Spielberg-produced dinosaur television series "Terra Nova"

[tharpdevenport 4]

"Terra Nova", a dinosaur TV series that Speilberg wants to make & direct.

http://io9.com/5475042/spielberg-is-creating-a-time-traveling-dino+drama

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118015338.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

Interesting quotes:

Steven Spielberg is playing around with dinosaurs again. His new television show, which he's calling Terra Nova, puts him in the directors chair,

But this project promises to have such "elaborate FX" that rumor has it, "there's been talk of greenlighting it directly to series production rather than a pilot because it would be too expensive to shut down and start up again during the downtime between pilot and episodic production."

Imagine if you will, a dino series set in the future from the events of the JP films (leaving room for guest starring roles), and a two hour pilot scored by Williams, and Conrad Pope and John Neufeld as the main show composers, rotating, even taking off and letting other talent step in as JW films scores need their orchestrations.

[indy4 155]

I'd rather he does a film than a TV show. I prefer films to TV shows, and soundtrack releases for TV shows are not as guaranteed as they are for films.

[Richard Penna 3,664]

If Williams scores all or part of a TV show, it'll be released. That's just a given

Are the other two names picked out of a hat, or is there composer info I didn't see?

[Ollie 1,059]

Wake me when Spielberg does something intersting again.

[indy4 155]

Wake me up when he does something at all!

[Henry B 50]

If Williams scores all or part of a TV show, it'll be released. That's just a given

Are the other two names picked out of a hat, or is there composer info I didn't see?

Conrad Pope and John Neufeld are Williams' main orchestrators. They know his style best, so they'd be able to craft endless regurgitations of Jurassic Park music to (along with "stars" from the movie) keep overly nostalgic fans happy forever.

[Luke Skywalker 1,791]

If Williams scores all or part of a TV show, it'll be released. That's just a given

Are the other two names picked out of a hat, or is there composer info I didn't see?

Conrad Pope and John Neufeld are Williams' main orchestrators. They know his style best, so they'd be able to craft endless regurgitations of Jurassic Park music to (along with "stars" from the movie) keep overly nostalgic fans happy forever.

Or just expand on the new music and themes Williams could create for this series, that does not seem to have any relation to Jurassic Park...

[Quintus 5,399]

Spielberg seems to have lots of ideas lately, just none of them are really any good and most of them don't get off the ground anyway.

[compos24 0]

Indeed it would be VERY interesting to see if John Neufeld participates in the project at all...

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Jesus Spielberg pick a project and do it instead of say I'm doing this and I'm doing that and never doing anything at all.

[Wojo 2,453]

A TV series about dinosaurs? Not the mama!

[Andy 4,070]

Jesus Spielberg pick a project and do it instead of say I'm doing this and I'm doing that and never doing anything at all.

Precisely. It is sad to see him sort of grasping at ideas, yet nothing is really coming together. Stories like this paint a picture of a filmmaker who seems lost and confused.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

What do you call a blind dinosaur?

[John Crichton 4]

Wake me when Spielberg does something intersting again.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

What do you call a blind dinosaur?

What do you call a blind dinosaur's dog?

[fommes 153]

In the land of blind dinosaurs, the one-eyed dinosaur is king. (And blind.)

[MSM 126]

If Williams scores all or part of a TV show, it'll be released. That's just a given

Are the other two names picked out of a hat, or is there composer info I didn't see?

Conrad Pope and John Neufeld are Williams' main orchestrators. They know his style best, so they'd be able to craft endless regurgitations of Jurassic Park music to (along with "stars" from the movie) keep overly nostalgic fans happy forever.

John Neufeld is officially retired. He's doing his own projects now. Conrad Pope and Edward Karam are now JW's main orchestrators.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Stuff this. I'm still waiting for Emmerich's sequel to Godzilla.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Just the parts they didn't like.

[Wojo 2,453]

Stuff this. I'm still waiting for Emmerich's sequel to Godzilla.

Didn't Broderick and friends commit to sequels?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Stuff this. I'm still waiting for Emmerich's sequel to Godzilla.

Didn't Broderick and friends commit to sequels?

I'm not sure, but I remember Emmerich and Devlin trying to sell the idea of a sequel to Australia's Angela Bishop back in 1998. Devlin even buttered her up by saying they'd shoot it Down Under.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

Wake me when Spielberg does something intersting again.

Well said. Will Spielberg please put the f**king dinosaurs to bed, and move on to something more deserving of his talents?!

In the land of blind dinosaurs, the one-eyed dinosaur is king. (And blind.)

I guess your daddy always said that, did he?

Stuff this. I'm still waiting for Emmerich's sequel to Godzilla.

Didn't Broderick and friends commit to sequels?

I'm not sure, but I remember Emmerich and Devlin trying to sell the idea of a sequel to Australia's Angela Bishop back in 1998. Devlin even buttered her up by saying they'd shoot it Down Under.

That is possibly the rudest thing that I have ever read. I like it!

[Jay 37,249]

How many freaking projects does Spielberg have in the pipelines! Sheesh!

[paleo 63]

I'd rather Spielberg let the dinosaurs alone. After what he did to the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park it is obvious that he doesn't care at all about what is actually known about dinosaurs (hiring a renowned advisor and then apparently ignoring him whenever he wanted a different kind of monster...). And I doubt we would be able to blame it on the "educated guesses" of the geneticist this time... So why don't we forget about Spielberg and have Williams just write a symphony inspired by dinosaurs ?

[Wojo 2,453]

I'd rather Spielberg let the dinosaurs alone. After what he did to the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park it is obvious that he doesn't care at all about what is actually known about dinosaurs (hiring a renowned advisor and then apparently ignoring him whenever he wanted a different kind of monster...). And I doubt we would be able to blame it on the "educated guesses" of the geneticist this time...

What do you mean?

[Hlao-roo 389]

If Williams scores all or part of a TV show, it'll be released. That's just a given

Are the other two names picked out of a hat, or is there composer info I didn't see?

Conrad Pope and John Neufeld are Williams' main orchestrators. They know his style best, so they'd be able to craft endless regurgitations of Jurassic Park music to (along with "stars" from the movie) keep overly nostalgic fans happy forever.

John Neufeld is officially retired. He's doing his own projects now. Conrad Pope and Edward Karam are now JW's main orchestrators.

John Williams doesn't use orchestrators. People who suggest otherwise are haters.

[paleo 63]

I'd rather Spielberg let the dinosaurs alone. After what he did to the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park it is obvious that he doesn't care at all about what is actually known about dinosaurs (hiring a renowned advisor and then apparently ignoring him whenever he wanted a different kind of monster...). And I doubt we would be able to blame it on the "educated guesses" of the geneticist this time...

What do you mean?

I meant that almost all of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park are blatantly scientifically wrong (even though he hired Jack Horner, probably the most well-known dinosaur paleontologist, as a scientific advisor); some more, some less. The Dilophosaurus was one of the biggest predators of its time ( >6 meters long, not 3 feet), so it didn't need a frill at all (there's no evidence for a frill anyway). etc. etc. etc.

Don't get me wrong, I find Jurassic Park very entertaining, but was disappointed when I found out how little respect Spielberg showed regarding the science (Crichton was a lot more accurate). Given that I am now a paleontologist, I would have a hard time enjoying his fairy tale creatures (but I very likely would enjoy the music )

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Yes, the science was all whack. Velociraptor was huge, T-Rex was blind, Dilophosaurus was all about blinding people with black goo and frilly things. WTF? Still, it all looked and sounded cool.

There's this hilarious part of TLW DVD behind the scenes feature where Jack Horner totally kisses Spielberg's ass and spouts some bullshit about referring people to the JP movie. You can tell that even Spielberg knew he was totally full of shit. Paleontologically (?) speaking, JP is a disaster.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

That's not the only way in which it's a disaster.

[indy4 155]

As true as they scientific errors probably are, whoever made this needs to get a life.

[Datameister 2,034]

If you want paleontological inaccuracy, go no further than Disney's Dinosaur. I was crushed when I realized that the real-world carnotaurs were smaller than iguanodons.

Also, I really, really hate the phrases "get a life" and "too much time on his/her/your hands."

[indy4 155]

That's the other one! I also hate "get a life," and I was trying to think of the other better phrase (I like "too much time on his/her hands"), but I couldn't.

[Ollie 1,059]

Frankly these complaints about the film are no big deal. I'm a huge dinosaur nut and it didn't bother me at all.

[Wojo 2,453]

Need to get a life? I don't think so. People made lists of all the errors made in Apollo 13, which had many technical errors even though it was telling a true story, albeit with dramatic flair for the theater.

That's a good article, and it just amplifies the point that the book and movie are both science fiction. The whole intent was to put humans and dinosaurs onscreen together so a disaster could happen with the dinosaurs eating the people. Sure the storytelling and science take shortcuts, because of how impossible the premise is.

Simply put, the audience would want to see recognizable, terrifying dinosaurs. Not hybrid frog/lizard/bird/bacteria combinations because of all the junk DNA in the blood and what they filled in the gaps with, or because of multiple species in the blood merged into one test subject without a viable modern-day reference. Not with cloned woolly mammoths and sabre-toothed cats because the DNA is much younger. And not with large iguanas on a rear projection screen.

I'm also a huge dinosaur nut, and can appreciate all three movies for what they are: the best three cinematic representations of dinosaurs ever.

[Quintus 5,399]

Oh dear, so now people are complaining about the lack of realism in Jurassic Park. Time I browsed a different thread.

[Wojo 2,453]

Usable DNA is recovered from blood in 65+ million year old fossilized bugs. That tells you what you're in for. Leave your scientific inhibitions at the door.

[paleo 63]

Usable DNA is recovered from blood in 65+ million year old fossilized bugs. That tells you what you're in for. Leave your scientific inhibitions at the door.

That is easier said than done if you actually studied the topic. Being a geologist as well, I also sometimes have problems with obviously fake rock formations (at least where it's supposed to be a 'real life' environment). It's certainly okay for the average viewer, but I can't help but notice these things. Most of the time it doesn't ruin the movie for me (again, Jurassic Park is still one of my favorite movies, and I know it's science fiction), but often I wonder why they spend so much money and effort on other aspects of a movie, but don't care about potentially lessen the fun for everyone who has some background knowledge. I mean, would it have hurt to have a Dilophosaurus of the proper size? And remember that JP advertised with its sooo "realistic" dinosaurs, not with being an outlandish sci-fi movie. Another example is the German in the Indiana Jones movies. I know, it's supposed to be great fun (and mostly is), but as soon as the Nazis say something that I (as a German) cannot understand or that in this situation doesn't make any sense (for example when they scream "secure the courtyard" when the tank is attacked in the middle of the desert in LC) it immediately takes away some of the 'magic". I know, many people (like Mark) don't care, but many people I know do (I knew somebody who left the theater because the jeep on screen was not produced yet at the time the film was supposed to take place - that's admittedly rather extreme ;-)). And it would be so cheap to fix these things... Strangely enough movies like 'the Mummy' don't bother me at all. It's maybe because they never claimed to be realistic in any way. In summary, even if I would like not to, I do see these things, and they sometimes bother me (but usually not enough to not be entertained).

[Wojo 2,453]

Well put. I'm afraid I didn't study dinosaurs in school or college. My pursuits were purely self-taught, and I wanted to become a paleontologist before I changed to engineering.

Any shortcut taken by a movie in a particular field is going to be identified and dwelt upon by its subject matter experts.

As it stands, JP had so many other technical, logical, and just plain sloppy flaws that the bad science was among the least of its worries.

So Deinonychus were called Velociraptors? "Velociraptor" truncated to "Raptor" sounds cooler than Deinonychus. Man-sized dinosaurs are scarier than truer sized Velociraptors or Troodon, which would have been better candidates for smart dinosaurs.

So the Dilophosaurs were smaller than they should have been? Why show every dinosaur as full grown? A five foot dinosaur doesn't come in a five foot egg. But without a line from Richard Kiley to say "on your left you will see our juvenile Dilophosaurs," we assume these are full grown. This plot device makes Dennis Nedry's death ironic, to assume that small dinosaurs aren't dangerous. The artistic license of frills and venom were taken to make the "small harmless dinosaur" even scarier, and sell unique toys.

If Jurassic Park's paleontological science had been 100% accurate to the day the film was released, scientists would find evidence decades later that disputes something. A Brontosaurus in King Kong 1939 is perfectly permissible, but a "Brontosaurus" in Jurassic Park would make everyone's blood boil because it's not its real name. A T-Rex dragging its tail on the ground in the original Fantasia is quaint and charming, but that wouldn't work in Jurassic Park. Perhaps Spielberg used that idea as an excuse to make the movie he wanted, Tippet, Muren, and Winston made magic, and the 100% scientific accuracy was left to Walking with Dinosaurs.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

SECURE THE COURTYARD!!

[fommes 153]

BUT WE LEFT THE COURTYARD A FEW HOURS AGO!

[Ollie 1,059]

Speaking of language errors in films...

When Gojira was re-edited and scenes with Raymond Burr were added for the American version, they left in the Japanese language in several of the scenes from the original film. A few scenes were shuffled around, to include taking some that occur once the Japanese discover Godzilla, and moving them to the beginning before the beast is discovered. So while Burr is narrating the story and telling you what is going on, you can clearly hear them mention Gojira several times even though it has yet to appear or be discovered.

Now I hope no one here takes this next post personally because it's just my opinion and I'm not singling anyone out.

No film is perfect. I can find faults in almost every good film I've seen but I don't let those things bother me, even if it was something I've done as a profession or experienced in real life.

[Jay 37,249]

News on this project:

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/04/20/kyle-chandler-terra-nova/

Also, could a mod correct the thread title? It's "Spielberg" not "Speilberg". Made it hard to find in a search.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

Please, for the love of everything that is holy, sacred, and profound, do not let this man anywhere near television. "Seaquest DSV", anyone?

[Wojo 2,453]

Slow down there. Season 1 of seaQuest DSV was pure gold. Season 2 was pretty bad, and season 3 was worse.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

Slow down there. Season 1 of seaQuest DSV was pure gold. Season 2 was pretty bad, and season 3 was worse.

If I read one more post like this, I swear, my head will explode!!!!!!!!!!

[Wojo 2,453]

Two words: Stephanie Beacham

[Luke Skywalker 1,791]

Seaquest season 1 was GREAT.

I have very fond memories of that show.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

Two words: Stephanie Beacham

Is that "good" Stephanie Beacham, or "bad" Stephanie Beacham? What's...uh, the deal?

[Jay 37,249]

Wow! Apparently the pilot got filmed without us discussing it; This has now been picked up to series by Fox and will be airing this fall!

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2011/05/16/fox-announces-primetime-schedule-for-2011-12-season-151302/20110516fox01/

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/16/fox-2011-12-fall-schedule/

That makes 2 Spielberg-produced shows premiering on network TV this fall; The other being a musical

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Wow! Apparently the pilot got filmed without us discussing it; This has now been picked up to series by Fox and will be airing this fall!

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2011/05/16/fox-announces-primetime-schedule-for-2011-12-season-151302/20110516fox01/

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/16/fox-2011-12-fall-schedule/

That makes 2 Spielberg-produced shows premiering on network TV this fall; The other being a musical

there has been some discussion of this show.

It was originally scheduled to be aired this month but because of effects problems it was delayed. I believe it was delayed to May original.

I'm sure it will be as successful as the EVENT, or V, and that a year from now it will be fading from our memories.

But given that there are dinosaurs, I'll have to look and see.

also it's strictly a fall show, and will be replaced at Midseason. Whether it survives after that remains to be seen