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Paul Verhoeven making The Last Express movie?

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Remember when Chris said Jordan Mechner might be bringing The Last Express back in a different medium? behold:

http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/04/13/paul-verhoeven-developing-big-screen-adaptation-of-jordan-mechners-video-game-the-last-express/

“I am working on a movie now that is… situated in 1914. Basically, Indiana Jones-ish you could say, but also Hitchcockian. We are scripting it. It’s an idea that exists already… from another medium, and so we are making it now into a film narrative.” Which medium, Josh asked. “A game, a video game.”

While I bet most Thumbs would be screaming the answer at the end of this description, the interviewer at MTV couldn't figure it out. :P Peter Sciretta at /Film did, though, so kudos to him I guess?

It kinda hurts me to see the film bloggers to refer to Mechner as the guy who wrote Prince of Persia the movie. <.< Then again most people even within OUR industry don't know the guy, let alone outside our "culture".

Paul Verhoeven, for those who don't know, is most famous as the man who made Robocop, but he has also made Total Recall, Starship Troopers, Basic Instinct, and... *ahem* Showgirls.

Seems to me this wont just be an easy cash grab based on a familiar name, since well, The Last Express is not a familiar name to people. <.<

What do you think? Will they stay true to the game? CAN they even, given the unique narrative of The Last Express?

:tup: ? :tmeh: ? :tdown: ?

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Paul Verhoeven also made Turks fruit, Soldaat van Oranje and Spetters (among other films) All pretty well known Dutch movies (In the Netherlands at least :))

I'm curious what he will do with it. He is a great director!

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Not to mention the more recent Zwartboek (Black Book) which was nice as well.

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Hmmm, how could a film version of The Last Express remain true to my experience playing the game...?

EXT. TRAIN - DAY

ROBERT CATH climbs to the top of the speeding train. The SERB stands, waiting for him.

CATH stands, ready to fight the SERB. The SERB SLASHES CATH with a knife! He dies.

SFX: A CLOCK RUNS BACKWARDS.

CATH stands, ready to fight the SERB. The SERB SLASHES CATH with a knife! He dies.

SFX: A CLOCK RUNS BACKWARDS.

...Repeat this part for ten minutes...

CATH, having defeated the Serb, returns to the train and attends to an injured PASSENGER.

CATH:

Oh, by the way, I'm a doctor and for some reason I didn't mention it until now.

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Hm, what sounds like a legitimate director directing a movie about what sounds to be an awesome game?

Sounds interesting.

Also, I wish I could play the Last Express. The Thumbs talk on it sounded great, and I'm especially interested in that era. Maybe this will spur a movie-tie-in rerelease on steam or something. Was it a Lucasarts game or totally separate?

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Paul Verhoeven also made Turks fruit, Soldaat van Oranje and Spetters (among other films) All pretty well known Dutch movies (In the Netherlands at least :))

I'm curious what he will do with it. He is a great director!

Maybe he will decide to make a complete mockery out of it like he did with Starship Troopers. While I tip my hat to the pure balls on him for doing it, I'd probably kick him in the head for putting that personal mark on that franchise thus ruining a real chance for true to source movie to ever be made.

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Hm, what sounds like a legitimate director directing a movie about what sounds to be an awesome game?

Sounds interesting.

Also, I wish I could play the Last Express. The Thumbs talk on it sounded great, and I'm especially interested in that era. Maybe this will spur a movie-tie-in rerelease on steam or something. Was it a Lucasarts game or totally separate?

No, it was Cyan. I don't know who would have the rights to it now, as it was either their last or close-to-last game before going out of business. Who's been publishing all the Myst rereleases?

EDIT: Also, for the record, I love Starship Troopers the book, but I LOVE Starship Troopers the movie. It's not one of Heinlein's strongest in my opinion (those honours go to things more like Stranger in a Strange Land and Job: A Comedy of Justice), and the way Verhoeven (Verhooven?) turned it into a balls-out action movie that also successfully lampooned the military culture that Heinlein was celebrating in the book was fantastic. I need to watch that again. DVD is going to the top of the "next week, once my homework is done, I'll do these things" pile. Also, big ups to Michael "Sam Fisher" Ironside for his work in the movie.

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Cyan? No, we need Teal.

And Orange. Can't go wrong with Teal and Orange.

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No, it was Cyan. I don't know who would have the rights to it now, as it was either their last or close-to-last game before going out of business. Who's been publishing all the Myst rereleases?

It wasn't Cyan. It has nothing to do with Cyan or Myst. It was by Smoking Car Productions, a studio Mechner founded in San Francisco, which went out of business after The Last Express shipped. I assume Mechner still owns the rights.

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Does Brøderbund exist any more? They published it. I have no idea if they own any part of the game any more. Them going out of business is a reason The Last Express got such a shitty release and no marketing.

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It wasn't Cyan. It has nothing to do with Cyan or Myst. It was by Smoking Car Productions, a studio Mechner founded in San Francisco, which went out of business after The Last Express shipped. I assume Mechner still owns the rights.
Does Brøderbund exist any more? They published it. I have no idea if they own any part of the game any more. Them going out of business is a reason The Last Express got such a shitty release and no marketing.

My mistake. I got the developer of Myst and the publisher of Myst confused. In my defence, I was about 10 years old when all of this was current information.

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It wasn't Cyan. It has nothing to do with Cyan or Myst. It was by Smoking Car Productions, a studio Mechner founded in San Francisco, which went out of business after The Last Express shipped. I assume Mechner still owns the rights.

This then presumably allows for redistribution at Mechner's discretion and a distributor's willingness to pick it up, correct? Here's hoping it gets some kind of release.

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I think the best video game -> movie thing Paul Verhoeven could direct would be something kind of dark and humorous like Fallout. Last Express doesn't seem to really jive with his other work but I'm interested in seeing where it goes.

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Yeah, colour me interested...

I'm also interested in playing The Last Express after hearing various things about it, but it seems like I'd have to wait for a re-release of some sort... hopefully with commentary and bonus stuffs!

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Does Brøderbund exist any more? They published it. I have no idea if they own any part of the game any more. Them going out of business is a reason The Last Express got such a shitty release and no marketing.

I have no real proof, but I'm pretty sure that for various reasons Ubisoft owns many former Brøderbund releasing rights. Maybe also for The Last Express. Once Interplay also had the rights to re-release the game, is Interplay still around? I thought they closed doors?

I have the original Last Express boxed copy in possession, but as I'm a failure I have never played it.

The idea that the game might resurface as a movie is extremely exciting. I have a huge respect towards Paul Verhoeven, he has directed many of my favourite movies like Total Recall and Robocop.

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