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Graham King’s GK Films has hired Robert Towne to write The Battle Of Britain, a script about the largest and most sustained air battle to date. King and Tim Headington will produce. In 1940, the Royal Air Force battled the German Luftwaffe for control of British airspace over the city of London, which ultimately prevented a Nazi invasion of Britain. For King, it was a courageous battle his father told him about when he was growing up.
“My father lived in London and watched this spectacular dog fight over the city, so bringing this story of endurance and triumph to the big screen means a great deal to me,” King said in a statement. “I am also extremely excited to be joining forces with the iconic Robert Towne who is a master of mixing complex characters and tremendously compelling plots. Robert has a passion for history and a shared love of this particular story.” Towne most recently wrote the miniseries Pompeii for Scott Free and HBO, and he is currently writing Compadra, an hourlong pilot for Scott Free/FX/Fox 21. Next up for him is Next Of Kin for David Fincher, Sam Raimi and Josh Donen at Sony.
GK Films is next up with the Martin Scorsese-directed Hugo.
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Great. I’ve always thought it was time for a modern telling of the Battle of Britain story, using the latest CG (and in this case making it 3D would actually make sense). There is a lot of incredible action and imagery from these events that has never really been properly depicted on film.
GK reminds me of the great moguls from Hollywood’s golden age. Grossly intelligent and determined to release great art to the masses. We appreciate it Mr. King.
There has already been a wonderful movie made about this. And using authentic aircraft of the period. Still an amazing film.
I guess my fear is it will be a Pearl Harbor like overwrought “dramatic ” production instead of a good old fashioned war movie.
No need for 3D here st all.
I agree with Tink regarding Pearl Harbor. Just stick to the facts for the Battle of Britain and don’t over use CG.
Due to CGI it appeared that there were more Japanese aircraft in the sky over “Pearl Harbor” than were ever built by the Japanese.
There were ten American pilots who flew with RAF Fighter Command. There was not a lone wolf, Ben Affleck-a-like, single handed, maverick daredevil who started out misunderstood and unappreciated but then won everyone’s respect, including the Germans’, by showing the Limeys how to do it properly. Please do not do to the RAF what the Luftwaffe singularly failed to achieve. And any Battle of Britain film is going to have to go some to beat Dark Blue Sky.
I think you mean Dark Blue World?
I was the Ariel still photographer on the movie.
It was one of the most exciting projects I have ever done. The planes were the real thing. I spent a total of 350 hours in the air over an 8 month period. I’m not sure they could ever repeat that without CGI. Would love it iff they could.
God bless you. I saw the 1969 BATTLE as a nine-year-old boy on a huge screen in NYC and it blew me away for years. An incredible spectacle. Very difficult to believe it could be matched today with CGI.
I REALLY wish this had been produced by TOM HANKS. Considering the superb, fine writing of his two WWII series, not to mention the great directing, acting, and camera work, you know he would have made an stunning series. I truly hope that Hanks’ work may become a sort of template for this: truthful, dramatically engaging, and well-cast. And hardhitting – even if the military doesn’t like the facts.
I hope the series shows Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris (often within the RAF as “Butcher” Harris) for the obsessed monster he was, responsible for an obscene amount of British & allied deaths through his misguided, widely acknowledged failure of area bombing. If the show doesn’t depict Harris realistically, it will be a whitewash.
If this is just a movie, then it’s the Battle of Britain only, so Air Marshall Sir Arthur “Bomber” Harris wouldn’t feature (“Butcher” was the nickname given him by the bomber crews).
Arthur Harris was named ‘Butch’ by his fitter when he was in what is now Iraq. He had flaming red hair.
You should read his memoir to understand the man and his methods.
At the time of the BofB and the Blitz, he was in Adastral House in London, with his future boss, Peter Portal. He would go on the roof of the house to see what was working and what wasn’t. From all this, he framed the raids of the future.
Leave the previous film on the BofB alone. It doesn’t need to be done again.
Love the fact that the 70-something Towne is still in such high demand these days. Then again, why not? CHINATOWN rocks. So does SHAMPOO, THE LAST DETAIL, THE FIRM and TEQUILA SUNRISE (well, the first hour or so anyway).
Towne is, arguably, the best screenwriter in the world and I intend to be first in line to see THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN.
Don’t forget that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg produced BOB and Pacific. I had the honor to do the still photography on both productions.
Hope they just stick to the actual story.The Pearl Harbor movie was a farce.Like Fighter pilots flying bombers on the Doolittle Raid.It will be hard to top the 1969 movie.Besides the photography the movie had a first rate cast
I had been working on a project to bring the story of Robert Stanford-Tuck to the big screen, however, regading the script, we never could arrive at a “plot” for his character without changing a lot of history. And we knew that would be a big problem. Project shelved till further notice, but I did have the great pleasure of meeting his sons.
No CGI please! The flying scenes can easily be shot with real aircraft – okay, more time and more money perhaps, but so worthwhile. CGI will never replace genuine flight, and somehow the effects are never done correctly – it always looks wrong (too fast, too many, wrong movements etc). There are a great many people fond of the original film, don’t make this another flop remake like so many others – make it a genuine tribute to those who took part in the Battle by faithfully recreating their experiences as portrayed in the original.