View Full Version : TV Tomorrow, when the war began
year of the roo
19 Jun 2009, 09:00
I have it on good authority there will finally be a 'Tomorrow, when the war began' film. It will be an Australian production in a trilogy format. Has anyone else heard anything else about this? It has been touted for years and years, but finally appears to be a reality.
I hope this gets the budget it deserves as it is one hell of a story. If done properly, it will go straight to the top of the best Australian films of all time.
Minkus_Swan
19 Jun 2009, 10:15
The tomorrow series? I heard that as well.... but IIRC, the author never named what country the 'invaders' were actually from. :confused:
Linky Linky (http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/06/15/stuart-beattie-adapting-and-directing-australias-tomorrow/)
Why would they need to name the invaders in a movie?
Why would they need to name the invaders in a movie?
It would make the move more marketable.
Indonesia would be the obvious choice but it would be better to have the invaders as someone like Thailand. Just write it into the story that Thailand had a revolution a few years earlier and are now controled by a dictator (someone like Hitler) and now they are trying to expand.
Karl Pilkington
19 Jun 2009, 11:30
Oh god this is going to suck, and suck bad.
Magpiespower
19 Jun 2009, 13:12
Just got funding from Screen Australia.
Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Carribbean, Collateral, Australia) makes his directorial debut.
Always dangerous when a writer gets notions of being a director.
And vice versa...
wally funk
19 Jun 2009, 13:17
I have it on good authority there will finally be a 'Tomorrow, when the war began' film. It will be an Australian production in a trilogy format. Has anyone else heard anything else about this? It has been touted for years and years, but finally appears to be a reality.i'll believe it when i see it. sadly, i think the project is destined for development hell. at least they weren't silly enough to think with the success of the harry potter films and others that they could get away with doing all seven books separately. what a costly exercise that would be.
triplejdude
19 Jun 2009, 13:35
I think that if made into a three part series, it's going to flop badly. Condensing each book into an individual film would be difficult enough but to squeeze seven novels into the space of three films is sadly just not going to work
DoubleO7
19 Jun 2009, 14:28
The book will be adapted into a movie? Hmm, interesting... not! I share the same feelings of Karl Pilkington and agree that it'll indeed suck.
I had to read 'Tomorrow, when the war began' in high school and since then, it has become one of my most loathed books.
King Elvis
19 Jun 2009, 19:03
Please, please don't **** this up.
year of the roo
20 Jun 2009, 08:25
I think that if made into a three part series, it's going to flop badly. Condensing each book into an individual film would be difficult enough but to squeeze seven novels into the space of three films is sadly just not going to work
Read Minkus' article.
Not really interested in the opinions of the doomsdayers like Pilkington and Double07 either, who are both basing their opinions on absolutely nothing. At least wait and see what sort of a budget it gets and how well the film gets cast. Very interested to see what role Marsden plays in this too, if any.
DoubleO7
20 Jun 2009, 12:41
Read Minkus' article.
Not really interested in the opinions of the doomsdayers like Pilkington and Double07 either, who are both basing their opinions on absolutely nothing. At least wait and see what sort of a budget it gets and how well the film gets cast. Very interested to see what role Marsden plays in this too, if any.
Basing it on nothing? Come come now. I have actually read the book (3 - 4 times). Didn't like it. If I don't like the book then I won't like the movie. Australian films are generally boring to boot as well. Simple really.
By the way, I'm not a doomsayer; I'm actually quite an optimist.
Karl Pilkington
20 Jun 2009, 12:52
Read Minkus' article.
Not really interested in the opinions of the doomsdayers like Pilkington and Double07 either, who are both basing their opinions on absolutely nothing. At least wait and see what sort of a budget it gets and how well the film gets cast. Very interested to see what role Marsden plays in this too, if any.
Its an Australian movie, hence, it will be hugely shit.
Basing it on nothing? Come come now. I have actually read the book (3 - 4 times). Didn't like it. If I don't like the book then I won't like the movie. Australian films are generally boring to boot as well. Simple really.
By the way, I'm not a doomsayer; I'm actually quite an optimist.
must admit I have never heard of the book, but I wonder why you would read it 3-4 times even though you didn't like it. Seems odd.
DoubleO7
20 Jun 2009, 13:59
must admit I have never heard of the book, but I wonder why you would read it 3-4 times even though you didn't like it. Seems odd.
I had to read it for school.
Damon_3388
20 Jun 2009, 14:05
I remember having to read Tomorrow, When the War Began in Year 9 English. We read it as a class group, and I found it totally boring, and never bothered to follow up and read the rest of the series. However, a lot of people seem to have enjoyed the entire series from what I've found. I suppose it's just not my kind of story.
From what i remember the series was pretty good, so i would definitely check out the movie if it was made.
Although to be honest i barely remember what happened in the series so i don't know if it would make a good movie as i read the series only once when i was about 12 i think, i don't even remember the characters except for one guy i think was called Homer? :o
u-hookin-me
20 Jun 2009, 14:53
Homer dominated. He was bad ass.
Great series, I have read them all.
Like most though I just see the movies doing no justice to the books. Would require a very big budget as well I rekon.
Third Day The Frost was epic.
You would have to almost give the movie a R rating as well. Lot of brutal stuff was in the books.
You would have to almost give the movie a R rating as well. Lot of brutal stuff was in the books.
Yeah, it will be interesting to see if they scale it down if the movie is made
triplejdude
20 Jun 2009, 15:49
Sadly, I reckon that the movies will receive no more than an M rating, the series is aimed at young adults. Making it MA or R would kill a huge amount of audience, even though it would be best keeping in the dark, brutal style of the books
Sadly, I reckon that the movies will receive no more than an M rating, the series is aimed at young adults. Making it MA or R would kill a huge amount of audience, even though it would be best keeping in the dark, brutal style of the books
Shows like "24" only get a M Rating and that show has plenty of violence. Luckily the M Rating does allow for quite a bit of violence.
I had to read it for school.
ahhh Ok :D
soupaman
20 Jun 2009, 19:44
The book series was good until a certain scene involving a boat and some fertilizer pushed it too far. It certainly has potential as a movie, but hopefully they concentrate predominantly on the events in the first few books as the last 2 or 3 were actually pretty boring.
year of the roo
20 Jun 2009, 22:14
Being forced to read (and then analyse, dissect and totally rip apart) the book certainly takes away from any enjoyment you may get out of it. It certainly ruined classics like Animal Farm, Of Mice and Men, The Third Man, Streetcar Named Desire, etc etc for me.
Nato_Dog
20 Jun 2009, 23:21
Mate of mine has an audition for this soon for the role of Kevin.
Bomber Bears
20 Jun 2009, 23:49
Fi should be hot
she always seemed hot in the movies
Bomber Bears
20 Jun 2009, 23:50
Fi should be hot, she always seemed hot in the books
Was a good series be interesting to see how the movie goes.
DoubleO7
21 Jun 2009, 00:21
Being forced to read (and then analyse, dissect and totally rip apart) the book certainly takes away from any enjoyment you may get out of it. It certainly ruined classics like Animal Farm, Of Mice and Men, The Third Man, Streetcar Named Desire, etc etc for me.
You're exactly right. Doing the things you mentioned absolutely ruined Gattaca for me (damn you VCE). I know it's movie but the same concept applies.
u-hookin-me
21 Jun 2009, 01:43
Mate of mine has an audition for this soon for the role of Kevin.
Kevin was very gay and soft.
:thumbsd:
Punchy Bassett
21 Jun 2009, 11:45
Never heard of this before, but sounds like a rip off of Red Dawn big time!
Nato_Dog
21 Jun 2009, 13:33
Kevin was very gay and soft.
:thumbsd:Never read the books myself so got no idea about the characters.
Bond,ShaneBond
21 Jun 2009, 14:34
Ripping set of books, this thread highlights how negative an experience reading a book for school can be. Hopefully the films can do it justice. "Darkness be my friend" was my favourite of the series.
loved these books in High School... been meaning to go back and rivisit them, I think I will at some stage... anyway, managed to find this... some promising news there about the tomorrow movies, but also some disturbing news about a sequel which will no doubt be absolutely horrendous...
TOMORROW WHEN THE WAR BEGAN
Ambience Entertainment/Omnilab Media
Producer Andrew Mason
Executive Producers Christopher Mapp, Matthew Street and David Whealy
Writer/Director Stuart Beattie
Sales and Distribution Paramount
Synopsis When their country is invaded and families taken, eight unlikely high school teenagers band together to fight.
Screen Australia has announced support for five feature films generating $38.9 million worth of production.
Projects receiving production investment include Stuart Beattie’s directorial debut Tomorrow When the War Began and Nick Giannopoulos’ return to the screen in Wog Boy 2: Kings of Mykonos. Writer/director Bill Bennett has also been supported for Uninhabited.
Tomorrow When the War Began is based on the best-selling book by author John Marsden and follows the journey of Ellie and her friends who band together when their country is invaded and their families are taken. Renowned screenwriter Stuart Beattie, whose credits include Australia and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, will write and direct. The film will be produced by Andrew Mason for Ambience Entertainment.
http://www.tomorrow-movies.com/main.html
spookism
22 Jun 2009, 02:38
The book series was good until a certain scene involving a boat and some fertilizer pushed it too far.
Refresh my memory - been an age since I read the series, what happened again?
ashley12
22 Jun 2009, 02:50
Why would they need to name the invaders in a movie?
Use your imagination, but effectively it was a little unrealistic...
Even Marsden had it set up as a trilogy, the third book had an ending, but it was reopened for the fourth. Was a good read, however, we were in the upper year 9 class at school and as such never had to dissect this book, I think we got a book about gymnasts and a random brain control device etc... and a few kids got abducted and used in a show to entertain old people etc... name escapes me...
Would be a good movie and I would go and watch it if it is made right...
I also loved the way that Marsden avoided saying what nationality the invaders were from...
Character A: What language were they speaking
Character B: Im not sure, could have been anything...
and
Character A: What was the leader's name?
Character B: Didnt quite catch it, but it started with an S,
soupaman
22 Jun 2009, 10:32
Refresh my memory - been an age since I read the series, what happened again?
*Spoiler*: Something to do with Ellie and Homer getting a heap of fertilizer on one of the invaders boats, letting it stew, then setting off the gasses it gave off with a timer as they made their escape by swimming across the bay. It was slightly blown out of proportion, with this big ship being completely ripped apart and a mini tsunami wave being caused in that bay. Plus both Ellie and Homer survived despite being shot at by both the ships crew and a helicopter (I think) and then alsmot being drowned by the tsunami.
krusden
22 Jun 2009, 10:45
but also some disturbing news about a sequel which will no doubt be absolutely horrendous...
shows the dearth of anything remotely interesting when they actually fund said sequel.
Giannopoulous (spelling? and i don't care) must have a hell of a persuasive tone.....
Back on topic - these movies are either going to be excellent or completely and utterly fail. I don;t think there is middle ground.
In fact, i am wondering why they didn't do a telly series out of them. You can have a decent amount of brutality after 9.30pm. It may have been better and the characters etc could have been given more justice and screen time.
Abba Lonie
23 Jun 2009, 08:50
I must be one of the 7 Australians between 15 and 30 who has never so much as picked up that book. Heard so much about it but never even seen a copy.
year of the roo
23 Jun 2009, 09:24
I must be one of the 7 Australians between 15 and 30 who has never so much as picked up that book. Heard so much about it but never even seen a copy.
What does that say about you?
Abba Lonie
23 Jun 2009, 15:01
What does that say about you?
You tell me.
I'd love to know what conclusion you have drawn about me from the fact there's some book I've never read.
year of the roo
24 Jun 2009, 01:15
You tell me.
I'd love to know what conclusion you have drawn about me from the fact there's some book I've never read.
More the fact that you have never even seen it. Must be one of the bestselling Australian books of all time.
Bob Vance
24 Jun 2009, 16:54
Loved the books, reading this thread I'm going to have to go and read them again:thumbsu:
More the fact that you have never even seen it. Must be one of the bestselling Australian books of all time.
I thought everyone read it in year 6-10 in school. I certainly did.
Invigoration
25 Jun 2009, 00:16
Fi should be hot, she always seemed hot in the books
Was a good series be interesting to see how the movie goes.
Been years since I read them, but Fi = grenade + army general yes?
I always thought Elli (I can't even remember if that is her name) would be decent looking. Homer needs to be awesome, he dominated the books.
I loved the part with the lawnmowers and blowing up those houses in the residential area.
Definitely gives me the inclination to go back and read through the series again, though I do recall the latest books being really terrible (The Elli Chronicles I think they are?).
I can see how people couldn't get into these books in the classroom setting. You really needed to lock yourself away and let yourself get engulfed in their world, analysing it critically and breaking it all down would have really taken away a lot of its effect I think.
Can't say I'd have high hopes for the movie, but it is irrelevant anyway as I figure I've already enjoyed the story. A movie rarely captures the essence that makes a good book what it is, can't see this being any different. I think the character development was such a huge thing with this series, coupled with the fact it hit close to home for us and it allowed us to 'reasonably' indulge the thought that we could possibly live out such a story. I just don't think those things convert that well to the big screen, I'll watch with interest though, if nothing else it is at least something for the non-existent Aussie film industry.
I think the trap this film needs to avoid is that they're not just a bunch of kids taking things into their own hands... They really need to capture the darkness of the story, to ensure that it translates well onto the big screen... Hope it doesn't become a cringe worthy kiddie movie...
Been years since I read them, but Fi = grenade + army general yes?
I thought it was Robyn that blew herself up with him?
u-hookin-me
25 Jun 2009, 14:21
I thought it was Robyn that blew herself up with him?
Yes you are correct it was her.
Invigoration
25 Jun 2009, 14:23
I thought it was Robyn that blew herself up with him?
Yeah you would probably be right, I haven't read the books in probably 5-6 years.
I just remember I was shattered.
Bomber Bears
26 Jun 2009, 00:49
was def robyn you are thinking of, fi survived and was with homer
I never bothered with the Ellie chronicles.
http://au.rottentomatoes.com/news/1842255/tomorrow_series_finds_its_star
Main character cast
Hard Ball Get
5 Sep 2009, 11:34
Had to read this book for English back in the day. Didn't read a word of it. Passed with flying colours :)
Crosby87
5 Sep 2009, 13:19
I've been thinking of re-reading the series for a while now, and I stumble over this topic.
So yeah, maybe I will. Always seemed like a series that needed a movie, eventually.
jordanrobbo3
5 Sep 2009, 17:38
http://au.rottentomatoes.com/news/1842255/tomorrow_series_finds_its_star
Main character cast
The neighbours chick? This will be shit.
well there has been a trailer released... it surprisingly looks good, but I haven't got my hopes up yet...
Qxb8rgq_Un8
I'll go see it, but that's only because I read the books. =)
EagleMan87
8 Apr 2010, 13:30
Man, that actually looks pretty good.
I'll reserve judgement until I actually see it though.
Pugnosis
8 Apr 2010, 15:36
well there has been a trailer released... it surprisingly looks good, but I haven't got my hopes up yet...
Qxb8rgq_Un8
Was a big fan of these books. Fi looks too hot in the trailer. I thought that she had red hair? The red head that is playing Corrie looked like a perfect Fi character. On a side note does anyone have these books in PDF format?
My North
8 Apr 2010, 16:17
when the movie released?
Need to read the book before hand, have all the books series
NiceCunnington
9 Apr 2010, 02:40
Good trailer.
Not sure about Rachel Kinski or that bloke from Home and Away.
melbournemartin
9 Apr 2010, 04:45
I liked the first in the series but the second was a fair drag and I stopped then. Apparently the third is alright.
melbournemartin
9 Apr 2010, 04:47
Yay. Hot ex-neighbours chick.
I hope that she's the one that gets giggity.
The trailer looks all right, but I fear that they'll try to make it look too much like a Hollywood blockbuster and it'll just end up being shit.
WheatsWorshipper
9 Apr 2010, 15:54
I'm worried it'll be one of those MTV style movies for teenagers eg Never Back Down, with the attractive main characters and teen soundtrack. I always pictured the movie with a darker grittier tone and even pictured a dry drought-stricken Australian countryside not what they've got.
Hopefully I'm wrong...
Falchoon
9 Apr 2010, 17:33
Deja vu
do they graffiti Wolverines everywhere?
I think I first read this in about Year 5 when a friend loaned it to me. I would have been through junior highschool too quickly for this to make it onto any reading lists, thank goodness. First few books were quality kids' fiction, no denying it... I seem to recall the second half of the series dragging on a fair bit.
I do remember thinking at the time that he should have paid royalties to whoever scripted Red Dawn.
I liked the first in the series but the second was a fair drag and I stopped then. Apparently the third is alright.
I rate them 1 to 10 as follows
Tomorrow When the War Began - 10
The Dead of the Night - 9
The Third Day, The Frost - 10
Darkness Be My Friend - 5
Burning For Revenge - 8
The Night is For Hunting - 4
The Other Side of Dawn - 2
They are some of the best books I have read, but they still have some parts I really wish Marsden didnt include.
The best parts are:
- All of the action sequences in the first novel
- The attack on the convoy in the second book
- The raid on the container ship
- The airfield
The crap parts are
- The stupid sequence with them meeting the kids in the fourth or fifth book. Aside from being unrealistic and far fetched, they were all annoying and unsympathetic characters.
- Basically all of the fourth book was boring
- Towards the end, the whole thing with Ellie and Lee was about as boring
I'm skeptical that Neighbours girl can play a strong willed character like Ellie too.
ObaMartins
13 Apr 2010, 17:36
Never got past the third book. Have read the first probally about 5 times, the second about 3 and the third about 2 all in an attempt to get through the series but never seems to happen. Remember something about a helicopter (somebody gets captured???) in the third but thats about as far as I've gotten.
Smokey_22
13 Apr 2010, 18:40
I'm worried it'll be one of those MTV style movies for teenagers eg Never Back Down, with the attractive main characters and teen soundtrack. I always pictured the movie with a darker grittier tone and even pictured a dry drought-stricken Australian countryside not what they've got.
Hopefully I'm wrong...
The movie was made in Raymond Terrace in the hunter valley. I actually got to be an extra in a scene. They changed the town a little to look like Wirrawee.
Im pretty sure Marsden based the countryside in his books on the grampians.
I agree Ellie wasnt casted well.
EagleMan87
16 Apr 2010, 13:14
I rate them 1 to 10 as follows
Tomorrow When the War Began - 10
The Dead of the Night - 9
The Third Day, The Frost - 10
Darkness Be My Friend - 5
Burning For Revenge - 8
The Night is For Hunting - 4
The Other Side of Dawn - 2
They are some of the best books I have read, but they still have some parts I really wish Marsden didnt include.
The best parts are:
- All of the action sequences in the first novel
- The attack on the convoy in the second book
- The raid on the container ship
- The airfield
The crap parts are
- The stupid sequence with them meeting the kids in the fourth or fifth book. Aside from being unrealistic and far fetched, they were all annoying and unsympathetic characters.
- Basically all of the fourth book was boring
- Towards the end, the whole thing with Ellie and Lee was about as boring
I'm skeptical that Neighbours girl can play a strong willed character like Ellie too.
I'd have to go:
Tomorrow When The War Began - 10
The Dead Of Night - 4
The Third Day, The Frost - 9
Darkness Be My Friend - 5
Burning For Revenge - 10
The Night is For Hunting - 6
The Other Side of Dawn - 4
Agree about the ferals, they were just annoying.
WheatsWorshipper
16 Apr 2010, 21:39
I thought the whole (Spoiler ->Return back to Australia after they escaped to NZ<) was just stupid. Should've finished the series there.
Smokey_22
16 Apr 2010, 23:24
I'd have to go:
Tomorrow When The War Began - 10
The Dead Of Night - 4
The Third Day, The Frost - 9
Darkness Be My Friend - 5
Burning For Revenge - 10
The Night is For Hunting - 6
The Other Side of Dawn - 4
Agree about the ferals, they were just annoying.
Agree with these
Also the final 3:
While I Live - 8
Incurable - 6
Circle of Flight - 9
Trailer looks pretty good, just realised Lincoln Lewis is in it aswell.
Also the release date for the movie is September 2.
Official Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/TWTWBMovie?v=wall
I also think thats the official website, if so, thats quite sad.
WheatsWorshipper
17 Apr 2010, 19:19
Official Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/TWTWBMovie?v=wall
I also think thats the official website, if so, thats quite sad.
Not true at all :confused: http://www.tomorrow-movies.com/
Funny actually, I went to re-read the book just last week but couldn't be bothered going to the other library to get it 15 minutes further away, decided I'd just wait.
Not sure whether or not I like the idea of the mental images of the characters being shaped by an Australian-made movie.. though Homer seems to be cast well.
Funny actually, I went to re-read the book just last week but couldn't be bothered going to the other library to get it 15 minutes further away, decided I'd just wait.
Not sure whether or not I like the idea of the mental images of the characters being shaped by an Australian-made movie.. though Homer seems to be cast well.
Agreed