64 replies to this topic

[FlystreesVagann]

Battletech is a huge universe with lots of stuff going on.The war is played out by 100-ton, death machines, it has plenty of potential. Frankly the universe is strong enough to have a good flick that has no Mechs in it at all,there are so many possibilities for movies and they could be really successful if done right. Meaning that they wouldn't copy videogame stories or anything,there are allot of novels and such,so they have material to look upon on.

[Max Liao]

Because RobotJox killed the genre for all time.

[Max Liao]

Sorry for the double post, but ...

As I see series like Game of Thrones, an HBO (very close) adaptation of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, I think it would be amazing to see a similarly done adaptation of Stackpole's Warrior and Blood of Kerensky trilogies.

[Colddawg]

Sounds like we need a BattleTech movie to revive the genre then.

[CoffiNail]

no we need a battletech mini series.

[Kagemusha]

Because Transformers got made instead. Paramount had both properties, and decided to make Transformers. It turned out well for them financially.

This was when the story floating around involved some FRR young cadets, fighting back against GBD, or something.... possibly Dark Age era.

[SquareSphere]

problem with scifi movies/tv series in general is that they focus becomes too much on the tech and have terrible writing. The tech would have to take back seat. Game of Thrones was brought up and it's a good case, in the fact that actual physical fighting took a back seat until the narrative gained enough critical mass for the battle to make sense. Even the "mystical" parts are still largely unknown, ie dragons.

Another good example (from a main stream popularity perspective) is the new remake of Battlestar Galactical. While it had some great battle scenes they were truly far and few between. Mostly it's the interpersonal, slight of hand, conspiracy writing style that made those series gain a lot of traction.

[Max Liao]

You're absolutely right. Which is exactly why I think a Warrior or BoK mini series/trilogy would do better than say a Grey Death Legion or Civil War. While BoK is a lot of war, you still have the politics, and the 'learning' of the Clans and Clan philosophy. If done after Warrior, then you'd have a great setup for the Inner Sphere side of things.

[Joseph Mallan]

So get what's his name (Joss Whedon)... the writer/director of Firefly to write/direct the MechWarrior series! He did a good mixing tech with characters I thought.

[maxx2504]

Hi !
I ask myself this question for years....why in hell there are no MW movies or series ? The Battletech universe is so extreme big, they could make tons of films with interesting stuff like the star wars movies.

Transformers are "ok", but they can't beat some good ol' mechs from battletech. A movie would be great...

The other question is: Who you prefer as a director for such a battlech movie ?


maxx

Edited by maxx2504, 09 November 2011 - 07:07 AM.

[Max Liao]

Joss is too hokey. I LOVED Firefly and often sing the Jayne song when I drink , but I would want to see a BattleTech series/movie be more serious and down to earth. Something more like Rome or BSG and less like ... Firefly.

That's my 2 cents anyway.

[Alizabeth Aijou]

Awesome idea!!1
And to make it even better, lets have Uwe Boll be the director!!1

Yeah, no thanks.

[SquareSphere]

It all depends on the scale of the movie/tv series. Actually that's what causes a lot of book to movie/tv conversions to fail. They try to cram too much of the books into a medium that's not suited for it.

Case in point of a not really successful conversion is Dune. The original movie did a decent job but there was so much left out that a lot of it lacked impact or sense. Like how emperor was important (or lack there of) W t F spice really was etc. Now the later TV mini series did much better at explaining the houses and want not but was sooo dragged out because of trying to cram everything in, it was BORING.

Game of Thrones is a good example of the transition. Season 1 is actually a combination of books 1 and 2 with some elements thrown out to focus on characters that people want to watch. Season 2 I hope follows the trend. Case in point the youngest Stark daughter doesn't get a major story until much later, i think it's like book 4 or something, which would really detract from how compelling her story really is.

[Xhaleon]

There's still the issue of Hollywood actors are getting their due screentime during the movie; actors aren't cheap. Oh, that, and the fear that their viewers are too stupid to understand giant robots being piloted by men, being such a different genre from what they're used to, although a few movies coming up might change that...

Avatar had clear glass for people to see inside. Battlemechs have clear (if polarized) cockpits too, but the scale is so different that there is still a disconnect between scenes where the pilot is visible and where the mech as a whole is shown. They'll have to split the scenes quite a bit, unless the movie was 10% battles, 10% cliche hand-to-hand, and 80% people yakking off.

That said, it would be perfect if they followed the Mechcommander opening movie style, which I consider hands-down the best out of all the opening movies ever made. No pacing issues like MW3, and no plot retardation (and animation campyness) like MW2.

[KingCobra]

I would love to see a Mechwarrior Movie if they did it like the Starwars movies in depth and detail.If they did it like Robojock i would throwUP on the screen.Also a Mechwarrior cartoon series would be great.

[Alizabeth Aijou]

xhaleon, on 09 November 2011 - 07:46 AM, said:

There's still the issue of Hollywood actors are getting their due screentime during the movie; actors aren't cheap. Oh, that, and the fear that their viewers are too stupid to understand giant robots being piloted by men, being such a different genre from what they're used to, although a few movies coming up might change that...

I got a solution for that: use east-european actors instead.
You know, like they did with Dracula (Bela Lugosi).
As for the viewers being too stupid to understand that:
Well, mankind *is* stupid.
On the other hand, we've got tons of anime where giant robots are piloted by people.
With varying degrees of "realism" between them.
Armoured Trooper VOTOMS, for example, is on one end of the spectrum, Gurren Lagann on the other end.
Then there's power rangers, ofcourse, although I don't really think that'd be a good example.

Another problem would be the plot.
BT has plenty of battles, but which one to use as basis for a film?
Wobbie Jihad? Probably not.
Clan Invasion? Takes too long.
Operation Bulldog? More likely.
Etc.etc.etc.

[Akula]

Not sure if I would rather see a movie or a series? Heck why not both!

I think there is a lot of scope out there for making a truely great film set in the world of Battle Tech, and I think it would revive the genre and maybe get interest back into it. However as others have said there is a large chance that a film could be a massive flop, which is why part of me is glad that there isn't a movie. I just worry that if a film was made it might not do the genre the justice it deserves.

[Lio Lio]

I vote for Micheal Bay for our fictional movie director...he has robot movie experience and does good 'splosions.

Ohh how about John Woo...I would love to see a PHawk in a really really large trechcoat using its jump jets to push itself on its back along the ground...large lasering dozens of white painted mechs (Wobbies maybe?) in the head..

Or better yet Clint Eastwood...story of a young noble hero in the chaos march defending his family estate from teh depredations of the WoB..but in classic Eastwood bummer ending...at the movie close we see the hero now a full body cyborg plugged into his WoB OmniMech leading Hunter/Killer missions on New Avalon

hmm who else

[BaD JuJu]

Max Liao, on 09 November 2011 - 06:30 AM, said:

Because RobotJox killed the genre for all time.

Wow, I remember that movie.
However, it could be a good movie if they did it right. Throw in 3 massive battle scenes and a good story, I would pay to see it, 3d might even be cool. Having an Atlas stomp on a cockpit in 3d would make me chuckle.

[WhiteRabbit]

as long as that boll guy (you know the chap who wrecked every single game-movie he had a say in)keeps away, I think that a Mechwarrior movie would be great and probably a success (with all that robot things around to get the customers into the right mood)

Edited by WhiteRabbit, 09 November 2011 - 10:49 AM.