‘Atlas Shrugged’ to be Just as Boring in Film Form
Posted by Dr. Cole Abaius (cole.abaius@filmschoolrejects.com) on April 1, 2009
That’s right, Masters candidates in literature, I said it. “Atlas Shrugged” is over 900 pages of boredom that Eric Blair could have written with one hand tied behind his back. In college, we used to haze pledges by making them stay awake while listening to a lecture Ayn Rand gave in San Francisco. So we weren’t the coolest fraternity ever. That’s true.
Feel free to debate the meaning or worth of the novel amongst yourselves. However, we may get to see what the masterwork will look like when chopped down into something palatable enough for the big screen.
According to a fantastic entry over at Variety’s Risky Business Blog, the long-dormant project might finally be getting some new life.
Baldwin Entertainment and Lionsgate have been involved for some time, but Relativity Media might hop on board to help with financing. This would put the wheels in motion just a bit further while the project attempts to nab a leading lady to play the main role of Dagny Taggart – the corporate executive desperate for true free-market competition and innovation in a world of stagnation. Variety claims that “serious interest” has been expressed by Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts and Anne Hathaway, but it’s unclear what that vague term really means. At this point, it’s far too soon to tell who will end up with the role or whether the flick will ever get off the ground at all.
It’s stalled before. For, say, since the novel first hit the scene. But now the production is anxious to ramp up in order to take advantage of the current political climate (and to, more concretely, avoid having the rights revert back to Rand estate at the end of 2010). So there may be some fire there, but it seems obvious that Atlas Shrugged is still back behind the starting line.
I just hope that the film version has a totally dry 50-minute monologue in the middle of it explaining the nuances of Objectivism and explains why punching homeless people to steal their change is ethical in the world of free-market competition. Actually, it might be nice just to see a 50-minute long hobo fight instead. Plus, I can’t wait for casting news when every entertainment magazine and site ever has a headline that reads: “Who is John Galt? We Know!”
What do you think? Did you love/hate the novel? Did you realize that FSR doesn’t condone hobo fights because one of its editors was a hobo for a few months? Fun facts!
Read more articles by Dr. Cole Abaius
