Steven Spielberg still has his war drama War Horse in theaters, and next holiday season he’ll put out another piece of potential historical drama Oscar-bait with Lincoln - but after that, the acclaimed director is returning to that other genre he seems to do so well in, with the sci-fi flick Robopocalypse, which was written by Cloverfield scribe Drew Goddard, and is based on a book by Daniel H. Wilson.
In recent months Spielberg has been somewhat vocal about his intentions for Robopocalypse, but today we get some concise words about when it will take place, and what kind of narrative and/or thematic focus the film will have.
Daniel H. Wilson (a Ph.D. student in robotics as well as an author) is known for his science-fact-meets-science-fiction books How to Survive a Robot Uprising and, of course, Robopocalypse. His work tends to focus on the real…er, mechanics of artificial intelligence and the very real dangers that come with it. Spielberg tells Time Out London that his film adaptation will follow a similar narrative/thematic thread:
‘It’s a movie about a global war between man and machine. I had a great time creating the future on “Minority Report”, and it’s a future that is coming true faster than any of us thought it would. “Robopocalypse” takes place in 15 or 20 years, so it’ll be another future we can relate to. It’s about the consequences of creating technologies which make our lives easier, and what happens when that technology becomes smarter than we are. It’s not the newest theme, it’s been done throughout science fiction, but it’s a theme that becomes more relevant every year.’
It’s good to hear that Spielberg recognizes the fact that the idea of A.I. run-amok is a subject that has indeed been done-to-death in sci-fi films (and literature). Movies like Eagle Eye, The Matrix, I, Robot and to much lesser extent Transformers are still fresh in this generation of moviegoers’ minds, with the older generation(s) having even more examples like 2001 or Terminator crowding the list. That Spielberg put out a film titled ‘A.I.’ only reinforces the cliched nature of the sub-genre.
But of course, as the director himself points out, the rapid evolution of technology makes the themes and allegories of such stories even more relevant than ever today. After all, it’s easier to imagine iPhone’s Siri going rogue and developing Skynet-style self-awareness than it is the archaic computers that were on the market when Stanley Kubrick thought up 2001‘s HAL 9000 back in late 1960s.
That is to say: It’s a pretty sure bet that Spielberg will have some pretty clever (and visually enticing) ways of ushering us into the Robopocalypse by the time the film hits theaters on July 3, 2013.
Source: Time Out London via The Playlist
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Oh great, speilberg is making a Terminator rip off…..
I still say technology that been abused
or tried to work for us ,a good film to
see is Robocop or even Circuitry Man…..
good luck Steven ,as far as I’m concern you
only had one bad film,1941,…………….
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Indy 4
I think he tried to do the best with what Lucas gave him. Spielberg was not happy with some ideas of Lucas, but there are friends and so he done it anyway because Lucas insisted.
I think “1941″ was quite funny when I watched it 20 years ago, but I don`t know how I would think of it when I whatch it now.
I liked 1941 and Wild Bill Kelso.
I despised Indy 4 and also thought The Goonies was a steaming pile.
See Battlestar Galactica. Machines VS Humans albiet in another galaxy
This also sounds a lot like irobot…. which I enjoy
sounds good, but it also sound so familiar and as if the idea has worn out
Speilberg? – Sci-Fi?
Falling Skies. That is all.
I love “Robopocalypse”. It’s not the greatest book I’ve ever read, but for a first-time novelist, it’s definitely not the worst. I even wrote a review of it for my website. I don’t care how many comparisons people make with the Terminator franchise; I will be there on opening night.
Its been overdone but I’ll watch it. Just as long as it isn’t like A.I.
This is the guy that made ‘Minority Report’. Good enough for me.
I’m a bit confused as to why this is a news worthy story? It’s basically Spielberg talking about the plot of a book. That isn’t him disclosing some huge secret. It’s already public knowledge.
Or it would be if it wasnt a book that was ultra hyped and then just fell of the radar with zero promotion.
/yawn……very old and well trod theme. Man creates machines to make their lives easier, machines gain sentience and rebel. Hardly original but I guess it’s better than a remake or a reboot?
the last robot films from the sources of this russian sc-fi author(don´t remember his name now),were all boring. let´s list them. 1.a.i. 2.i robot! there were some more but i don´t remind the titles.
I’m sorry but this concept just sounds trite and the fact that Steven recognizes that is not a good thing in my eyes. I hope the screenwriter added some new sort of twist or angle other than “Machines become smarter than us > Gain consciousness > Become dangerous > we have to take them out”
well if this is as close as I’ll get to see a war against the machines I’m on board I jus hope it has tht look of munich, saving private ryan. I knw I wont see humans in war with skynet untill I’m like 30 so sad.