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Doom Movie Scriptwriter Dave Callaham Interviewed

rsmith-mac writes "The HomeLAN Federation has posted an interview with Dave Callaham, the scriptwriter for the forthcoming Doom movie. The interview goes over id's influences on the movie and willingness to change the mythology to work with the movie, along with the earlier reported studio shift, and some very light details relating to the characters in the story. If all goes as planned, the Doom movie will start principal production this month in order to hit the theaters in August of 2005."

22 of 275 comments (clear)

  1. An excerpt of the interview: by Concern · · Score: 5, Funny

    Interviewer: So, Mr. Callah, let's start with the most important question on everyone's mind. Will there be lava? And, perhaps more importantly, will there be crates?

    Callahan: I want to put everyone's mind to rest on this point. The studio has the best lava people in the business, and they've specifically assured me I will have a free hand.

    Interviewer: Phew. Also, before I forget. we're all dying to know. Will the hero at any point successfully outrun a fireball? This is something that is so important, not only to me, but I think I can speak for all moviegoers out there. It's an image that really really gets better every time I see it.

    Callahan: Well, Ed, I don't want to give too much away, but we briefly considered having the hero run from a nuclear explosion! Don't worry, there'll be plenty of what we know the audience loves most.

    Interviewer: So, let's talk about the plot. Which of the hero's family members will be killed? Mother? Father? Both parents? Or will it be a hero-parent who loses his kids?

    Callahan: Actually, what I'm allowed to say is that we're going a bit unconventional on this. We're going to have a brother and a sister, and each one will lose a parent. I know this is pushing the envelope a bit, but the producers are behind me and I believe the studio will hold off and allow us some of the artistic integerity which we all know is so rare in this business.

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  2. Sure to be ... by operagost · · Score: 4, Funny

    The best video game movie since Super Mario Brothers!

    --

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    1. Re:Sure to be ... by bsharitt · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The game franchise I want to see turned into a movie is Warcraft. They could easily make a trilogy on the scale of the Lord of the Rings movies. With the story telling in the game and the back stories in the manuals, I think there is enough there to base a good script on.

  3. Great expectations by DrXym · · Score: 4, Funny

    I have high hopes that will be another classic video game transfer. Just like Super Mario Brothers, Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Tombraider and Wing Commander.

    1. Re:Great expectations by kahei · · Score: 4, Interesting


      Resident Evil (the first one) was an excellent movie, beautifully paced and choreographed (dogs and doors sequence!). Given the director's record in general, this must have been a coincidence, but still, great movie.

      I haven't seen the others you mention but I may decide to give them a miss -- SPECIALLY the Resident Evil sequel.

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    2. Re:Great expectations by R.Caley · · Score: 5, Funny
      [there's a love story involved]. With his sister?

      ``Luke, I fragged your father!''

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  4. hmmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Will I have to upgrade my eyes/ears to see it?

  5. I'm your man! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    willingness to change the mythology to work with the movie

    If they get stuck with this...give me a call.

    G. Lucas.

  6. Top-level acting by media_Assassin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will also appear as Sarge, the head space marine, but Callaham warns, "He is not going to be smiling a whole bunch. You won't see him raise his left eyebrow."

    This movie is bound to be good - The Rock only accepts scripts of the highest quality.

  7. Main character = John by arnoroefs2000 · · Score: 4, Informative

    One thing that id did insist upon is that the main character in the movie be named John. When asked, Callaham was unsure if that was a tribute to id's master programmer John Carmack but did admit there is another character named Carmack in the movie.

    Yes, quite the mystery where that came from...

    1. Re:Main character = John by ubera · · Score: 5, Funny

      We presume it's not Romero, unless the changes to the mythology involve robotic frogs.

      That said, this film has had approximately the same excessive pre-production lifespan as Daikatana

      --
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  8. Why wouldnt someone.. by cOdEgUru · · Score: 4, Interesting

    with lot of talent and lot of time on their hands wouldnt use the Doom3 engine to (a)create new models (b)create new environments and (c) with the help of a good story writer, create a pre-rendered movie with an acceptable level of voiceover acting, great action and stuff that blows up sky high. Or does someone really need to spend around 200 mil to find what Aliens Versus Predator just found out?

    I would even pay if someone could make it engrossing enough to waste a few hours on it, and salacious enough to keep the young viewers glued to their screens.

  9. Except from the Script by Nova+Express · · Score: 4, Funny
    Sarge Runs

    Sarge Shots The Monster

    Sarge Runs

    Sarge Shots The Monster

    Sarge Picks Up More Ammo

    Sarge Runs

    Monster Shoots Sarge Just Before He Shots The Monster

    Sarge: Ouch!

    Sarge Runs

    Sarge Opens A Secret Door

    Sarge Applies A Medkit

    Sarge Runs

    Sarge Shots The Monster

    Sarge Finds A Bigger Gun

    ____________________________

    Academy Award, here we come!

    (Note: I couldn't put directions in all caps like a real script due to Lameness Filter...)

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  10. Re:Doom the movie? by StuckInSyrup · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder...are they going to land on mars using Carmacks Armadillo spacecraft?

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    Ni.
  11. haven't i seen this already? by putch · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Ghosts of Mars

    mars. demons. guns. space marines. little or no plot.

    seemed like doom to me.

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    1. Re:haven't i seen this already? by jandrese · · Score: 4, Insightful

      In other words, he's just making whatever movie he wants and slapping the Doom name on it? That is probably for the best actually, as trying to make a movie based on a game with 2 paragraphs worth of plot is not a good idea. Still, I think it will be a good idea to set your expectation bar to "low" for this movie.

      --

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  12. Going for greatness! by hanssprudel · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Let's see here. What have got:

    a) Movie based around a video game whose entire plot was "bad things came from hell, kill them."

    b) First time scriptwriter.

    c) B-Movie director whose best credits are Romeo Must Die and Exit Wounds, and involvement in such classic stinkers as Species and Speed, changed in to direct at last minute.

    d) Will star The Rock and a washed out Bond girl in leading parts.

    e) Tossed around between studios.

    I think we are looking a three or four Academy awards, at least!

  13. Telefragged! by wuice · · Score: 5, Funny

    The only thing I want to see a doom movie for is to watch a real actor rocket jump to an otherwise-inaccessible ledge.

    Oh yes, and I want to see someone telefragged on screen.

  14. What about Bungie's Marathon? by jjh37997 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hell..... if there are going to be making movies based on old shoot-em ups why not pick one that acutally has an interesting story and plot?

  15. obligatory slam... by TachyonAT · · Score: 5, Funny

    No see the real trick will be getting it out before the Duke Nukem: Forever movie...

  16. Just don't be like Lucas! by Maul · · Score: 4, Funny

    Remember that when facing down the Cyberdemon, the space marine shoots first!

    --

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  17. The perfect DOOM script wich can really work by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 5, Interesting
    It is so simple it will never occur to anyone in hollywood. A group of marins is stationed on mars at research facility to keep the peace. It is an important post and the duty is peacefull but requires lots of discipline to exist as a civilian peacekeeper so in contrast to all hollywood movies the marines are well trained and disciplined and selected for their stable family backgrounds and general good social skills. They can be a mixture of all races and religion but they are all okay with each other.

    They are commanded by a hardbitten veteran sergeant for who this is a reward, a few easy years at a top post before his retirement. He does not a chip on his shoulder about anything. New is the officer but he is smart, knows his stuff, knows to use his NCO's and that sometimes orders are there to be disobeyed. None of his family had been killed by anyone and he is single.

    In the first ten minutes we learn a little about how nice and stable they all are and see a bit of the base. Perhaps get a few hints about some Big Fucking Gun being developed and meet the system administrator, a nice tomboy girl with no hangups and also single. She and the officer take an instant "dis"like to each other and trade funny one liners.

    Remember this takes about ten minutes. During the opening credits. Then the movie starts and hell breaks loose as the research goes wrong.

    From then on we don't got any lines longer then two sentences. The "story" is basically the sergeant and the officer trying to get their team together (spread out across the base during the incident) with the help of the system admin (que banter and very light love interest) and then beat back the demons with the help of the tech gadgets hinted at during the intro with of course the final mission to collect the BFG and kill the boss demon.

    After the first suprise no-one gets killed needlessly, everyone does their job with perhaps just a few civilians being funnily slaughtered because they do the stupid thing. None of the marines panick or betray the team or any of the hollywood crap. The team doesn't get smaller and smaller but gets bigger as the group gathers members.

    In short? Band of Brothers Meets Alien. That is the Real men acting like real men in a future world with really nasty monsters and big explosions.

    Avoid all the "incompetent officer" "hardbitten marine with broken home" "backstabbing civilian" "scream queen love interest" "slowly people getting killed off in incredibly stupid ways" and you won't need a "great story", the audience will be too relieved with your originality to care.

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