# Dambusters to be remade



## v2 (Sep 3, 2006)

The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is to remake classic British war film The Dam Busters, he has told film industry trade paper Screen Daily.
more:
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Peter Jackson to film Dam Busters


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## Bf109_g (Sep 3, 2006)

Hi V2.

Did you know that Peter Jackson wanted to opt out the name "******" and replace it. Also, Weta Workshops is building 10 replica Lancaster bombers for the ground shots. Wonder who will be cast as W/Cdr Guy Gibson...??

Cheers.

James.


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## Wildcat (Sep 3, 2006)

Are you sure about him wanting to change Gibsons' dogs name? Because everything I've read about this remake keeps saying that he wants to make it as authentic as possible. Still the 10 replica Lancs should make an awesome site on the ground together!


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## Allison Johnson (Sep 3, 2006)

Wildcat said:


> Are you sure about him wanting to change Gibsons' dogs name? Because everything I've read about this remake keeps saying that he wants to make it as authentic as possible. Still the 10 replica Lancs should make an awesome site on the ground together!


They certainly will. I did hear that the guy who really led it was "Chuck" Gibson Eagle Squadron driver brought in for the mission. They have assured everyone that there will be no Hollywood poetic licence. 

Ali


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## Erich (Sep 3, 2006)

remember it's jollywood, oh beware historical accuracy ..........


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 3, 2006)

They are going to hire syscom as there historical accuracy director and he will replace the Lancasters with B-24s because they were better suited for the job and will replace RAF pilots with USAAF pilots because that is just the way it should have been!


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## Erich (Sep 3, 2006)

actually it will be an Arnold Schwarzenegger tribute with him being the lead pilot and subs by all German actors/acressse's


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## pbfoot (Sep 3, 2006)

I'd like to propose Lanc for Guy Gibson maybe Flyboy for McCarthy and I got a few possibilities for the Black Lab


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## Allison Johnson (Sep 3, 2006)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> They are going to hire syscom as there historical accuracy director and he will replace the Lancasters with B-24s because they were better suited for the job and will replace RAF pilots with USAAF pilots because that is just the way it should have been!


Is anyone brave enough to start the "Why do Americans think they won the war for us" line of chat?    

Ali


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## Allison Johnson (Sep 3, 2006)

Erich said:


> actually it will be an Arnold Schwarzenegger tribute with him being the lead pilot and subs by all German actors/acressse's


You still have to wonder when the politically correct editors union will call the studio though. They will have had the correct amount of bran for breakfast (organic or course) polished up their sandles and made sure they have a clean pair of sock on to be down there and ready for it. A scarey prospect really.... 

Ali


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 3, 2006)

Allison Johnson said:


> Is anyone brave enough to start the "Why do Americans think they won the war for us" line of chat?
> 
> Ali



Just look through the archives...


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## syscom3 (Sep 3, 2006)

Has the origional version been released on DVD? I cant find it anywhere.


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## k9kiwi (Sep 3, 2006)

have a wiz a this from one of our news channels last Friday.

News

And

New Zealand Herald - Jackson will remake classic Dam Busters movie - Friday 01, September 2006 07:38.00 AM

and

New Zealand Herald - Bomber crew's secret mission for Jackson - Friday 01, September 2006 17:53.00 PM


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Sep 4, 2006)

i've always heard a lot of talk about this but this's the first i've heard of it actually going ahead, don't hold out much hope for this guys, there's every chance it wont be accurate and why make it anyway? to make money, so no doubt he'll try and make it a bit more interesting for the paying public, the original was made as more of a tribute to the men, remaking the film is like tearing down a statue to replace it with a digitally remastered statue if you get me, that being said it'll be interesting to see what they do with this and how much of a role PA474 will play... she is due to recieve a new paint scheme next season? a dambusters one perhaps? well, no, it wont be  not only has she already carried a dambuster's code but she now has the upper turret so will be of little use to the film makers, to be honest i think i'd rather they _didn't_ remake the film... but yes pB if they cast me as Gibson i will accept 

and of they change the name n*gger that will be the biggest crime of all, and remember they can't just change the name of the dog, n*gger was also the callsign for a succesful breaching of the Moehner damn i believe it was........


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## Wildcat (Sep 4, 2006)

Well from what I've read, Jackson intends on hiring an Englishman to write the sceneplay, so hopefully this will keep it historically acurate. As good as the original is, I for one am looking forward to the remake. I just hope the CGI Lancs are up to speed.


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## cheddar cheese (Sep 4, 2006)

syscom3 said:


> Has the origional version been released on DVD? I cant find it anywhere.




Yep, I have it, but I dont know where I got it...


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## k9kiwi (Sep 4, 2006)

Hey Lanc.

Jackson is determined to make it is accurate as possible, read the links I gave. There has been a lot of local talk about this, and the surviving aircrew that I have spoken to at the RSA (Returned Servicemens Association, a damn fine bar for a beer and a chat) are stoked with the idea of their combined stories being told at last.

They all see that by the re-telling of this story, it will honour their comrades that didn't return from any mission throughout the war. And there were a load of Kiwi's in 617 for the mission itself.

Apart from that have a look at the "accurate" Memphis Belle" movie. It was originally a British production which was to be a story about G-George on her 100th mission.

The Japanese financial backers forced them to change to an American aircraft for commercial reasons. 

At least Jackson and Weta productions are being honest to their own countries servicemen.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Sep 5, 2006)

well time will tell with that one.......

but on to more pressing matters, what're they gonna do about the soundtrack? the original (attached below for your listening pleasure) is an absolute classic, are they just gonna use the some one because they'll have to summit damn special to beat it, although to be honest as it's a modern film it'll probably be more about the action and wont be very British so i don't think this theme tune would fit..........


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## bomber (Sep 5, 2006)

Oh to be able to model the Lancaster with total disregard to poly numbers.... what joy for someone.


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## FLYBOYJ (Sep 5, 2006)

pbfoot said:


> I'd like to propose Lanc for Guy Gibson maybe Flyboy for McCarthy and I got a few possibilities for the Black Lab


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## cheddar cheese (Sep 5, 2006)

the lancaster kicks *** said:


> well time will tell with that one.......
> 
> but on to more pressing matters, what're they gonna do about the soundtrack? the original (attached below for your listening pleasure) is an absolute classic, are they just gonna use the some one because they'll have to summit damn special to beat it, although to be honest as it's a modern film it'll probably be more about the action and wont be very British so i don't think this theme tune would fit..........



The same, but hopefully more hardcore, with either Brian May or Yngwie Malmsteen doing it on guitar


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## plan_D (Sep 6, 2006)

Or they could get a good guitarist.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 6, 2006)

Brian May is a great guitarist and Malmasteen is great as well, he is just an *******.


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## plan_D (Sep 6, 2006)

Both overrated, Brian May especially. Jerry Cantrell, Tom Morello, Van Halen and Mike Mcready are just a few that are better.


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## Erich (Sep 6, 2006)

screw it ............ just get Steve Vai to play


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## evangilder (Sep 6, 2006)

You read my mind, E.


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## Erich (Sep 6, 2006)

Brilliant minds think alike .........E ♪ ♫ ♪ .........

E ~


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## cheddar cheese (Sep 6, 2006)

Or in that case Mark Tremonti then...


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## pbfoot (Sep 6, 2006)

I vote for Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple


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## Wildcat (Sep 7, 2006)

Ah come on, Brian May is a legend!


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## k9kiwi (Sep 7, 2006)

Carl Doy from Kiwi Land.

Maybe Hammond Gamble, there is a Blues man extrodainaire.

What the heck is it with the music, is that the most important part, it should be the most impotent.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 7, 2006)

Brian May is a very talented guitar player. The Younger generation just cant hear the great sounds being made by people that actually played there guitars and instruments unlike the new **** that comes out today.

Best guitar players (and not in any order):

Kirk Hammett
Dimebag Darrell
Van Halen
Rhandy Rhoads
Brian May
Slash
Steve Vai
Marty Friedman (when he still played real music that is)
Richie Blackmore
Jimmy Page
Tony Iommi
Zack Wylde
Ace Frehley
Alex Lifeson
Jerry Cantrel
Neal Schon
K.K. Downing
Kerry King
Jimi Hendrix
Jeff Beck
Eric Clapton
B.B. King
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Carlos Santana
Max Cavelera
Jeff Hanneman
James Hetfield
Josh Homme
Scott Ian
Matthias Jabs
Andreas Kisser
George Lynch
Dave Mustaine
Rudolph Schenker
Adrian Smith
Dave Ball
Lindsey Buckingham
David Evans
David Gilmore
Buddy Holly
Mick Jones
Jone Kay
Robby Krieger
Mick Mars
Mike McCready
Ted Nugent
Les Paul
Joe Perry
Prince
Keith Richards
Richie Sambora
Joe Satriani
Pete Townshend
Mark Tremonti
Robin Trower
Angus Young
Neil Young


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## Pisis (Sep 10, 2006)

Cool, looking forward to the film, yeah!


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 10, 2006)

Same here I hope it is a good one and does the orginial justice.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Sep 10, 2006)

call me cynical but i doubt it'll be as good as the first, this'll be more about making it more interesting to make more money, the original was an educational tribute to the crews, i hope i'm proved wrong though..........


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## pbfoot (Sep 10, 2006)

I agree with you 100% most remakes don't equal the originals the fx are better but CGI looks good but never looks real and as for the dog we could call him Afro


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## Pisis (Sep 10, 2006)

To be honest, I didn't see the original one...


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 11, 2006)

New versions are never as good as the originals, but what I am saying is that I hope it does the original justice.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Sep 27, 2006)

nicked from someone on the Great Planes forum

"from the Daily telegraph

Telegraph | News

The Dambusters will soar again to same theme tune
By Hugh Davies
(Filed: 09/12/2005)

Sir David Frost is to re-make the British classic The Dambusters, complete with the original Eric Coates music.

In the mid-1950s the black-and-white film, with its bouncing bomb sequence as Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC led his squadron of Lancaster bombers to attack the strategically vital Ruhr dams, was nominated for a special effects Oscar.


Sqn ldr John Searby, Guy Gibson and Peter Ward-Hunt 

The post-war generation hailed it as a saga of stiff-upper-lip heroism. But it was also brilliantly spoofed in 1989 by Steve Frost and Mark Arden in a beer advertisement.

Critics acclaimed the performance of Richard Todd, now 86, who served with distinction as a paratrooper in the Second World War. He gave a sympathetic portrayal of Gibson, who had to release his bombs while flying at 220 mph at exactly 60 ft above water, 425 yards from the dam wall. 

However, the actor is doubtful the new project will be a success. Although he decided to remain silent on the project yesterday at his home near Grantham, Lincs, a friend said: "His attitude is that there can never be another Dambusters."

Sir David agreed last night that "the original film was so good that it is a real challenge".

He added: "But at the same time, the response to the original film shows this is a highly popular subject and a highly popular theme. The challenge is to make it as good, or better, than the original.

"Heroism is an important quality in the film - a pure sort of heroism, not to be confused with the very staged forms of heroism today.

"It is of men who knew they had passed the average for survival, and still insisted on going back into the air, and Guy Gibson, alas, was killed [on a later mission]."

Sir David recalled first watching the movie "soon after it came out" at the Carlton cinema in Raunds, Northants, where his father was a Methodist minister.

He has bought the rights to a three-year option on the book by the late Paul Brickhill.

Sir David's company, Paradine Productions, is to produce the movie either with a studio or another investor.

It will be his ninth film. Others include Leadbelly, The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, The Slipper and the Rose and Rogue Trader, with Ewan McGregor as Nick Leeson. Sir David said he was still uncertain about whether to include Gibson's dog, ******, in the film.

"The challenge is to work out what to call the dog, as the word ****** is not ideal for the modern world."

He envisioned "a new approach" to filming the bouncing bomb developed by the eccentric inventor Dr Barnes Wallis, who was originally played by Michael Redgrave, as well as depicting the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams, which were attacked.

"We shall have a bit more about the characters, about the private life of Guy Gibson and some of the key members of his team. We want to make it more three dimensional." The raid took place on the night of May 16, 1943, when 19 Lancasters of the specially formed 617 Squadron took off from Scampton in Lincolnshire. They breached the Mohne and Eder dams but eight bombers were lost and 53 crew killed.

More than 1,000 Germans died in the subsequent floods. Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross for using his aircraft to draw enemy fire while his comrades attacked the Mohne.

Sir David said he had "two or three people in mind", all British, to play the lead roles. "And I guarantee that the theme music will remain." 

He recalled a Millennium concert at which the music was played. "It was an obviously patriotic night, with Land of Hope and Glory, etc. But the one that had the audience almost wanting to salute was The Dambusters. It had a fantastic impact and it would be crazy for me to change it. We will re-record it with a classical orchestra."

man i'm listening to the Dambuster's theme as we sepak it's great! but yeah what happened to Jackson doing it? and they should keep the term ******, and also rather ammusingly i thought, on their dambuster's topic someone's quoted from our pages too, how ironic......


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Sep 27, 2006)

nevermind they've also said why Jackson aint doing it.........

"
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3662404a1860,00.html
Jackson bounces dam claim 
09 May 2006 
By TOM CARDY 

Kiwi director Peter Jackson has dismissed a newspaper report that he is working on a $290 million remake of the classic World War II movie The Dam Busters. 


Britain's Mail on Sunday reported that Jackson would work on the movie with Sir David Frost, who bought the rights last year to a book on the British air squadron that dropped bouncing bombs on German dams. 

The article quoted an unnamed source as saying Jackson recently spent a day filming one of the last surviving Lancaster bombers in preparation for the remake of the 1954 British film and had met RAF veterans in New Zealand. 

It also said Jackson's personal assistant, Matthew Dravitzki, would attend a Dam Busters reunion in Britain later this month. 

But Mr Dravitzki said Jackson – a war buff who owns several World War I biplanes – had no plans to remake The Dam Busters, nor was he going to a reunion. 

"We denied the story at the time but they've run with it anyway. It's just one of those continuing speculative things. Because of Peter's involvement in aviation and his involvement with the Aviation Heritage Centre in Omaka, people just tend to assume we are involved in an aviation movie. It is not the case. Peter will not be directing a remake of The Dam Busters." 

Mr Dravitzki said Jackson's studios were busy being used for fantasy film The Waterhorse. While the director was always considering new projects, the only two confirmed were Halo this year – of which he is an executive producer – and directing The Lovely Bones next year. 

Last year The New York Times apologised to Jackson after incorrectly reporting that he was making a film Wolf Totem, based on a Chinese novel. 

Other rumours about Jackson war movies have included one based on the Anzacs at Gallipoli and a World War II zombie saga. "


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## cheddar cheese (Sep 27, 2006)

A WW2 Zombie saga? Now why hasnt anyone else thought of that


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## v2 (Sep 27, 2006)

*Peter Jackson and Quint discuss THE DAMBUSTERS remake!!! *

QUINT: We should talk a little bit about DAMBUSTERS...
PETER JACKSON: Yeah, anything you'd like to talk about... DAMBUSTERS... It's one of those ones, without wanting to make it sound like a rerun of KONG because KONG is my favorite movie, but DAMBUSTERS was a movie that I... When I was a kid I saw a great double feature of DR. NO and DAMBUSTERS on a Sunday afternoon at a cinema here and both had a great affect on me. It was the first time I had ever seen a BOND film as well. DAMBUSTERS encapsulates a lot of things I really love. I am a big fan of the 1950s British war movies where they were made 10 years after the war, often made with complete access and cooperation with the real people that were involved, heard true life stories. There's a level of authenticity to them. There's a whole slew of them and, really, of all those true stories DAMBUSTERS is one of the most remarkable.
And it's a great melding of action/adventure with bureaucracy, which appeals to me. As well as the climactic act, which is obviously the raid itself, what I liked about the original film and the true life events, something that we won't be changing with our telling of the story, is the way that this scientist, Barnes Wallis, had to convince the government of this crazy idea to develop what seemed like an impossible thing; a bomb that weighed something like 9 tons, I think it was, that could bounce on the surface of a lake.
And the British government were being beset by crazy inventors all the time. There was a continual stream of people harassing the government, saying they've invented the ultimate death ray that will take out the Germans and everything. Times of war can bring out the best in people, but it's also a chance to make the nutcases shine and make themselves heard as well.
So, Barnes Wallis was regarded as being something of an eccentric really, when he first presented the case. He had this real uphill battle that took years to convince the government and the bureaucracy that this could work. Slowly, he chipped away at them and I loved that side of the story. It's got a slightly dry humor to it. It is something that the British do really well that no other country really excels in quite as much is the eccentric inventors just kind of tug away and tug away and they always get underestimated by other people, but they often come through at the end. The British actually invented a lot of things, radar being one of them, that helped them win the war, as well as the Americans getting involved, ultimately, which was the turning point.
But 1943 is also interesting, the year of DAMBUSTERS, because it is one of the dark years of the war. The war hadn't quite reached that point where it became obvious that the Nazis could be defeated. The Allies had suffered quite a few defeats. The way it happened in time, it was great for morale. There's a bit of political intrigue in it, too, because the Americans and the Russians were both on to Churchill thinking that the British were not actually doing enough in the war. The Russians were getting hammered on the Eastern Front and the Americans were in the Pacific and the English were seen as being sort of holed up on the island and what are they actually doing and contributing?
So, Churchill was extremely thankful of this raid because it did prove that the British were able to strike a fairly resounding blow against the Nazis, do their bit in the war.
It's also another one of those cinematic experiences that we haven't quite nailed yet with the technology that exists today. We haven't really seen a World War 2 low level bombing attack that has been done with all the power of CG that really make you feel like you're really participating in that raid. They were flying incredibly low, barely missing the treetops.
QUINT: That was a really great part of the original. I love seeing it in films when they set up something to be nearly impossible and then they make it really impossible. They had a tough time flying at 200 feet or whatever it was and then were told they had to be no higher than 60 feet off the ground...
PETER JACKSON: Yeah, they thought 150 feet was the level and then they kept dropping the bomb during the tests that would just sink. It didn't bounce because it was too high and had too much downward momentum, so they had to go lower and lower, made even more difficult because they had to fly at night.
They flew at that level right from Britain and into Germany to stay under the radar. They knew that if the German Night Fighters were able to track them that they would be absolute mince meat. They had no choice but to fly under the radar, which means they were flying at only 40 or 50 feet. Some of the pilots that we've spoken to were saying that they had a split second in the darkness to see that they were flying towards high tension power lines and they a split second to decide if to go over them or if they were going under them. They said they often just went under the power lines, these big 4 engine bombers.
It's also remarkable the way... This is the kind of story that I like. It's not just a flying story, but the fact that in addition to the bureaucracy and the hurdles and challenges that Barnes Wallis went through when building the bomb and designing the bomb, they realized that it was such a precision, such precise flying that was required that they were going to have to get a special squadron to do it because they couldn't rely upon an ordinary squadron, so they had to hand pick the best people they could find and form a new group. And they only had 7 weeks to find these guys, to build the modified aircraft, to train... and during that 7 week period, they couldn't even tell the guys what the target was.
They put a squadron together starting from nothing to basically employing and managing 700 people, with all the ground crew and support people and the office people. The first few days, when the clock was ticking, was spent getting envelopes and rubber bands and pads and pens and ink and everything because they didn't have anything in this squadron, but they had this incredible job to do in 7 weeks time.
Guy Gibson, who formed the squadron and was given the ultimate authority to get the guys together, train then and ultimately lead the raid... by the time he actually took off that night, by all accounts he was physically pretty wrecked. He could barely stand up. He'd seen the doctor the day before the raid, and obviously nobody knew about the raid because it was secret, but the doctor said to him that he should have a week in bed. He just sort of laughed. Then (the doctor) offered him pain killing pills because he had some really bad stress stuff... he could hardly walk. Of course, he couldn't take anything for the pain because it would dull his (reactions).
All that human part of the story would be great to do and makes it a helluva lot more than just a flying film.
QUINT: I know that in the original they changed the shape of the bomb for security/military purposes. I would assume that you're going to have the bomb as it was...
PETER JACKSON: We've already got out bomb built! We went over to England in May and we measured up all the original bombs there and Weta have just finished an exact copy of it. We're about to start building the mechanism to spin it under the plane now. It's one thing to be making movies, which is enjoyable, but I do love all the research and the history and I love building a copy of the bouncing bomb and building airplanes. Just that historical aspect of it is really one of my favorite things.
In this case it's particularly good because Christian (Rivers) gets the hard job of directing the movie and I get all the fun of just helping out with all the research and stuff. I'm having a great time!
Christian's started doing animatics. We haven't got a screenwriter yet. We're just in the process of choosing now that we have the rights squared away. It's a bit like the situation we had making both KONG and LORD OF THE RINGS, there's an aspect to the story that you know will be in the film regardless of how the script develops, so we've started to pre-vis the entire raid and Christian's been working on that for a couple of months now. We're actually able, at the moment, to sit down and watch about half the raid.
(part1 )


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## v2 (Sep 27, 2006)

QUINT: Is there anything else that has been declassified by the British government that you're able to include?
PETER JACKSON: It's not so much... What's happened in the last 40 or 50 years, which wasn't really easy for the filmmakers in 1955, was that most of the people that were being portrayed were alive still. There's no one being a particularly bad person in this story, but the bureaucracy and the amount of antagonism towards Barnes Wallis when he was developing this bomb was slightly toned down in the original film because some of the people who were antagonistic towards him were obviously alive and they didn't want to embarrass people unnecessarily.
So, the truth about what he had to go through and the hoops he had to jump through and the people that tried to squash the development of the bomb... that story can be told in a way that's slightly more blunt now than it could be told in the '50s.
QUINT: While it's a minor point in the film, I think most people that have seen the original are going to want to know what you're going to call Gibson's dog in the new film.
PETER JACKSON: We're not sure. We haven't really thought about that yet, to be quite honest. We've just been working on the animatics and finding a writer. When we do find a writer, that's obviously going to be one of the topics of conversation. Christian and I haven't really given it much thought.
It's a situation where you're damed if you do and damned if you don't. If you go one way, people are going to say we've sold out to political correctness. If you go the other way then you're obviously going to be inadvertently offending people. So, it's a no-win scenario.
QUINT: I mean, I had always heard about the film and the use of the dog being called "******." What was surprising to me was how integral the dog's name was to the actual raid.
PETER JACKSON: Right, right. It's not even just the name of his dog. It was used as a code word for when they breached the bomb.
QUINT: So, it's not just something you can right away dismiss. You can either be safe and ignore it or you can be historically accurate, you know?
PETER JACKSON: I know. That is the question. I guess it's a decision we don't have to make today. At some point we'll have to make the decision and whenever that happens we'll just see how we feel at the time.
You know, not just the name of the dog, but there is controversy in the whole bombing campaign. There's a lot of antagonism now, especially in the UK and Canada, as well, towards what (the British) did in the war. You know, the fire-bombings of the German's houses, which is absolutely horrific, but I just think it's important... I think there's a job documentary filmmakers should do and anybody is welcome to do a documentary about the Dambusters or the bombing campaign from the perspective of 2006, but we don't really feel it's our job, and I know that Christian feels pretty strongly about this, that we're not wanting to make a movie that tells the story of the Dambusters from the 2006 political perspective.
We want to ground the film in 1943. We want to ground the film in what was happening in England at that time. What were the pressures, what was happening, what the Nazis were doing in 1943, why they had to be stopped, why the war had to end somehow. The world of 1943 is very much where this film is going to be set, not the political world of 2006. That is the job of documentary filmmakers, not feature filmmakers.
QUINT: You said Weta's already build the bomb. I take it you're going to go for the Weta special, miniatures and model work combined with CGI?
PETER JACKSON: Yeah. Richard Taylor's been quietly building a Lancaster bomber, which has actually been a little difficult to hide in the Workshop! (laughs) The Lancaster bomber is a huge plane, so we've been building a Lancaster bomber over the last 2 to 4 months, which is our prototype to make molds from, then we're going to make about 10 more of them.
QUINT: Life-sized?
PETER JACKSON: Yeah, life-sized, yeah. We've got it at Weta Workship at the moment a fullsized Lancaster sitting in pieces and we're taking molds from it and from those molds we'll make fiberglass copies for the fullsized ones for the movie. We finished making a miniature of one of the dams and we've started on the next.
We've known we wanted to do DAMBUSTERS for quite a few months even though we didn't get the rights completely tied up until a few weeks ago, but I knew that HALO was coming up and we needed to devote a lot of the miniature resources... Richard's only got a certain amount of manpower and a certain amount of space and I know that when HALO finally kicked in big time it was going to dominate what they could do at the workshop. So, what I've been doing is getting some of the (work) for DAMBUSTERS to be done over the last few 2 or 3 months while its been quiet.
We've got the Lancaster made now, we've got a bomb made, we've got the first of the miniature dams made and we're just working on the 2nd dam. In terms of what Richard's doing, he's sort of got the bulk of the DAMBUSTERS work finished now, which obviously means he's got everybody free for HALO now.
I've had to just juggle the schedules around a little bit and get things made. I didn't have the luxury of being able to wait until DAMBUSTERS was greenlit to start work because I could see there would be a clash for the resources we've down here.
Anyway, it all worked out well and we're probably going to actually start shooting some of the miniatures for DAMBUSTERS in the next few weeks. One of the reasons we've been doing the animatics for the raid is to start to plan the shots so Christian knows what shots he wants to do. We've got the miniature damn built and we'll start shooting some of the shots. (laughs) This is shooting bits of the movie before we've even written a script for it or even thought about a cast for it. It's an interesting way of making a film.
(part 2)


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## v2 (Sep 27, 2006)

QUINT: Well, there's no way you're making DAMBUSTERS and not busting a dam.
PETER JACKSON: Not busting a dam, no! And obviously we're not having to lock off what the characters are saying to each other in the plane. We're really just dealing with the wide shots of the planes attacking the dam, so however it's dealt with in the script we know we're going to be doing shots that will be needed for the movie. Alex Funke and the miniature guys are about to start work on the dam attack and Digi (Weta Digital) have been working on it as well. We've got a Lancaster bomber built in the computer, doing quite a bit of research...
It's still very difficult to find the accurate specifications of the bomb and the bomb release mechanism because they modified the bombers to be able to carry this big bomb under the belly, to be able to spin it and then release it. There is 2 or 3 photos that exist of the original, but the British never really kept accurate records of it because it was so secret. I guess if there were records they still haven't really been released.
What's ironic is that one of the planes that took off that night crashed in Germany, was shot down, and the bomb survived. Everybody expected that if a plane did get shot down that the bomb would explode. It was a top secret bomb and the English were actually terrified that if the Germans found the bomb that they would use it against English dams. The English were really terrified that it would give the Germans a way to strike back.
So, they always had the feeling that if a plane was lost, the bomb would explode, but there was actually a plane that did crash and the bomb survived intact. The Germans dismantled it, they drew it, they measured it, they did blueprints of it, which are accessible today. So, the best information about the bomb and how it was used is actually the German's drawings, which is kind of ironic.
QUINT: Has Christian always wanted to direct?
PETER JACKSON: Oh yeah. For sure. Yeah, yeah. He wrote to me when he was a school kid about 15 years ago. He sent me drawings and pictures that he'd done. He'd done sort of science fiction and comic book stuff. He was about 15 years old. I didn't really get any fan mail back then. This was about the time of MEET THE FEEBLES, I guess. I thought this kid was really, really clever and as soon as he left school I got him to come and do storyboards for BRAINDEAD for me.
He's done storyboards for every film. In recent times the storyboards have become computer animatics, they've sort of developed that way. He did some computer animation around the time of THE FRIGHTENERS. He actually spent some time being one of the animators doing the movie after he finished the storyboards and then he's done some second unit directing for us on LORD OF THE RINGS and KONG, some effects stuff. He did some directing of Andy Serkis on KONG, when I couldn't be on the mo-cap stage because I was in the cutting room. Christian was supervising the animation of KONG as a character and he directed Andy.
So, he's just been working his way up, wanting to direct films. You can feel it that it's time now. I was always keen to try to find something for him or something he wanted to do.
Independently of that, I've been tracking DAMBUSTERS for quite a few years. I'd asked my agent what was happening with it about 10 years ago and he said that Mel Gibson was doing it. For a while it disappeared and then a year or two ago I heard that it had resurfaced again and people were talking about a remake. I found out that neither Mel nor Icon was attached to it and Studio Canal inherited the rights. I talked to Christian about it because I just thought that that might be something that might be good for him to do and I was certainly keen to do it. He'd seen the original film and was a fan of the original film.
QUINT: Have you talked about casting at all?
PETER JACKSON: No, we haven't talked about names, but what we have talked about... Our casting conversations have really been about the pilots and flying crew and casting people that were the right age. A couple of the key pilots that night were 20 years old. One of them, an Australian, Les Knight, he couldn't drive a car and he couldn't ride a bike. He didn't know how to ride a bike yet and he didn't have a driver's permit, but he had learned how to fly a Lancaster bomber. He was 20 years old and there were a couple more of them that were 20.
I just think that actors playing those roles... the actors themselves should be 20. I think often in war movies, and you do see it all the time, and sometimes its because people need to cast established names that tend to be older, tend to be late 20s and early 30s... Even the leader of the attack, Guy Gibson, in the original film he was played really brilliantly well by Richard Todd, but I would guess, I'm not sure, but I would guess that Richard Todd was probably 32 or 33 when you see that film. The real Guy Gibson was 25. He was commanding this attack at the age of 25 and commanding 20 year old pilots. I find that remarkable. I just think back to what I was like when I was 20 and I couldn't imagine myself doing what they were doing.
So, our casting discussions have really been about being quite determined to not be putting 35 year olds in these roles, trying to find young actors. There are not many stars who are 20 years old, they just don't really exist, so I would imagine we'll be looking for unknown young actors. We can go with older actors for Barnes Wallis and some of the other characters. That'll be an interesting role to cast, too. Michael Redgrave did such a brilliant job in the original film. Nobody immediately springs to mind for Barnes Wallis...
There you have it, squirts. One last piece of the interview to go. Keep an eye peeled tomorrow night for the final chunk of my interview with Jackson. I'd like to thank everybody for bearing with us during these rather inconvenient growing pains the site has been having this week. Hopefully we'll have all the kinks out of the system soon.
(part 3)


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Sep 28, 2006)

sod off am i reading all that it'd be quicker to watch the film! summarise it for me


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## Meteor (Sep 28, 2006)

Is it worth doing or was the whole episode actually over romanticised both at the time and since. If the RAF was serious about destroying the Dams, why was it a one off?

I am inclined to think it was done more for the propaganda value, actually I believe that barnes Wallace thought so too.

As for the movie, how can you better the one done already apart from better graphics what can they add?


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## Clave (Sep 30, 2006)

I rather see a series like Band of Brothers, but about the RAF...


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## Gnomey (Sep 30, 2006)

Clave said:


> I rather see a series like Band of Brothers, but about the RAF...



That would be great but which squadron would they choose


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## Clave (Sep 30, 2006)

Hmm.. No1 Sqn sounds exciting:



> These were replaced with Hawker Furys in 1932 and in October 1938 the squadron's first monoplane fighter, the famous Hawker Hurricane, arrived. The Squadron was one of the first to deploy to France in 1939, and one of the last to return in June 1940. After fierce fighting in the Battle of Britain, the Hurricanes and later the ground-attack Hawker Typhoons were used in intruder missions over France. During 1944, the Squadron downed 39 V1 flying bombs over British soil.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Oct 1, 2006)

there are so many others too, Nos. 3 111 spring to mind as well... let's just see how people react to the dambusters first though.........


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## v2 (Dec 3, 2007)

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNht2hoZV0M_


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## Aggie08 (Dec 3, 2007)

I hope this pans out. I heard somewhere that a movie about the Redtail Tuskegee Airmen was coming out too, i sure as heck hope they get made!


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## k9kiwi (Dec 3, 2007)

Um, it was done more than a few years back.


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## Aggie08 (Dec 4, 2007)

Really? What's it called?


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## Wildcat (Dec 4, 2007)

"The Tuskegee Airmen" was a made for TV movie relesed in 1995. Not bad. As for the red tails movie I also read about this some time ago, I believe George Lucas was going to make it.


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## Downwind.Maddl-Land (Dec 4, 2007)

There is a WHOLE lot of concern over here about this film and what the result will be:

Political Correctness getting in on the act and modifying history (Dog’s name/success codeword), Guy Gibson probably being hinted as being Gay Gibson. There will, of course, be the mandatory Love Interest for the girlies with Eve Gibson coming from a broken home with alcohol/crack cocaine addition having been sexually abused as a baby. And don’t forget the Metrosexual crewman who won’t be able ‘to cope with it all’ and cracks up/runs amok on the run-in on the Moehne; not to mention the running background shots of ‘the idyllic life in the Russian PoW camp’ in the valley below the Eder before the ‘Nasty men from Bomber Command kill them all because they were Russian’ conspiracy line.

Given what happened in “Pearl Harbour” and to improve box-office receipts in the States, no doubt B-17s will be substituted for Lancasters and Barnes Wallis will be from Texas; any Brits will, of course, be inbred landed gentry with no chins and without a brain cell between them. Finally, the ‘it wasn’t worth it’ line from the Bleeding Hearts.

Strewth, you can just picture it all, can’t you?! 

I hope I’m wrong and a really good docudrama results, but somehow I have a wee doubt…..

And just WHAT are the producers going to use for music that will improve on the original?

I know! Amy Winehouse............


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## wilbur1 (Dec 4, 2007)

i cant find any info on this movie anybody know where to get it at? thanks


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## arrdee (Dec 4, 2007)

Why do we need another remake of any movie?
I have yet to see one that was anything but a pale shadow of the original.
the dambusters was a fine tribute to the men and machines of 617, they need to be honored with respect and dignity not commercialism.


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## Wildcat (Dec 4, 2007)

Downwind.Maddl-Land said:


> There is a WHOLE lot of concern over here about this film and what the result will be:
> 
> Political Correctness getting in on the act and modifying history (Dog’s name/success codeword), Guy Gibson probably being hinted as being Gay Gibson. There will, of course, be the mandatory Love Interest for the girlies with Eve Gibson coming from a broken home with alcohol/crack cocaine addition having been sexually abused as a baby. And don’t forget the Metrosexual crewman who won’t be able ‘to cope with it all’ and cracks up/runs amok on the run-in on the Moehne; not to mention the running background shots of ‘the idyllic life in the Russian PoW camp’ in the valley below the Eder before the ‘Nasty men from Bomber Command kill them all because they were Russian’ conspiracy line.
> 
> ...



Well seeing as it's going to be directed,produced and filmed in NZ there might be hope yet! I for one can't wait to see it, remake or not.


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## Downwind.Maddl-Land (Dec 5, 2007)

Wildcat said:


> Well seeing as it's going to be directed,produced and filmed in NZ there might be hope yet! I for one can't wait to see it, remake or not.



Agreed - and with Stephen Fry doing the screen play............there might be hope, just!

BTW I think that Stephen Fry is a bit of af an aviation anorak on the quiet, there's frequently some reference to aircraft in his UK TV comedy quiz "QI"


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## Sailor. (Dec 12, 2007)

The British Film Institute recently put a tickled up version of the original film on limited release at selected cinemas. We went along expecting there to be a few likeminded sad bastards dotted about the cinema.... this is a fifty year old flick, black and white, and has been on the telly dozens of times, remember.  
The place was full, not an empty seat in the house! Young lads and their girlfriends, families with kids, old farts old enough to have lived through it and us anoraks.
Taught me a bit of a lesson, don't undersetimate the British cinema going public!


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## A4K (Jan 10, 2008)

I hope they do a good job of it - the only thing really wrong with the original film is the technical inaccuracy of the type 464 provisioning, the bomb still being classified at that time despite one being found intact by the Germans in the morning after the raid.

The Lanc looked like a pregnant goldfish with that mock-up bomb in the film..


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## Negative Creep (Jan 10, 2008)

Really looking forward to it. There a few better people than Jackson who can make a film with incredible effects and a good story. Problem is with older film like this or 633 Squadron is that the special effects really aren't special anymore and it can be hard to overlook!


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## B-17engineer (Jan 10, 2008)

Cool that'll be good to see....


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