August 2010 : update on silent hill 2 movie

[AuraTwilight]

Yea, that's all well and good. But shit as worded above was pretty unacceptable imo. Especially since four years isn't really that long of a wait for a movie sequel. (Or maybe the long wait for Haruhi Suzumiya stuff just desensitized me.)

[kimjae19]

Life is short, you can't predict when you will die, I'm hoping that there will be silent hill trilogy and im still alive when it comes sigh if only the first movie was done right.

I don't understand why do they give importance to Roger Avary, there are plenty of good writers there. Is it because of the producer?

[jdnation]

Life is short, you can't predict when you will die, I'm hoping that there will be silent hill trilogy and im still alive when it comes sigh if only the first movie was done right.

I don't understand why do they give importance to Roger Avary, there are plenty of good writers there. Is it because of the producer?

Could also be because of contractual obligations, or maybe there was some overall schematic that Gans and Avary wanted to continue on with in sequels... Also Avary has actually played the games, so I'd rather him than someone who hasn't.

[KiramidHead]

Avary is a decent writer and did an okay job for SH. He just needed some less cryptic dialogue and an actual reference to Alessa's telepathy and that would have ended most arguments about the movie right there. My major concern now is the director, as Gans won't be attached to it this time. He had some good ideas, and left enough space open for an SH3 style film.

[jdnation]

That Lars Von Trier guy who made Antichrist could do a good job. Although his film got very extreme, if he could tone down the really extreme elements a bit and keep the atmosphere and the psyche of that film, a Silent Hill 2 directed by him could be great! They don't have to adapt one of the games. They can do a whole new story with new characters.

Here're some trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw03QayJ2fU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBdDcQONmkM

[SilentWren]

Well, that blows.

I really do want someone who has played that games to do the damn movie, but things are looking bleak in that arena....

^I've tried to watch Antichrist and just couldn't get into it. It's right up my alley, but I guess I just don't get it.

[jdnation]

Well even if they get a new guy, someone can just do a quick run through the games for the director, that'd require, what? Maybe 3 days at most if they do SH1 - 3? Though they could just do SH2 and 3 really... Or have someone play select portions of the game and record it and play it back for the new director/art team etc.

Having a new director isn't that big a deal so long as they're known for creating good visuals and horror aesthetics and take some time to sit down and learn about the game. It's an easy problem to solve. So long as the new director they get is not some jackass or known to be inept, then there's plenty of hope.

[Shadow]

So long as the new director they get is not some jackass or known to be inept

In other words, nobody like this guy:

Well even if they get a new guy, someone can just do a quick run through the games for the director, that'd require, what? Maybe 3 days at most if they do SH1 - 3? Though they could just do SH2 and 3 really... Or have someone play select portions of the game and record it and play it back for the new director/art team etc.

Since Konami are probably going to be heavily involved in any sequel, maybe they should get as many remaining members of "Team Silent" as possible and/or Tomm Hulett and any of the other people who worked on Shattered Memories to give them a crash course in how to make a Silent Hill. I know some people won't like that, but it's just a suggestion.

[Kairu]

They don't have to adapt one of the games. They can do a whole new story with new characters.

They should do this, less chance of pissing fans off. If they made it self contained and kept the atmosphere, same genre (I'm looking at you Resident Evil), and similar themes to the games I bet many people would be happier.

This way you can have the film set in the same canon (not that it really matters), and not contradict what has be said/done in the videogame series.

[leftshoe18]

That would also work because of Silent Hill's nature of having independent stories from one another through the games with few recurring characters.

[KiramidHead]

It would be really cool if they made an SH movie that fit into game canon. Not necessarily a direct sequel, but no glaring contradictions, either.

[SilentWren]

^That's an interesting thought, but I doubt they'd do it. Video game movies are usually a separate cannon.

[KiramidHead]

It would have to be done along the lines of RE: Degeneration, but that's extremely unlikely to happen.

[Kairu]

They won't do a self contained story because they want revenue, not just from fans of the series, but from the general public. Movie makers seem to think guys and girls unfamiliar with the series will not understand what is going on so it has to be an adaptation by default. I believe that a self contained story will be more beneficial to all parties with carefully woven exposition and a plot that doesn't contradict prior entries in the series. This would generate interest in the series and screenplay writers will have more freedom to create a great story and won't necessarily be ridiculed by professional critics like Ebert.

Resident Evil Degeneration and Final Fantasy VII Advent Children are special cases and I would argue are worse than adaptations. They just seem to be poorly written fan serviced filled dumb flicks with all style and no substance, they sure look pretty though (well, Advent Children does at least).

[Moosefrenzy]

Whatever route they build this upon (unless prequel status), they need to keep Jodelle Ferland as Alessa.

[KiramidHead]

I agree, Jodelle's performance really exceeded the normal expectations for a child actor. IMO, of course.

[Kairu]

they need to keep Jodelle Ferland as Alessa.

Sorry guys, but I completely disagree, she came off as the most annoying, more so then Sean Bean (wasted talent). I had the misfortune of seeing Case 39, Jodelle Ferland had the same shtick in that.

[Patman]

In an interview for some French TV chanel they said Tom Cruise and Miramax were trying to get the rights for SH.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh2esGjW ... re=related
Aren' t you all happy now that Gans and Avary stole the cup ?

jdnation wrote:
Well even if they get a new guy, someone can just do a quick run through the games for the director, that'd require, what? Maybe 3 days at most if they do SH1 - 3? Though they could just do SH2 and 3 really... Or have someone play select portions of the game and record it and play it back for the new director/art team etc.

Shadow wrote : Since Konami are probably going to be heavily involved in any sequel, maybe they should get as many remaining members of "Team Silent" as possible and/or Tomm Hulett and any of the other people who worked on Shattered Memories to give them a crash course in how to make a Silent Hill. I know some people won't like that, but it's just a suggestion.

Thankfully Konami wont' t let someone who doesn' t even understand the games make any SH movie, let alone someone who hasn' t even played any of them. A director is someone who communicates his OWN vision and passion to others, not the other way around. Unless you both don' t care if SH2 is an übercrap movie as long as it' s done quickly ? Three days at most to get the whole picture and spirit of a Silent Hill ? Are you fucking out of your mind ?

[Shadow]

When did I say I wanted it done quickly? If anything, I want it to take as long as possible so that everything is well-thought out, there are no plot holes and it is filmed to a high standard without wasting acting talent.

And the reason I suggested that the film crew should get a crash course from Konami is because I do not want to see SH2 be a pile of crap. The problem is that the Silent Hill film series relies on being recognised as a film of a videogame, so having a completely original storyline isn't really possible unless you just start throwing monsters like Pyramid Head around just to go "Look everyone, we're doing our own thing but we've put these guys in as references!" So, it can either copy an existing game verbatim or it can try to mix it up a little. Like it or not, that's what happened in the first film (parts of which I now can't stand - Dahlia getting off lightly? Harry -> Rose I could cope with. Dahlia = Neutral is just no!). And that's probably what'll happen with the second one.

Edit: And reading it back, I'm not sure thats what jdnation meant. I read his post as meaning they sit the director down and have someone go through the games with them. jd was just saying how long he thinks it'd take someone to do run-throughs of Silent Hill's 1, 2 & 3 for the director so they can at least see the games. Nobody is suggesting that it'd take three days to film a movie.

[Patman]

Like it or not, that's what happened in the first film (parts of which I now can't stand - Dahlia getting off lightly? Harry -> Rose I could cope with. Dahlia = Neutral is just no!).

Well like it or not Akira Yamaoka gave his go about it all. At least Christophe Gans played the game and liked it enough to want to make a movie. I saw someone in this thread complaining about the Sean Bean story being useless, Christophe Gans says in the BluRay that he didn' t even want to include any Sean Bean story, the producers are the ones who insisted on it.

I realise that my tone was a little harsh so I' ll say it again since you got me wrong too : you can' t expect someone who played the SH games for only three days to have any real artistic, personal and respectfull vision about them. Don' t you think someone who only watched the games for three days would be utterly puzzled if he came on this forum to see what we' re talking about ? Plus, watching only ? Don' t you think he' d miss half the point ?
What I' m trying to say is that the one who directs the movie has to be a SH fan beforehand or the whole project is doomed before it even starts. I own the SH movie BluRay, I understand what Gans was aiming for, I know what his personal vision of PH is and overall I think the movie' s pretty good (infinitely better than the Resident Evil movies anyway).

If you want to hear Gans explaining about Dahlia and PH you should watch the movie bonuses that I' ve linked there, fifth post from the top of the page : http://silenthillforum.com/viewtopic.ph ... 7&start=20
There' s also a bonus (that I couldn' t find on youtube) where he gives his own interpretation of the SH2 game, he has a perfect understanding of what the game is about.
I really really hope that Avary' s delay will allow Gans to direct the sequel.