I haven’t read Robopocalypse, Daniel Wilson’s novel about robots turning against humans to preserve the Earth, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interesting in seeing the inevitable adaptation.
The plot reeks of “Judgement Day” to the Nth degree, with Wilson taking the premise as far as he can, injecting all manners of killer automated technology (planes, smart cars, ASIMO) turning against their human overlords. But with Steven Spielberg engaged in the material, I can see it coming together for a decent film. Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard’s screenwriting credit is more than enough to put my ass in a seat.
As reports drifted out that Spielberg was tabling the project indefinitely, 7th level “development hell” speculation shifted into overdrive. According to The Beard’s conversation with Entertainment Weekly, that’s simply not the case:
“We found that the film was costing a lot of money and I found a better way to tell the story more economically but also much more personally,” Spielberg said. “I found the personal way into Robopocalypse, and so I just told everybody to go find other jobs, I’m starting on a new script and we’ll have this movie back on its feet soon.”
The Lincoln director estimates a six to eight month delay, but one wonders if Anne Hathaway and Chris Hemsworth, both attached, will be around when filming finally commences.