In the realm of retro science fiction cinema, “Forbidden Planet” is unanimously considered a Hollywood classic, topping virtually every serious list of groundbreaking space films. This 1956 retelling of William Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ stands proudly among other vintage works such as ‘The Thing From Another World’, ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’, ‘The War of the Worlds’ and ‘The Day the Earth’. Stood Still” as excellent examples of that long-gone Golden Age.
Of that celebrated group of 1950s sci-fi films, ‘Forbidden Planet’ also remains the only one that thankfully hasn’t received a Tinseltown reboot, but that’s all about to change with recent news of a ‘revisionist’ remake from Warner Bros. from Eisner Award-winning comic book artist and screenwriter Brian K. Vaughan (“Y: The Last Man,” “Saga”) and seasoned producer Emma Watts.
As Deadline reported last week, Vaughan will write the script for an updated version of “Forbidden Planet,” much to the dismay of purists who believe the material should be left untouched regardless of his solid reputation as a gifted storyteller.
“Forbidden Planet” was originally directed by Fred M. Wilcox and starred Walter Pidgeon, Leslie Nielsen and Anne Francis. It was loosely adapted from The Bard’s last completed play about sailors stranded on a magical island ruled by a wizard named Prospero – an interesting plot that was turned into a grand galactic adventure in which a crew of the patrol spaceship C-57D lands on the planet Altair IV to investigate a colony of forgotten scientists.
Warned to stay away by the genius sole survivor Dr. Morbius (Pidgeon) and his daughter Altaira (Francis), commander John Adams (Nielsen) and Co. arrive. despite the dangers of discovering an invisible murderous monster stalking the planet and the mystery of a long-gone alien civilization that has left their advanced technology behind. And let’s not forget Robby the Robot!
Vaughan is certainly up to the task of writing a competent screenplay for a remake of “Forbidden Planet”. His comic book projects also include ‘Ex Machina’, ‘Runaways’, ‘Pride of Baghdad’ and ‘Paper Girls’, and in Hollywood, Vaughan was attached to popular TV series such as ‘Lost’, where he acted as a writer. , story editor and producer for three seasons before being anointed by the legendary Steven Spielberg to bring Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” to the small screen in 2013.
But as the old saying goes, simply because something CAN be done doesn’t necessarily mean it SHOULD be done, and many restless fans would be perfectly content to leave “Forbidden Planet” untouched and unchanged forever.
She brings significant experience with major tentpole releases having headed the feature film divisions of 20th Century Fox and Paramount for science fiction films such as ‘I, Robot’, ‘Alita: Battle Angel’, ‘The Martian’ and ‘Maze Runner ‘. and “Avatar,” Watts is a powerhouse producer who could fulfill the monumental task of conjuring up more Hollywood magic here. This big-budget remake is still in its early stages, but we’ll keep our readers posted as it moves toward reality.