been done to death! Meanwhile debauched America -Australia and the West are now the junk-credit opium addicts of the awesomely genocidal Red Chinese. -That's right -70 MILLION -peacetime- murders -and we're ALL in denial. -Make something of THAT situation...
Carson Dyle

^ Shut up. Brave New World is unadaptable for the simple reason that it lacks dramatically engaging characters. This is intentional and anyone who's read the book can understand why the characters are deliberately uninteresting (save for maybe Jack Savage). A movie version would likely have to sex up (ha!) the players to make it more interesting on a cinematic level but this would loose a large part of the point of Huxley's prose.