Wing Commander Rights

[Jdawg]

last thing I will say about all this in general, is if something is hot and a hit than every company wants to get in on the action. take the video game movie genre, if warcraft and assassins creed are hits critically and financially, than you will see the flood gates open on video game movies. if these movies hit, you will see a halo, metal gear solid, and bioshock movie by 2018 to 2020

 

[Quarto]

The great irony is that I'd be the first person in line to see a new Wing Commander game even if it weren't from Chris. I may have been the only person genuinely excited at the news that Piranha had picked up the license. (Though of course the sheer mess that became is another argument why not to do it, I suppose...)

My personal hope is to bring back the Wing Commander universe more... for us. Novels, roleplaying sourcebooks, etc. Sort of like Star Trek did between the series, with offshoot universes like the FASA stuff or Starfleet battles... (or Star Wars did with the EU, back when we were a little more honest about that )

You know, it's for this reason that I'm actually quite comfortable with the current situation. Yes, it's sad that no new games are forthcoming, and even when some chance of a game emerges, it almost inevitably gets shot down. But our franchise is sitting in this nice, quiet corner where we can happily produce mods and other things (RPG sourcebooks included) without worrying too much about the franchise owner stepping in. And then you think about how a new game could potentially be great and amazing... or it could be quite literally universe-shattering, adapting the franchise to "modern sensibilities" and the like.

I sure do wish there were more fans actually doing things with WC, though. Or even just talking more here.

 

[Mindcrime]

Thanks! Here's a couple. We had our honeymoon at Disneyland. Here are some storm troopers too lol.

Sadly, no. Chris has the TV and movie rights, and he gets the distribution rights to the film back next year... but the games (and their related spinoffs) will always sit with Electronic Arts (unless they sell them off.)

The real problem with pitching a Wing Commander (or Mass Effect) project at EA right now is that the first question you're asked is: why don't we make it Star Wars and make three times as much money? Which is fair, however unfortunate.

But let's start a different thread for rights stuff if there's more to say, I really like the intros in this one!

And congratulations, Afrim!!! That's totally awesome, please post some pictures from the ceremony if they're share-able!

 

[NinjaLA]

comics and RPGs, yesplz!

 

[LeHah]

You know, it's for this reason that I'm actually quite comfortable with the current situation. Yes, it's sad that no new games are forthcoming, and even when some chance of a game emerges, it almost inevitably gets shot down. But our franchise is sitting in this nice, quiet corner where we can happily produce mods and other things (RPG sourcebooks included) without worrying too much about the franchise owner stepping in. And then you think about how a new game could potentially be great and amazing... or it could be quite literally universe-shattering, adapting the franchise to "modern sensibilities" and the like.

I sure do wish there were more fans actually doing things with WC, though. Or even just talking more here.

I needed to quote this post solely because its the first time in 15 years Quarto and I have agreed on anything.

 

[Mindcrime]

Do you guys think when Chris gets the rights back for Wing Commander he will someday want to make a new Wing Commander movie? Or do u think that ship has sailed and left a bitter taste in his mouth? Since we know he won't get the rights back for the game IP along with the movie rights it makes me wonder.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Do you guys think when Chris gets the rights back for Wing Commander he will someday want to make a new Wing Commander movie? Or do u think that ship has sailed and left a bitter taste in his mouth? Since we know he won't get the rights back for the game IP along with the movie rights it makes me wonder.

He still has the movie rights as far as I know. I doubt he'd want to revisit it though, especially when he's got Star Citizen to push.

 

[Mindcrime]

I just went back a re read a post by Loaf. He has the rights to the movie and tv show but gets distribution rights back soon. Loaf if you are reading this does that mean he has the right to create new Wing Commander movie and tv show kinda content? Just curious, not honestly expecting that to happen.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

I just went back a re read a post by Loaf. He has the rights to the movie and tv show but gets distribution rights back soon. Loaf if you are reading this does that mean he has the right to create new Wing Commander movie and tv show kinda content? Just curious, not honestly expecting that to happen.

Yes! Chris could do a second Wing Commander movie or a TV show. And I'm sure he'd love to do either someday... some folks here may remember he had a Wing Commander TV project some years back that unfortunately fell through. I know he'd also like to revisit the existing Wing Commander movie, redo some of the effects (sorry, green rubber Kilrathi!) and restore some of what they had to cut for budget/time/audience reaction way back when.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Yes! Chris could do a second Wing Commander movie or a TV show. And I'm sure he'd love to do either someday... some folks here may remember he had a Wing Commander TV project some years back that unfortunately fell through. I know he'd also like to revisit the existing Wing Commander movie, redo some of the effects (sorry, green rubber Kilrathi!) and restore some of what they had to cut for budget/time/audience reaction way back when.

I'm not the biggest fan of the film for various reasons but I'd love to see a director's cut.

 

[Quarto]

I'm not the biggest fan of the film for various reasons but I'd love to see a director's cut.

The movie in its current form is the director's cut - nobody imposed any changes on Chris Roberts, the film represents what he at the time thought was the best way to put together the filmed materials. What is needed here is more along the lines of Apocalypse Now Redux - a work that acknowledges departing significantly from the original, but which in some ways better reflects the original vision the film director had before the reality of filmmaking got in the way.

And yes, as long as those ugly hairless Kilrathi get replaced with state-of-the-art CGI equivalents of the WC2/WC3 Kilrathi, I'm all for it. That would be awesome.

 

[DefianceIndustries]

And possibly a rapier that resembles its namesake?

 

[AD]

And possibly a rapier that resembles its namesake?

It would be a bit harder to actually replace the fighters. Don't forget that Rapiers were physical cockpits and to a degree the outsides need to match. You see several lined up invarious flight deck scenes and various crew and such climb all over them at many many points. I't would probably be a lot more technically challenging to replace all the rapiers than it would the exterior of the Tiger's Claw, or the Kilrathi. The Kilrathi only get into physical contact with humans once in any of the combat scenes (when Blair is lifted off the ground... there's a deleted scene somewhere though where a Kilrathi on Pegasus swipes a female confed fighter in the head... It's similar to the stuff you see on the security monitor briefly).

Still I don't think Chris is that interested in changing the look of the ships much. While the Rapiers aren't pretty, they do have a kind of utilitarian appeal. And unlike the Broadswords, the Confed handbook does tell us it's not actually the same Rapier from the games.

That said, the Rapier is really the only ship that has a physical counterpart. There' was a broadsword cockpit created but you never really see it from the outside except in one brief shot of Knight's Broadsword getting destroyed... The rest of the ships, the Diligent included were all pretty much exclusively CG on the exterior. Someone could theoretically redesign all the ships without too much problem. But I don't think that's an effort that would really pay off for the most part. I'd love to give the Kilrathi capships some more distinction though. Between the Snakier and the Cruiser it does get a bit tough to tell which ship is which since one is very much just a longer version of the other. The Ralari is great though.

 

[Mindcrime]

It's exciting to know that he has the rights to do this. Maybe in another 5 years when all the SQ 42 and Star Citizen stuff takes less of his time he will want to go back and try something new. Honestly a directors cut of the movie doesn't interest me so much as the possibility of a live action tv show would. Multiple episodes and new missions during these episodes. Maybe get that WC1 feeling this time around. I think a tv show would suit much better for storytelling purposes. In a 2 hr movie there is only so much that can be done.

 

[Lilja]

some folks here may remember he had a Wing Commander TV project some years back that unfortunately fell through.

Something along the lines of Space above and Beyond perhaps ?

That said, the Rapier is really the only ship that has a physical counterpart.

I remember an article in a military aircraft magazine and the anger about those cockpits. Such a shame to cut up the English Electric Lightning (I think it was acutally two), from memory the broad sword was an English Electric Canberra.

 

[Lilja]

I've gone and got myself reminiscing over these fine aircraft.

I used to volunteer work at an airfield that preserves several cold war aircraft, so I though you might like to see them in their non WC forms.

Here is the EE Lightning

As its quite long here are some notable times :
45 s - lower engine start
1:30 - upper engine start
2:35 - start of taxi run, and an EE Canberra (broadsword) in the background
6:30 - fast taxi taxi

And the Canberra

17 s - Left engine
56 s - right engine
4:58 - fast taxi

Oh how I love the smell of avgas in the morning.

 

[centaurianmudpig]

It would be a bit harder to actually replace the fighters. Don't forget that Rapiers were physical cockpits and to a degree the outsides need to match. You see several lined up invarious flight deck scenes and various crew and such climb all over them at many many points. I't would probably be a lot more technically challenging to replace all the rapiers than it would the exterior of the Tiger's Claw, or the Kilrathi.

If they can make Han Solo step on Jabba's tail then they can do anything

 

[Quarto]

I remember an article in a military aircraft magazine and the anger about those cockpits. Such a shame to cut up the English Electric Lightning (I think it was acutally two), from memory the broad sword was an English Electric Canberra.

Well, let's be reasonable about this. They didn't cut up a flying Lightning. Most likely, the two Lightnings they got were in awful shape and only good for scrap. Ultimately, aircraft preservation should not be about holding on to every single old plane, no matter how bad its shape is. In Poland, we've got dozens and dozens of various MiGs, especially (IIRC) MiG-21s, sitting around in various locations. The military museum in Warsaw in particular has a whole second site on the peripheries of the city, where some fifty different planes and tanks stand around basically in a field, rusting away. What's the value in that? I'd much rather see some of them used in a Wing Commander movie.

If they can make Han Solo step on Jabba's tail then they can do anything

Hehe, the trouble is they really couldn't make Han Solo step in Jabba's tail - it looked awful .

 

[AD]

Something along the lines of Space above and Beyond perhaps ?



I remember an article in a military aircraft magazine and the anger about those cockpits. Such a shame to cut up the English Electric Lightning (I think it was acutally two), from memory the broad sword was an English Electric Canberra.

Yes, a Canberra, though you never really ever see the cockpit from the outside, or at least not in the way you do with the Rapier. You don't ever see people climbing in and out of the Broadsword, or on top of hte Broadswords on the flight deck. The exterior shots that are pulled back enough to make out the shape of the cockpit are - even if they scanned the cockpit nose is entirely CG.

This is as much of the physical cockpit of the Broadsword that you actually see. Note that they didn't even complete the effects in Paladin's closeups. It's just black out the window:




In the few other instances you actually see the full cockpit of the Broadsword it looks like this:

 

[Bitterman]

welp, the thing is that disney will force shove upon our throats, all kinds of Star wars or Marvel related media, games and etc. til we get bored.

also they have enough money to feed EA with more star wars games until the next century.