Yesterday Variety magazine announced that the film rights to PKD's 1969 novel Ubik have been optioned by a production company called Celluloid Dreams. The film, scheduled to enter production next year, will be produced by Hengameh Panahi who was the executive producer of the rather Dickian Bob Dylan bio-pic I'm Not There and Isa Dick-Hackett whose previous results with A Scanner Darkly bode well for this one.From Variety:
"Celluloid Dreams has optioned the rights to Philip K. Dick's 1969 novel Ubik.
A metaphysical comic nightmare on death and salvation, Ubik was heralded as one of the 100 greatest English-language novels by Time magazine.
The film will be produced by Hengameh Panahi of Celluloid Dreams and Isa Dick Hackett, the author's daughter, of Electric Shepherd Prods. It is skedded to go into production in early 2009.
Dick's works have yielded some memorable adaptations, such as "Blade Runner," "Total Recall," "Minority Report" and "A Scanner Darkly."
"Our dad very much wanted this novel to be reimagined in this way and we are happy to be partnering with Celluloid Dreams, whose overall vision and appreciation of the material is consistent with our own," said Dick Hackett."
Hold onto your brightly colored engineer's hats Dick-heads. Can you imagine the deluge of PKD articles that will spew forth from the MSM's (mainstream media's) PKD-article machine when Ubik drops?
Update: The estate has posted a press release (which is obviously where the Variety article was cribbed from) and therein lies some additional info on Celluloid Dreams:
"Celluloid Dreams was founded by its President, Hengameh Panahi in 1993. The organization is a totally independent production company and international sales agent based in Paris and London, specializing in finding, nurturing, promoting and distributing award-winning films created by first class talented directors from all over the world. Recent Celluloid productions include; Garth Jennings’ Son Of Rambow, Michael Haneke’s Funny Games US, and is currently in production with Julie Delpy’s The Countess, Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer’s Hello Darkness and Marco Bellocchio’s Vincere among others."
I suggest they consult Seth Godin for creative marketing leads on this one: the guy had a book called Free Prize Inside of which a limited edition was packaged inside cereal boxes, and another text called Purple Cow that came in milk cartons. Surely, consulting him would result in remarkable returns for this!
ReplyDeleteSafe when watched as directed
ReplyDeletewhen i read this book for the first time i was thinking what a great movie it would make. for some reason i resigned that it would never happen, because its seemingly minor status in Dick's oeuvre; but then it was included in the first LoA volume & now it's going to be a film!
ReplyDeletemy attraction to Dick came through Ubik particularly because of his connection to the College of Pataphysics; the College, from the scant reporting i've been able to find, liked Ubik so much they made him an honorary member. i do know that Dick did travel to France at one point, but i don't know much more about the connection. perhaps the 'pataphysicians equated Ubik=Ubu?
if you know anything more about this connection, please elucidate this for me/others.
Good mention Patrick. PKD was definitely a fan of Pataphysics.
ReplyDeleteRemember that Wilbur Mercer in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? turns out to be played by a B-movie actor named Al Jarry from Indiana. Alfred Jarry coined the term 'Pataphysics"
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ReplyDelete