Grit. Long days in a mine. A sense of somehow restrained lawlessness. A rash of violent deaths. A Marshal taking a stand after finding out that “the company” is responsible for the killings.
It sounds like the makings of a perfect south-Atlantic murder mystery, but it’s actually the outline for a 1981, outer-space-based epic starring Sean Connery (see pic above) that’s about to have new life breathed into it.
Outland offered a great slice of science-fiction wrapped in what (in the future) is supposed to be mundane life on one of the many moons of Jupiter in a “backwater town” but in this case – it was literally out of this world entertainment.
Warner Bros. has green-lit a new incarnation (read: remake) of Outland that intends to present the feature as something much larger than was ever originally planned. This time, the backdrop will be an entire city that orbits the moon. The same kind of conspiracy is revealed and once again, a lone-wolf warrior reaches a forked road in his life: The path to retirement and eye-covering neglect, or standing tall, gathering his own rag-tag army to help make a difference.
I remember Outland, not only because it was a decidedly tasty helping of dark common-space-life gone afoul, but because of the special effects showcased. Where else could you find the potential for exploding heads inside of spacesuits? There’s a BIG difference between someone maybe being shot by a bad guy, and someone ending up a layer of plasma-based icing on the inside of a space suit. Outland brought that horror to life perfectly and we can hope this new offering will feature something at least as satisfying.
The buzz is solid; the potential for outstanding CGI and a good cast lights all the right bulbs; and Michael Davis – a former storyboard artist turned director – previously helmed Shoot ‘em Up, a feature with a decidedly different and welcome flavor of its own.
What do YOU think? Does Outland warrant this attention and a remake? Can we make something more of what was a Sean-Connery-piloted science fiction sleeper classic?
Discuss below.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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