Adventurer Allan Quatermain Coming To Television

from cinemablend.com

An interesting development deal made earlier today will find the famous adventurer Allan Quartermain coming to television. The well-known literary character was created by H. Rider Haggard in the 1885 novel "King Solomon's Mines" before being featured in several prequels and sequels which will certainly provide plenty of material for the proposed series to bring to the small screen. However, the vision for the new production is anything but small as the joint venture between Sonar Entertainment and Ecosse Films will create a 10 episodes budgeted for about 30 million dollars.

THR first reported the deal between the two production companies and their plan to shoot 10 one-hour episodes at $3 million a piece. The series has hired writers Richard Kurti and Bez Doyle to adapt the story of the English adventurer in colonized Africa where the project also plans to shoot. Stewart Till, CEO of Sonar Entertainment, told THR that shooting in such an exotic locale, plus the 'subject matter and rich story lines' made finding financing for the series relatively easy and I'm sure the fact that it's based on a well known, pre-existing series didn't hurt. ?It is in exotic settings with lost tribes and treasures and African superstitions and big adventures, so its got everything,? said Till. No on-screen talent has been secured yet but Till also said, ?there are many British male actors in their early 30's who could play this rugged adventurer.?

And to be fair, if they explore the character and context (colonization, racism, big game hunting), it could be a great role, especially since it sounds destined for a broadcaster like HBO or AMC. And since Quatermain also provided the blueprint for another iconic character, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones, there's no reason to think that the new 10 part, 30 million dollar series won't be worth a look, especially if they can land an exciting young actor to portray him. Who could you see as the famous literary figure? Keep in mind that Till is searching for a British actor in his 30's. How about Jim Sturgess? The last live-action incarnation of literary adventurer Allan Quatermain was in Stephen Norrington's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen where Sir Sean Connery portrayed an elder version of the character in the film adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel. Let's hope for better with this straight adaptation of Haggard's protagonist.


from Hollywoodreporter.com

Sonar Entertainment and Ecosse Films team up for a $30 million action-adventure show based on the Allan Quatermain books.
A development deal unveiled today at MIPTV will see Allan Quatermain, the swash-buckling character from the 1880s who inspired Indiana Jones become the subject of a new 10-part, $30 million series.
The project is a joint venture between Sonar Entertainment and Ecosse Films (Camelot, Monarch of the Glen). Writers Richard Kurti and Bez Doyle (Going Postal) are already signed up.

?It?s an incredible character from a range of best selling books,? Stewart Till, CEO of Sonar Entertainment, told THR. ?I read all the books as a child and it is something that many Brits have grown up with. It?s also the kind of high-concept adventure that broadcasters are looking for.?

No talent is yet on board but Till says he has some in mind. ?There are many British male actors in their early 30s who could play this rugged adventurer.? He expects the script to be written in the next two to three months and the projected budget is around $3 million per one-hour episode.

With plans to shoot in Africa, Till believes the subject matter and rich story lines will make putting together the production financing easier than most.

?It is in exotic settings with lost tribes and treasures and African superstitions and big adventures, so its got everything,? said Till.


from avclub.com

The recently renamed Sonar Entertainment (formerly RHI)?like the revitalized MGM and Miramax before it?has decided that the best way to stake its claim on the future is to dig out the past, a metaphorical groping under the couch cushions that has already turned up a franchise dust bunny in a Hellraiser TV show and now, a perfectly good public domain property that no one was using: Allan Quatermain. The Hollywood Reporter says that Sonar has teamed with Ecosse Films?makers of the Starz drama Camelot?to create a new 10-part series starring the H. Rider Haggard-created adventurer who inspired Indiana Jones (as well as several generations of men who believe they can pull off fedoras) as he?s hired to find the missing brother of a German nobleman amid King Solomon?s lost diamond mines.

Writers Richard Kurzi and Bev Doyle (who previously adapted Terry Pratchett?s Going Postal) will draft the new incarnation of the swashbuckling character who?s been portrayed on film by actors as varied as Stewart Granger, Sean Connery, and Patrick Swayze, plus a pair of Richard Chamberlain/Sharon Stone movies that spurred the United Kingdom to stop talking to us for a few years. Promisingly, this new version is seeking an actual British person to play Quatermain, so should it be a success, you can probably soon expect a CBS copycat where he?s, say, a recovering alcoholic cop searching for a fabled lost neighborhood in Detroit.



I wasn't sure where to put this since it kinda has an Indy connection to it.

FANTASTIC NEWS! Thanks for the heads-up, Supernatural! Being a big fan of Quatermain, I am looking forward to this, IMMENSELY!

A couple of things worth pointing out:

cinemablend.com said:

The last live-action incarnation of literary adventurer Allan Quatermain was in Stephen Norrington's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen where Sir Sean Connery portrayed an elder version of the character in the film adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel.

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This is incorrect. The last actor was Sean Cameron Michael in "Allan Quatermain and the Temple of Skulls" (2008) and before him was Patrick Swayze in the TV version of "King Solomon's Mines" (2004). Both were after Connery's portrayal in 2003.

avclub.com said:

The Hollywood Reporter says that Sonar has teamed with Ecosse Films?makers of the Starz drama Camelot?to create a new 10-part series starring the H. Rider Haggard-created adventurer who inspired Indiana Jones (as well as several generations of men who believe they can pull off fedoras) as he?s hired to find the missing brother of a German nobleman amid King Solomon?s lost diamond mines.

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Sir Henry Curtis' character isn't German. He is British with roots from Denmark.

Stewart Till said:

?There are many British male actors in their early 30s who could play this rugged adventurer.?

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They are gonig to have to screw around with the chronology because Quatermain's adventures stretch across almost his entire life, from a young man to an old one. In the first and most famous novel, "King Solomon's Mines", he is 55. (The other stories jump around as sequels & prequels.)

Stoo said:

They are gonig to have to screw around with the chronology because Quatermain's adventures stretch across almost his entire life, from a young man to an old one. In the first and most famous novel, "King Solomon's Mines", he is 55. (The other stories jump around as sequels & prequels.)

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I didn't know that.
Sounds like a potential Young Indy style series if it's popular enough.

Supernatural said:

I didn't know that.
Sounds like a potential Young Indy style series if it's popular enough.

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Quite right, especially with the Old Indy bookends format. Most of the tales are told with an old Quatermain back home in England, recounting the stories while sitting around with friends, puffing pipes in a parlour.

(The only film version to use bookends is, "King Solomon's Treasure", except that it's someone else telling the tale in a gentleman's club.)

Stoo said:

FANTASTIC NEWS! Thanks for the heads-up, Supernatural! Being a big fan of Quatermain, I am looking forward to this, IMMENSELY!

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That is great news! Especially if turns out to be well made. I was looking through Sonar's list of credits, and the best thing they've appeared to have made was the teevee version of Alice in Wonderland with Ben Kingsley.

In other Quatermain news, Bluewater Productions has released a Quatermain comic! I picked up the first two issues, but haven't actually read them yet.



Now we need a catch-all thread for Allan Quatermain.

Le Saboteur said:

That is great news! Especially if turns out to be well made. I was looking through Sonar's list of credits, and the best thing they've appeared to have made was the teevee version of Alice in Wonderland with Ben Kingsley.

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Y'know, even if the series turns out to be poorly done, I will still enjoy it AND buy a commercial release (if that ever happens) just like I have with all the other sub-par Quatermain films.

Le Saboteur said:

In other Quatermain news, Bluewater Productions has released a Quatermain comic! I picked up the first two issues, but haven't actually read them yet.

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Thanks for info, Sab! I just went out to my local comic shop today (the oldest & largest in Montreal) to hunt these down and it led to an amusing story.

I ask the dork at the counter (who was unshaven and had sweat stains under his armpits) if they carry Blue Water Comics and if they have the title, "Quatermain", as in Allan Quatermain.

Dork: We have some Blue Water titles but we don't have that one and I would know because I like that character.
Stoo: Can you order it?
Dork: Hmm, lemme see. (Types on the computer). Nope, there's no such title.
Stoo: Are you sure? It's supposed to be recent, with about 4 issues.
Dork: Well, it's not showing on the computer and, like I said, I would know about it because I'm a big fan. See? (Turns the computer so I can see the screen.)
Stoo: Oh, it's not spelled that way. There is no "r" before the "t" and it's "a-i-n", not "a-n-e". (He spelled it "Quartermane"!)

I only have one Quatermain comic and it's an old Classics Illustrated of "King Solomon's Mines". Bought it in Saratoga, NY in the early '90s and it smelled like it had been stored in a damp basement for about 20 years! It still stinks today.

Le Saboteur said:

Now we need a catch-all thread for Allan Quatermain.

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A merge would be nice but there are so many other threads to choose from!

Allan Quatermain... The ultimate hero?
King Solomon's Mines
Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold
Improve The Allan Quartermain films
Indy Biters....riding on the Indy release! (Welcome back Allan Quatermain!)
Sam Worthington is Allen Quartermain
Book Classics: H. Ryder Haggard and Crichton

Hey, Stoo.

If you're into trades, it's already up for preorder on Amazon.
All four issues in a trade paperback.
It'll save you some cash and trades always look nice.
Unless, you want the individual comics in order to collect them.

I think it came out that Dougray Scott is playing the role. Maybe that's not 100% confirmed. Great choice, I think.

Stephen Jared said:

I think it came out that Dougray Scott is playing the role. Maybe that's not 100% confirmed. Great choice, I think.

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Ah yes, Dougray Scott. The man who will forever be known to me as the guy who passed on Wolverine in order to play the bad guy in Mission: Impossible 2.

Ouch.

The problem this project has (IMHO), is that like John Carter of Mars and Jackson's King Kong (although predating their modern counterparts in terms of the original story) now seem like inferior cousins... John Carter seemed an inferior version of Star Wars and Jackson's King Kong an inferior version of Jurassic Park. Has Allan Quatermain the potential (albeit acknowledging that the character is more original) to be better than Indiana Jones - given the fact that this type of movie/adventurer is now synonymous with Indy?

I remember loving Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when that came out. I never thought -- "Well, not as good as The Empire Strikes back, and therefore, not worth making."

Also, incidentally, I've been a huge supporter of the Star Wars prequels. I love all three. I liked John Carter even more.

What matters isn't the fantastic visuals in the final analysis -- but the emotional impact.

I know that doesn't address perfectly the question you raise, Darth, but I thought it worth pointing out.

Will Quatermain be better than Indy? Even if it's not, it will be worth doing as far as I'm concerned. If they take advantage of the literary aspect and steer away from the old-fashioned serials that Indy mined so well, I think it'll be different enough to where comparisons will quickly drop. Likely, they put the name Indiana Jones in the press release to garner more attention. My great hope is that it'll be more like the film Mountains of the Moon than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Don't get me wrong, I love KOTCS, but now I'd prefer the opposite -- something more serious.

Whatever the case may be, at least it'll give the Raven something new to chew on.

Good news, indeed!

I'm excited to see how this show pans out.

well every other big screen or small screen effort has been nothing short of horrendous. Heres hoping they make something half decent this time!

adventure_al said:

well every other big screen or small screen effort has been nothing short of horrendous. Heres hoping they make something half decent this time!

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I actually like the 1985 Richard Chamberlain version in all it's cheesyness. Probably because it's the most Indy like.

And the 2004 version with Patrick Swayze is pretty good, albeit slow at times.

Supernatural said:

Hey, Stoo.

If you're into trades, it's already up for preorder on Amazon.
All four issues in a trade paperback.
It'll save you some cash and trades always look nice.
Unless, you want the individual comics in order to collect them.

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Yes, when the comic book guy eventually found the title on the computer, he told me that there was a trade paperback (which actually came out before issue #1). Preferably, I'd like to get the individual issues but would get the paperback as a last resort. Ordering from Amazon is too easy and I enjoy a good, old-fashioned hunt!

One thing I'm wary of, though, is the above cover for #4. How many women of the late 1800s walked around in tight trousers and bare-chested?

Darth Vile said:

The problem this project has (IMHO), is that like John Carter of Mars and Jackson's King Kong (although predating their modern counterparts in terms of the original story) now seem like inferior cousins... John Carter seemed an inferior version of Star Wars and Jackson's King Kong an inferior version of Jurassic Park. Has Allan Quatermain the potential (albeit acknowledging that the character is more original) to be better than Indiana Jones - given the fact that this type of movie/adventurer is now synonymous with Indy?

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I disagree, Darth, and don't see the problem. It can still be enjoyable without being better than Indy.

Stephen Jared said:

My great hope is that it'll be more like the film Mountains of the Moon than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Don't get me wrong, I love KOTCS, but now I'd prefer the opposite -- something more serious.

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Stephen, you took the words right out of my mouth! I was going to use "Mountains of the Moon" as an example of how I'd like to see it done (though it's doubtful this will be the case).

Something I suspect is that the longer stories, such as "King Solomon's Mines" and "Allan Quatermain", will be split up into 2 parts. It's hard to imagine those tales each being crammed into 1 hour episodes.

adventure_al said:

well every other big screen or small screen effort has been nothing short of horrendous. Heres hoping they make something half decent this time!

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No way, Al, buddy! The 1937 and 1950 versions are great. The 1937 version is my favourite and Cedric Hardwicke as Quatermain is very close to the character in the books (small, frail, cautious). If you haven't seen them, I highly recommend checking them out.

Ska said:

And the 2004 version with Patrick Swayze is pretty good, albeit slow at times.

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The 2004 version was disappointing the 1st time around but it has been growing on me with each, repeated viewing. That said, I KNEW you'd be interested in this thread, Ska!

I've been digitizing all my movies (VHS and DVD), and have been revisiting a lot of them, including all the KSM movies. It's been a while since I've seen them, and I was pleasantly surprised in myself for still enjoying them.

That being said, Temple of the Skulls was atrocious and wasn't worth my time/harddrive space to convert.

Ska said:

That being said, Temple of the Skulls was atrocious and wasn't worth my time/harddrive space to convert.

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Agreed, Ska. I'm usually quite forgiving when it comes to films about subjects I adore but "Temple of the Skulls" stinks to high heaven! Sometime ago, I finally managed to get my hands on it and watching this movie was excruciatingly PAINFUL. I have no intention of ever sitting through that abomination a 2nd time.

I downloaded it...and watched it about a year later.

I was disgusted with myself for letting it take up hard drive space for that long.

Stoo said:

Agreed, Ska. I'm usually quite forgiving when it comes to films about subjects I adore but "Temple of the Skulls" stinks to high heaven! Sometime ago, I finally managed to get my hands on it and watching this movie was excruciatingly PAINFUL. I have no intention of ever sitting through that abomination a 2nd time.

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I finally sat through this entire thing. It only took three days.

Where to begin? Well, I suppose the completely unnecessary prologue is a good a place as any.

Two middle-aged men ride horses through what looks for a moment like Southern California, but turns out to in fact be South Africa. Nothing is said the entire time. They randomly stop riding next to a pile of loose rock where the presumptive leader points at an outcrop with some loose dirt. Random Guy #2 clambers off his horse, then starts digging in the dirt with a mini-pickaxe. Meanwhile, the leader stares pensively at a random skeleton that just happens to be lying there with a spear in its back for at least five minutes.



Fearless Leader then leaps off his horse and grabs a small leather sack and opens it revealing a perfectly preserved treasure map! Random Guy #2 senses something and rushes over in time to see the map, pull his gun, and demand the map. A brief tussle ensues, the map gets ripped, and the two go off galloping on a "frenetic chase" where Fearless Leader leaps over a mighty chasm all of two feet wide leaving Random Guy #2 in the "dust."

But wait! What's that on the hill?! A tribe of mighty Zulu warriors?! Why yes, yes it is. But rather than doing the apparently sensible thing and running, Fearless Leader sits there admiring their finery when Random Zulu Warrior #1 does his finest javelin toss impression and sends his spear hurtling over five hundred yards in the air and still manages to impale Fearless Leader in the chest.

Fast forward to some random time in the future and a couple of plucky twenty-somethings spot legendary adventurer Allan Quatermain head into a bar. In that bar, which looks like somebody's backyard patio, a smiling African gives them a couple of beers in a bottle, some banal dialogue happens then they meet the principle baddy. In fact, he's the only bad guy you ever see despite having "eyes everywhere."



The five minutes she spends in that dress is the only real indicator that this is still a period picture.

Exciting events happen in that bar, our intrepid explorers manage to escape on a "barreling locomotive" only to be thwarted by the Evil Villain who, in order to prove he's evil, kills the poor engineers. Needless to say, they escape, settle on a price, and start walking.



Yes, walking. Apparently for 30-thousand pounds, Quatermain cannot wrangle a single horse or secure motorized transport. So, they walk. Through the wilds of South Africa. All annoying filmed in close-up. It was so close that I would bet money that I saw the Ralph Lauren logo on a few of the characters shirts.

Anyway, things happen. People end up randomly killed, only to appear in the next scene because they needed an extra native, the Mighty Explorers walk some more, see the butt of a rhinoceros, and finally end up at their destination with about ten minutes to spare.

Inside the "temple" (read: well-lit cave), The Girl gets shot in the head at point blank range, but miraculously survives unscathed. Quatermain & Evil Bad Guy have a fight when the Awesome Zulu Hand of Death that we saw used earlier magically appears! Evil Bad Guy is suddenly dispatched without further effort, an earthquake happens, the other two guys on Walkabout with Quatermain show up and stare awshucks-like at The Girl and help her to her feet. The earthquake worsens, roof begins to collapse, everybody escapes and nobody gets any treasure. Yet, despite this, they're all just really happy to be alive.

The End.

I apologize for spoiling the entire movie, but hopefully I've saved an hour and a half of your life.

Le Saboteur said:

I finally sat through this entire thing. It only took three days.

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After our Facebook conversation about it, I'm glad that you've bumped this thread, Le Sab. Funny review, too!

Le Saboteur said:

Meanwhile, the leader stares pensively at a random skeleton that just happens to be lying there with a spear in its back for at least five minutes.

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There is A LOT of staring in this movie! Large chunks of it have no dialogue at all. People just stare at each other instead.

Le Saboteur said:

But wait! What's that on the hill?! A tribe of mighty Zulu warriors?! Why yes, yes it is. But rather than doing the apparently sensible thing and running, Fearless Leader sits there admiring their finery when Random Zulu Warrior #1 does his finest javelin toss impression and sends his spear hurtling over five hundred yards in the air and still manages to impale Fearless Leader in the chest.

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Actually, the ONLY thing I enjoyed about this film was seeing more traditional Zulus even though some nit-picking can be done with how they were portrayed (which is odd because I've read that actual Zulu people were hired).

If I remember correctly, the thrown spear was a Zulu iklwa/assegai, which is a stabbing spear and not used for throwing. (Zulus did have throwing spears but there were longer and not used often.)

When a Zulu patrol captures the heroes later on, all them are carrying small, iHawu shields which are only used for ceremonial dancing. These guys should have been carrying much larger ones like an isiHlangu or an umBumbuluso.

The Zulu women in the village (umuzi/kraal) were all wearing day-glo coloured skirts & jewelry of bright purple, green & yellow, etc. which are way too modern for a period film representing the old Zulu nation.

Le Saboteur said:

Needless to say, they escape, settle on a price, and start walking.

Yes, walking. Apparently for 30-thousand pounds, Quatermain cannot wrangle a single horse or secure motorized transport. So, they walk. Through the wilds of South Africa. All annoying filmed in close-up. It was so close that I would bet money that I saw the Ralph Lauren logo on a few of the characters shirts.

Anyway, things happen. People end up randomly killed, only to appear in the next scene because they needed an extra native, the Mighty Explorers walk some more, see the butt of a rhinoceros, and finally end up at their destination with about ten minutes to spare.

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The walking was excruiating to sit through. The group carried zero supplies (other than whatever was supposedly in Quatermain's small rucksack) on their long journey. They walk & walk, come across an animal and stare at it - it stares at them, then they walk & walk some more with more staring. At one point they even walk down a dirt road with tire tracks on it.

When they are captured by the Zulu patrol, they all stare at other without a single word spoken. Further staring happens in the village. How exciting!

I also strongly disliked the fact the role of Umbopa was a woman and the way she was dressed didn't help matters. A paisley tank-top and bell-bottomed jeans (or were they cargo pants)?

The dumbest thing about this movie is the title which is obviously a cheap cash-in on "Crystal Skull" (which The Asylum films are so infamous for doing). The story is essentially "King Solomon's Mines" and the temple at the end has no skulls in it!