Politics, Potter, Nifty Neil Gaiman News

[selenak]

Considering the British Government right now is already after the BBC, thus proving their taste for sumo-wrestling, I wonder if they'll go after the Harry Potter franchise next? What with Alfonso Cuaron, currently directing Prisoner of Azkaban, happily giving interviews like this:
"I read book four and five, and Fudge is similar to Tony Blair. He's the ultimate politician. He's in denial about many things. And everything is for the sake of his own persona, his own power. The way the Iraq thing was handled was not unlike the way Fudge handles affairs in book four."
If you want to read more about hormones in the Potterverse, Dumbledore as "an elegant old hippie" and Bush, Saddam and Voldemort as a happy threesome, read this.

Meanwhile, HonorH, newly discovered to be Sam's Heart as well as a fabulous fanfic writer, promptly proceeded to make me happy with this news.. Starting August 13, we'll - that is, you lucky Americans, we Europeans will have to wait some weeks longer for the import - be able to read 1602 (the year before Elizabeth I. died), a Neil-Gaiman-written miniseries featuring the Marvelverse characters in the Europe of that time. Or rather a Neil Gaiman version of it. Featuring, among others, Carlos Javier and "a suspiciously feminine-looking character referred to as "Master John Gray". Given that Alan Moore has also said he might write the story of Prospero's Men (one of the earlier team-ups referred to in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the comics) in an Elizabethan age which would be the one imagined by writers, with Elizabeth not as Elizabeth Tudor but as Gloriana, the way Spencer wrote her, I think the 17th century should be quite busy with unconventional superheroes.

Oh, and of course I already ordered my advance copy of Endless Nights, Neil Gaiman's upcoming collection featuring seven stories, one for each of the Endless.





Congratulations, you're Londo Mollari, proud Centauri ambassador and later emperor.
Which Babylon 5 Character are you?
Take the Babylon 5 Quizby Paradox.

Which is fine by me, though it means fate really has it in for me. But I'm also:

Puzzling, this is. Though Yoda as Machiavellian, work for me this does.

Comments

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Cuaron sounds like a hoot. Of course, time will tell whether that translates into a good picture. He's probably an improvement upon Columbus, though (the thought of Columbus directing a relatively dark movie like Azkaban was not something I'd been looking forward to). I wonder, though, why he's specifically only signed for one movie. I would've thought they'd wait until the movie was released, or at least until the studio had a rough cut to look at before they decided whether to retain him for Goblet or hire somebody else. It just seems odd. I mean, what happens if the movie is a huge critical success (its huge commercial success would probably be assured even if Kermit the Frog directed) but they've already signed a different director for the next film?

One picture deal

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I wondered about the same thing. My guess is that either Cuaron wanted it this way (this way, he isn't tied to the Potter franchise for the next four years and can do other projects, plus with his recent critical acclaim, he's on good grounds career-wise to pick, whereas if he does more Potters he might end up labeled as teen director only) - or WB wanted to play it save, i.e. if their excentric Mexican doesn't work out, they are not stuck with him for the next movies, either.
Plus with his views he's really not exactly ideal for the publicity machine, is he? I mean, I bet some people will take the "lots of sex" comments seriously. And as jenno put it after reading OotP, in addition of suspecting JKR of advertising satanism, HP might now be seen as training kids to go up against Bush/Blair as well. *g*

Oh, and:

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'm somewhat relieved Columbus doesn't direct Azkaban, too. Now I'm not as anti-CC as some, and he did a credible job with Knockturn Ally and the two Tom Riddle scenes, but I rather doubt he could have pulled off the Dementors, Harry wanting to kill Sirius for quite a while, and the crucial confrontation(s) in the climax.
Of course, my ideal director for the movies would have been Tim Burton, but hey...

Re: Oh, and:

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

I didn't hate Columbus's direction, but he didn't exactly take much in the way of artistic risks. Ilike the idea (though I may hate the execution of course) of an edgier director. As you say, Columbus might not be able to pull off the Dementors convincingly, especially since so much of what makes them frightening is psychological.