David Yates, director of all the Harry Potter films since Order of the Phoenix, has revealed his plans to take the BBC’s time-travelling Doctor to the big screen. Working in collaboration with BBC Worldwide, he has been quoted as saying:
We’re looking at writers now. We’re going to spend two or three years getting it right. It needs quite a radical transformation to take it into a bigger arena.
The idea of this director, clearly versed in adapting legendary subject material into cinematic gold, would surely excite Who-fans, were it not for one nugget of information: the current BBC cast and crew, now working on the next installment of the rebooted series, aren’t invited. That’s right, fan favourites Matt Smith, Karren Gillian and writer Steven Moffat will not be working on the project, as Yates revealed when announcing:
[Reboot creator] Russell T. Davies, and then Steven Moffat, have done their own transformations, which were fantastic, but we have to put that aside and start from scratch.
Matt Smith, possibly looking for a job?
He revealed that he’s looking for an all-new writing team aiming to catch “British sensibility”, but didn’t deny that he’s “looking at American writers too”. Considering that Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith and co. announced 14 more episodes back in June, and a series of hints in the show towards ‘the fall of the eleventh’, could the next series signal the end for Doctor Who as we know it?
Bickering, arguing and resentment has ensued in great volumes on fan forums, with the concept of rebooting the 50-year strong canon being the main cause for alarm. A wishful and widespread rumour is the possibility of a Who prequel in which Bill Nighy would portray William Hartnel‘s First Doctor. Another much-repeated rumour is that the film will centre on a US-UK team up, similar to the most recent series of Torchwood, the raunchy Doctor Who spin-off.
Whichever rumours prove to be true, you can be sure that Doctor Who as we now know it is set to regenerate into a completely new beast.
2 Comments
I think Steven Moffat’s oblique tweet on the matter just about sums it up-
‘Announcing my personal moonshot, starting from scratch. No money, no plan, no help from NASA. But I know where the moon is- I’ve seen it’
The whole thing stinks of another attempt to take another British hit and try to make it into something suitable for an American audience. Which means it’ll either be terrible or The Office.
You speak the thruth Mr McGough, a lot of bad vibes about the project, mainly that rebooting the cannon and not inviting the BBC’s current Doctor Who team is just plain rude! I recon it’ll go horribly wrong for sure..