(Official Poster: click for larger image)
"H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
RELEASE DATE PUSHED BACK."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2005
The Principals of Pendragon Pictures announce the push
back of the theatrical release date of H.G. WELLS' THE
WAR OF THE WORLDS from March 30th, 2005 to late April
with the exact date yet to be announced.
"The push back is due entirely to production," states
director Timothy Hines. "I've worked for seven year on
this film and as the release deadline approached I was
faced with a very simple choice, rush the picture or
push the release date back and do the movie right."
Hines is unapologetic about the push back. "This was
absolutely the right thing to do. My picture, H.G.
WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is an epic with thousands
of special effects. It would have been absurd to cut
scenes or rush effects when the movie was so close to
completion. The thousands of fan letters that pour in
every week reflect that this decision is correct and in
the end it was the only way to go. Nobody remembers
that some episodes of STAR WARS have been up to a year
late, that Francis Ford Coppola, Kubrick and many other
directors have routinely missed deadliness to get their
picture right. H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is all
we hoped it would be and more."
A few private test screenings have brought
overwhelmingly positive responses. Test audiences have
reacted with strong emotions ranging from tears to
triumphant. "I'm not surprised at the powerful reaction
to the movie from our test groups," says Hines. "We did
the book. Wells was a powerful writer. THE WAR OF THE
WORLDS is a tragic story. It's a horror story. I didn't
play the battles between the human artillery and the
giant three-legged fighting machines triumphantly.
This is humanity losing its planet to an invading
force. Well, for a time anyway. That people have shown
they are moved by the movie says we got it right."
The exact April theatrical release date of H.G. WELLS'
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS will be announced shortly, though
the DVD release is locked. The picture is presold for
DVD into 60,000 retail stores in the U.S. and Canada
and will hit the shelves June 15th, 2005. Worldwide DVD
presales are in progress.
Two books on the making of Pendragon's H.G. WELLS' THE
WAR OF THE WORLDS will hit the bookstores on June 1st.
The books are published by Retrovision in association
with Ed Gross, the east coast editor of CFQ
(Cinefantastique) Magazine.
THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Book One: The Lost Film
A comprehensive behind the scenes look at the War of
the Worlds film that wasn't, taking the project from
its point of conception, through the design stage,
negotiations with studios and talent, conversations
with Dreamworks and Paramount and, finally, the impact
of September 11th on the production. Book one
culminates with the decision to mothball the project
and the reasons behind it. From there, the entire
original script is offered, which is accompanied by
storyboards and production illustrations.
THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Book Two: All's Well That Ends Wells
Book two begins with a recap of the events of Book One,
primarily the terrorist attacks of September 11th, and
the filmmakers' sense of responsibility that they could
not go forward with the movie that they had envisioned,
feeling that it mirrored reality too closely. Tracked,
is the hit the film took in terms of budget, dropping
from $42 million to $8 million and eventually up again
to $20+ million. Creatively, the decision to harken
back to the H.G. Wells novel is explored, and that this
is the first version to truly tap into the source
material. The new screenplay is included accompanied by
numerous production designs and finished sequences.
Also included are interviews with cast members and
behind the scenes special effects personnel to tell the
entire story of the making of the film.
To pre-order the THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF
THE WORLDS books contact Retrovision at
http://www.retrovisionmag.com .
On another note, director Timothy Hines addresses some
of the many rumors floating around concerning the
competition between his and Spielberg's respective
productions, amongst which are that Hines is financed
by George Lucas in retaliation for Spielberg cutting
into Lucas' STAR WARS business or that Paramount and
Dreamworks have publicity attack teams that use the
acronym DDP (Discredit Discourage Pendragon).
"Most of these rumors are laughable," smiles Hines, "I
would love it if George Lucas threw some support in our
direction. If Lucas and Spielberg actually do have
tension about Spielberg cutting into STAR WARS
business, I know nothing about that. Concerning our
film, it really exists, it will be distributed and all
who wish to see it in the end will have their
opportunity to do so."
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