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A Scanner Darkly Film Preview

Posted by michael on from the purple-haze dept.

Jason K writes "Hi, webmaster of PhilipKDick.com here. Thought that the Slashdot community might like to see this exclusive report that was just added to the official Philip K. Dick web site by his daughters about the 'A Scanner Darkly' film production. The film production of A Scanner Darkly is based on the classic PKD drug novel of the same name. It is directed by Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused, School of Rock) and stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson. Linklater is using a more sophisticated version of the 'rotoscoping' animation technique that he debuted in 'Waking Life'. This is shaping up to be the most faithful adaptation of a Philip K. Dick novel or story to date." Waking Life was a little odd.

12 of 318 comments (clear)

  1. A little Odd by Noizemonger · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yes "Waking Life" was a little odd- but so is the novel "A scanner darkly". I really hope this movie will NOT look like the Matrix but instead a little weirder. I think i can count on Linklater in this regard.

    1. Re:A little Odd by mysticwhiskey · · Score: 5, Interesting
      I really liked Waking Life, so I recommended it to a few friends. The response was generally "It was a bit weird". And this is a *bad* thing in movies? I mean, a movie doesn't HAVE to have tits, guns and one liners, does it?

      Oh yeah, tits, guns and one-liners sell. Sorry, my bad. :^)

      --

      Stuck down a hole! In the middle of the night! With an owl!

    2. Re:A little Odd by mystereys · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I had the opposite reaction: I really did NOT like Waking Life.

      The animation is beautiful. However, the dialogue sounded like the cheesy ramblings of a 14-15 year old who thinks he's being really deep: "If we're dreaming now, and I'm awake, maybe that means what we call real life is actually a dream..."

      The best way to watch that movie is with the sound turned off

      Since this new movie is not written by Linklater (although he did adapt the screenplay), I'm sure it will be better, especially if he's applying that animation technique... (And I didn't much care for Dazed and Confused, either, which was also written by him.)

      --
      "Righteous speed demon and trust fund party darling of justice"
  2. Animated LOTR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Waking Life (the five minutes of it I could tolerate) didn't seem to have animation any more inovative than the Lord of the Rings cartoon which had tons of action and non-rigid character movement. Sure computers make it easier, but better?

  3. Don't know if I can see this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A Scanner Darkly is an incredibly sad tale about drug addiction, but it is a fictional drug. Think Requiem for a Dream, but a little more subtle.

    This is most likely going to be a great movie, but it will be hard to rationalize going to see such a film. The book was hard enough (emotionally) to handle. After all, I could only see Requiem for a Dream once, and that had me really low for a couple days.

  4. Alright!!! by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A Scanner Darkly was the first PKD book I ever read.
    It's great to hear that this is going to be adapted to film, I thought the premis was so engaging (being sent to spy on ones self) and being from Orange County originally, it held a certain personal sentiment as well.

    It is rather sad though that it was not until after PKD's death that his work has such mainstream appeal and revenue associated.
    But that is typically the case of the eccentric genius who lies a bit ahead of the curve (Van Gogh, Tesla et al)

  5. Overexposure? by ishmalius · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Hollywood seems to have latched onto Mr Dick's style of science fiction with a death grip. Is this at the expense of all of the other authors? Once Hollywood finds something popular, it leaches the revenue source of every bit of value, until it is blanched and tasteless, like an old teabag. I love his stories, but to be truthful, I am starting to bore of this constant stream of Future Angst.

    And that travesty of one of the canons of science fiction, "I, Robot," does not count! Heh.

    What about "Foundation," or the Dragonrider series, "Rama," Larry Niven, or Phillip Jose Farmer? So much rich variety is being ignored.

  6. Re:Drug novel... by Basehart · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Reeves will be perfect in this. I just hope they get the scene with the discussion about how to stop the car from fishtailing just right. Without doubt one of the funniest things I've ever read. I think the quick fix was to put a bunch of gold in the trunk and have 12 of their buddies sit in the back seat. Killer stuff.

  7. My Favorite PKD book - please do this one right! by efudddd · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wasn't familiar with all of PKD's work when I first read A Scanner Darkly (think I'd only read MITHC, Do Androids...) and was frankly amazed by it. It's what led me to the rest of his books. Dick was intimately familiar with drugs and refused to romanticize them. Somewhat oddly, his lacerating rationality gives ASD a large emotional heft. I doubt Partnership for a Drug-Free America will ever approve of it, but it's still a great anti-drug book (even if, like me, you believe drug use is not a "moral" issue).

    I really, really hope that Philip Dick's family and the producers give this project the respect it deserves (the article suggests they might). This novel is in some ways very different from the rest of his work. For all the signature Dick themes present (layered realities, oppressive/unassailable authoritarian regime, pitch-black humor) this also reads as a painful, personal memoir. In his poignant but clear-eyed afterword, he lists friends who died or were otherwise affected by drug use. Dick himself called A Scanner Darkly his "masterpiece." It deserves more consideration than other movie translations of his novels have offered.

  8. Charlie Kaufman's take by skryche · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Charlie Kaufman's film script for this story can be found at his website.

    I don't know about you, but I'd rather see what the writer of Adaptation does with the material.

  9. Re:Drug novel... by aka-ed · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I marvel at how they managed to get completion insurance. Milos Forman and producer Oliver Stone had to fight the studio tooth & nail to keep Courtney Love in The People vs. Larry Flynt due to the cost of completion insurance.

    --
    I survived the Dick Cheney Presidency 7 to 9 AM 7-21-07
  10. Re:Keanu Reeves ? by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Confessions of a Crap Artist (Confessions d'un Barjo) is the only one that's decidedly outside the Hollywood mold.


    How about The Transmigration of Timothy Archer? Not a shred of Sci Fi there; I doubt Hollywood will take the chance.

    VALIS would be a huge challenge. Maybe Linkletter could do VALIS, I dunno. I think I'd rather see Iñarritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams) direct it.

    What's most troubling to me about this Scanner Darkly project is that Keanu Reeves is playing the Bob Artor character. Since they're using the rotoscoping tecnique that Linkletter used in Waking Life, why couldn't they just use the Walmart Happy Face or a sock puppet? It's chit like that that makes me wonder if Linkletter hasn't just become a whore. The only reason you put Keanu in a movie is for boxoffice returns.
    --
    It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.