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'Apollo 18' Writer Reworking 'Rome, Sweet Rome' Time Travel Film

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January 15, 2013
Source: Variety

Rome, Sweet Rome

Funnily enough, I just suffered through the found footage horror film Apollo 18 for the first time last weekend. Now the writer of that atrocious film has been hired to do a rewrite of a time travel film called Rome, Sweet Rome, a story based on an idea that started on the popular website Reddit. It sounds a bit silly, but the pitch from first-time screenwriter, author and Jepoardy champion James Erwin started from several posts on the site asking the question, "What if a unit of U.S. Marines are transported back in time and forced to do battle with Roman legions?" The answer is they get a motion picture deal at Warner Bros.

Variety reports Brian Miller is rewriting the film from scratch since the first run by Erwin didn't seem like it was exactly what the studio wanted. This time, Miller's take (which is as fresh as can be since he's not being given the original) will follow a group of U.S. Special Forces soldiers instead of Marines. The title seems a bit hokey, but then again, so does the idea. Of course, this could make for some cool action and a great dramatization of what it might be like if some of history's finest warriors went up against our military. The guns would give them a slight advantage, but I'm betting they won't have they all the time in order to make it a little more challenging. Hopefully we'll hear more about this intriguing project down the road.

Find more posts: Development, Movie News

11 Comments

1

Well there goes a good idea, to the place where they die. We will never see that film. Hope the original author publishes the story as a novel.

Eaglewing on Jan 15, 2013

2

Slow news day? Anyway kinda sounds like something Syfy and The Asylum would produce. I'll till watch it on home media prolly.

Christopher Dean on Jan 15, 2013

3

Cue Pollyanna theme, but I'm still optimistic about it myself.

James Erwin on Jan 15, 2013

4

Sounds like a lame vamp on "The Final Countdown." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080736/

Bullies For Romney on Jan 15, 2013

5

Guns in the past? Naeeee, it'll break the time thing.

Carpola on Jan 15, 2013

6

Sounds like a spin on an old Twilight Zone, A marine unit ends up in the time of Custers last stand, Although they never played on the actual conflict, I always thought it would be a cool concept

Poopy pants on Jan 15, 2013

7

son of a....I had this idea once. Only I was daydreaming and instead of a movie I was thinking wouldn't this be cool if it was my life.

Maverick on Jan 15, 2013

8

So, is no one aware of Jonathan Hickman's awesome comic "Pax Romana"?

mirth on Jan 15, 2013

9

O.k...well,if they kept it realistic in spite of the whole time travel thingy it could be interesting...modern weaponry runs out of bullets, fuel and batteries die eventually so their advantage would be in knowledge I guess ...also as far as I know not an expert, roman military tactics is still thought in military schools so that angle should be interesting...how does modern military knowledge stack up against roman genius ? ...but they will probably go with a cheap cheesy approach..shoot em up action syfy...

hammy on Jan 16, 2013

10

Something VERY similar G.I. Samurai (戦国自衛隊, Sengoku jieitai (Time Slip) and Sengoku Self Defense Force?) is a 1979 Japanese feature length film focusing on the adventures of a modern day Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) team that accidentally travels in time to the Warring States period (戦国時代, Sengoku jidai?). Samurai Commando: Mission 1549 (remake 2005)

Chris on Jan 16, 2013

11

Yes its true Erwin's idea was not in anyway original, what father hasn't been asked whether a modern soldier could take on a Roman soldier etc... and the Japanese movie is very similar. I think what was special about Erwin's take was his implementation, the way he fleshed the idea out. There would be nothing to prevent another movie studio also making a film about modern soldiers going back to Roman times as long as the detail was different.

C321 on Sep 11, 2013

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