Hitchhikers movie
There's been some good buzz about the new Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy movie that's in production, a lot of it to do with some very good casting. I would have loved to have seen someone like Ewan McGregor in the role, but this guy will do. The guy who played Arthur in The Tick would have been great too, but hey. The Office is funny as hell, sort of a more inter-personal Dilbert, so I have high hopes.
It did make me go to the bookshelf and find an old book I'd loved... Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I saw they had a new version out, updated to cover Adam's death and some other bits. I was never a hitchhikers nut, really. I loved the first book, and enjoyed some of the earlier follow ups, and tolerated the latter books...
But I loved the above book, which is sort of a pseudo-biography of Douglas Adams focused almost entirely on the makings of the books, the radio series, and the tv series. The anecdotes are just hilarious, and really give a lot of insight into why some of the books are the way they are. I especially loved the parts on the making of the tv series, and the problems they had with Zaphod... you really get a sense of Gaiman having long talks over hard liquor with Adams, hearing all the old funny stories, then writing them down. It's just great, and I can't recommend it enough if you like HHGTG. Actually it'd probably be enjoyable even if you haven't read the books.
And yes, it's written by Neil Gaiman, of Good Omens & Sandman fame. While you're at it, pick up Good Omens too, I hear they've optioned the movie writes. If anything, Gaimen is 10 times funnier than Adams when he puts his mind to it, which is probably why Don't Panic is such a great book.
Posted by drunkenbatmanJanuary 14, 2004, at 05:52 PM
