Some Hitchhiker's Guide production stills

[Cyb]

http://www.darkhorizons.com/2005/hitchhiker/guide1.jpg
http://www.darkhorizons.com/2005/hitchhiker/guide2.jpg

Marvin's head is kinda way too big, and Zaphoid is missing his second head (which isn't a huge deal as it was always a minor detail in the books) but the second shot looks really sweet. I can't wait! Please don't let them have butchered Adams' script too much :(

phantom edit:
http://cyb.vect.org:8080/pics/guide1.jpg
http://cyb.vect.org:8080/pics/guide2.jpg

[Szymanski]

Cyb said:

Please don't let them have butchered Adams' script too much :(

seconded

[sargebaldy]

His name was Zaphod, and I thought the second head thing was mentioned quite a bit. The Marvin thing doesn't bug me, as long as they don't fuck up his character. I'm not sure I like the idea of a black guy playing Ford Prefect either, not because of anything against black people but because I think they'll twist his character around to make him "more black" and ruin it. I think I like the guy they casted for Arthur Dent. And the girl playing Trillian seemed good for the part, although I think her hair color changed.

[Szymanski]

The cast of the BBC's (very old) version:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/gallery/index.shtml

I'm not too bothered by the cast, although Marvins voice was very good.

[Psyonisis]

,

[Fredrik]

It may or may not turn out good.

[Naked Snake]

Cyb said:

http://www.darkhorizons.com/2005/hitchhiker/guide1.jpg
http://www.darkhorizons.com/2005/hitchhiker/guide2.jpg

Marvin's head is kinda way too big, and Zaphoid is missing his second head (which isn't a huge deal as it was always a minor detail in the books)

Since these are publicity stills I doubt that these shots reflect how that scene will appear when CGI is applied to it, so that d00d (dunno which one, never read the books) will probably get another head and that big-ass head will probably be fixed (if that robot guy is a CGI character then that is probably the person standing in so the actors can react to whatever his CGI counterpart is supposed to do.)

[Szymanski]

It may or may not turn out good

thank you nostradamus :)

The robot guy is the final version, it's just a small bloke in a costume.

[Amaster]

It's Zaphod! And his second head was mentioned quite a few times, though I dont think it ever impacted anything.

The guy playing Ford looks like he's trying too hard. Maybe he'll look better on film.

[chilvence]

Oh god, it looks as if someone tried to apply literal meaning to brain the size of a planet

Blech

[Cyb]

sorry, I always type zaphoid instead of zaphod

anyways, Mos Def is a pretty good actor, so I don't really have any problems with him. I think he'll end up fitting the part well.

Zaphod's head was mentioned a bit, yes, but it's never a very critical plot point... also as pointed out Sam Rockwell's (who is casted perfectly, imo) head is always tilted to the side in that shot as well as various others that I haven't seen, but heard about, plus these are production stills, aka they're just raw film footage before and post-production is done.

Plus if it's 100% accurate to the books then it just won't be H2G2.

Also forgot to mention, but apparently Alan Rickman (from Harry Potter and Die Hard) is doing the voice of Marvin.

[chilvence]

Thinking about it a bit, maybe the obnoxiously cute Marvin does work, since it fits well with obnoxiously chirpy face of Sirius Cybernetics.

Well, nothing can stop me seeing this film anyway. They could replace all the main characters with generic personality-deficient skater dude's and I'd still have to look.

[Johnatone]

Sweetness. I can't wait. As to those who think it may not be good or 'faithful,' remember that every version of HHGTTG has been different in one way or another. I haven't seen any of the originals, I only [kinda] own the book (ex-girlfriend has it).

As for Ford being black, I couldn't care less. It kind of smells of that thing liberals have done to Hollywood. You know, the (forgive the language All Those Who Are Easily Offended) 'token nigger.' Like I said, I couldn't care less.

Can't wait. 05 rules already.

EDIT: Wait, Alan Rickman? Awesome. So far it's the only name I recognize.

[sargebaldy]

Yeah, honestly I don't care entirely if it's 100% to the books, as long as it keeps the general feel. I really wish they'd just stuck to Douglas Adam's script, I'm not sure I like the idea of changes being made after his death. I guess I'd just like to think it was a movie that he would have given the go. But whether it's good or not I'm definitely going to check it out.

[Fletcher`]

sargebaldy said:

I think I like the guy they casted for Arthur Dent.

No, he's not pathetic or hopeless enough.

This movie need a heavy dose of '70's.

Edit: i just picked out who's who. Ok, that arthur will work, though i expected his hair to be a little more scraggly. :P

[sargebaldy]

ravage said:

No, he's not pathetic or hopeless enough.

well, he's bewildered enough.

[Bucket]

Plus the character (or most of Adams' characters) was never written for a specific TYPE of person. Barring acting skill for visual presentation, of course.

[Ichor]

Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't Battlefield Earth. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck.

[-Jk-]

Ichor said:

Please don't suck. <- Repeat

[dsm]

I don't see why it's such a big deal that Marvin has a big head (it's not like the bloody books ever described his appearance other than being a small robot) - kinda fits in several ways:

1. It gives the whole "I have a brain the size of a planet" thing a greater impact.

2. Marvin looks more comical, which isn't something to scoff at since the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is all about comedy.

But it does strike me that they decided to make a movie after Douglas Adams kicked the bucket - "Well, he's outta the way, so he can't bitch about our script because he's gone, bwahahahahaha! *insert the sound of a cow being milked here*"

[sargebaldy]

Er, actually the movie was being planned for some time before he died. He actually wrote the original script for the movie, although it's been retouched since.

[zombieribcage]

Cyb said:

Also forgot to mention, but apparently Alan Rickman (from Harry Potter and Die Hard) is doing the voice of Marvin.

that's good...i was wondering how they were going to pull off a good marvin with warwick davis(Leprechaun) playing him with his thick accent and all.

[Sharessa]

Haha, Alan Rickman as Marvin? That would be awesome. Just think of how he did his character in Dogma (the oft-annoyed Meditron). Upping the complaining about 10x would be pure hilarity.

I can't see the photos on the site Cyb posted. It gives me 404s. I can, however, see the picture Szymanski posted and I don't really have any problems with the Marvin costume, though I do see a small flaw: In the third book, I think his leg was used as one of the pillars of the Wicket Gate. That leg isn't very rodlike for that to work, though I DO think that he had a replacement leg at the time or something so whatever.

The HHGTTG trilogy is probably my favorite series of books, and I've read all five of them at least twice each (the first one probably half a dozen times). This better not suck.

[Spike]

Danarchy said:

Just think of how he did his character in Dogma (the oft-annoyed Meditron).

I got the distinct impression that his look and voice in that flick was based on Frankie Howard.

[chilvence]

dsm said:

1. It gives the whole "I have a brain the size of a planet" thing a greater impact.

2. Marvin looks more comical, which isn't something to scoff at since the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is all about comedy.

I'm really in two minds about this. That catchphrase revolves around being able to tell that Marvin knows he is tens of thousands of times more intelligent than anyone he's ever met, which is the reason he feels his servile existance is futile. When it is given an actual physial meaning, it could be misconstrued as "my head is big so I am more cleverer than you", which just makes him seem pompous.

But like I said, it seems like just the sort of ironicly unfitting appearance that Sirius cybernetics would impose on him.

[Sharessa]

Spike said:

I got the distinct impression that his look and voice in that flick was based on Frankie Howard.

I have no idea who that is.

[Spike]

Danarchy said:

I have no idea who that is.

Et Voilá :P

[Cyb]

the images look like they've been removed for unknown reasons :( if anyone has them, you can email them to me (cyb@vect.org and I'll put them up

also he's a Marvin prototype from a while back. I like it a bit better if they stuck to that design, just because of the way his head is attached to his body. shrug

http://www.planetmagrathea.com/protomarvin.html

[Johnatone]

ravage said:

This movie need a heavy dose of '70's.

Agreed, 70's or maybe 80's. Hell, from what I understand, the 80's are coming back (which will turn out badly seeing how much they've butchered punk rock in the last ten years. Thank God New Order is still around).

On one note though, I like that Jim Henson's studios are working on the film. They've never disapointed me with their stuff (especially Labyrinth. I'm a Bowie freak).

Numbermind said:

Plus the character (or most of Adams' characters) was never written for a specific TYPE of person. Barring acting skill for visual presentation, of course.

Actually, Ford, being an alien, had created a fake background for himself which had him originating from a place in Englad (can't think of the name) where, so I'm told, it's not common for black people to come from. So on that note I could understand the dispute, but otherwise, I don't think it really matters.

[Bucket]

Having read the story, I already know whatever it was you said. But if the movie made him out to be the only black person in England (which he isn't), it would still have be of no consequence in regards to the original story.