Atlantis Rises at Dreamworks

Posted by Josh Radde (josh@filmschoolrejects.com) on April 16, 2008

Just yesterday, we reported that Dreamworks got the rights to make Ghost in the Shell into a film. Well today, thanks to this story from the Hollywood Reporter, we can also announce that Dreamworks will be the home of the film adaptation of Scott O. Brown’s graphic novel series Atlantis Rising. The story revolves around the citizens of Atlantis, whose world is disturbed when the military investigates some underwater disturbances, who wage war with the people above sea level.

This, like so many other films coming out (like Wall-E), will be “going green.” According to Platinum Studios’ (who distributes the novel) CEO Scott Mitchell Rosenberg the story approaches “the global debate on our impact to the environment.” Rosenberg will serve as producer alongside Dreamworks-based producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.

It also appears as if this won’t be the Atlantis we’ve grown up reading about and seeing in Disney cartoons and Indiana Jones computer games. These Atlanteans (Atlantics? Atlantees?) will look something like aliens—they won’t appear as the Greek Mythology-inspired people writers have been imagining for decades.

This brings up a potential beef I could have with this film: Why change it? The look of Atlantis has stayed the same for years and no matter what elements people have changed, it all kind of comes back to the same thing. Either way, I’m sure that some things won’t change—Atlantis will still be a superior land where everybody is smarter than us, and apparently, more eco-conscience. If you’d like to know more about the graphic novel and its author, you can visit Scott O. Brown’s Blogspot (“SOB Stories”—what great initials to have).

This all being said, I wish this film was called “Raising Atlantis” and featured Nicolas Cage stealing diapers from sea dwellers. Hilarity would surely ensue.

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