The evergreen method of adding “…in space!” to the end of an existing title in order to pitch a “new” film has finally blindsided Greek poet Homer. Good thing he’s not around to not see it. According to Deadline Hollywood, Warners has hired James DiLapo to write a new version of “The Odyssey” that takes place in space.
Yes, they literally want to make a space “Odyssey.”
DiLapo is a recent NYU grad who earned a Nicholl Fellowship and placement on the Black List with his first script, Devils At Play, but there’s no word yet on how the young talent will be engaging the story and transmitting it into the world of science fiction. At its very core, it could a tale of a captain trying desperately and difficultly to get home, or it could involve more of the direct elements of the classic epic poem. Undoubtedly, it won’t look anything like Ulysses 31 at all.
On a similar front, Deadline is also reporting that MGM is set to remake Ben-Hur from the original book “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ,” which is now in the public domain. So, you can also make a version of Ben-Hur if you’d like. This script comes from Keith Clarke (The Way Back) and mirrors the book more closely than the Charlton Heston film of old. Get ready to strap on your space suit and sandals.
