According to IMDB, it's in pre-production and scheduled to be released in 2005. It's being written and directed by someone called Garth Jennings. So far, the only casting done is that Stephen Moore will once again provide the voice of Marvin.

I want you to know that I'm feeling rather depressed.

Hitchhikers Guide:The Tertiary Phase
Mind you, the last 3 books of THGTTG is due to come out on BBC Radio 4 in the U.K, sometime in February.
The original radio cast have agreed to reprise their roles & Douglas Adams is set to play the role of Arajag (Posthumously). This is due to the fact, he made a set of recordings as Arajag to act as a guide, to determine how Arajag should be played & they're using them. (Makes sense, given Arajag's always gets killed by Arthur Dent ! ) Naturally, It's called the Tert1ary Phase !

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-01/12/11.00.film

scifi.com is reporting that the movie has officially started. Bill Nighy (Love Actuallyand Martin Freeman (TV's The Office) are set to star, Nighy as Slartibartfast and Freeman as Arthur.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mjs2000/protomarvin.htm

Prototype for Marvin costume. I hate it less and less each time I look at it.

More stuff from Sci-fi:

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-01/29/11.00.film

Mos Def as Ford Prefect. Not who I pictured, but interesting, I guess. Plus Zooey Deschanel as Trillian.

The teaser trailer is out. You can find it here.

I love it. I cannot wait for this movie to arrive.

Bring your own towel!

And most important...DON'T PANIC!

Spoilers, Nits, & Observations (oh, my)...
(You've been warned)

Enjoyed the flick. Did a good job of incorporating elements from book, tv show, & original stuff. The dolphin show was entertaining. Loved the arrival & departure of Heart of Gold. And Marvin is great when he is present, but he did seem to be a little top-heavy. (Brain the size of a planet.)(By the way, he isn't manic-depressive or paranoid. He is severly & clinicly depressed. Manic-depressive implies a manic phase which Marvin never has.)

Some of the nits are the same as the book & tv show. The Vogon spoke English to the citizens of Earth. Perhaps a Babel Fish was hooked up to the speaker. I liked seeing the bar customers actually putting bags on their heads & lying down.
Zaphod called Ford by the name Ford. But this could have been the Babel Fish translating for Arthur (& us). When explaining how they were related, someone used the term ex. Does that mean they were related by marriage?
The previous incarnations had a potential nit that the movie ALMOST avoided. Arthur & Ford were picked up in Sector Z Z 9 Plural Z Alpha, the same as Trillion. In previous works, Arthur & Ford went through hyperspace before being picked up. They were no longer near the location of Earth, and should have been in a different Sector than Trillion. The movie, however, gave no indication that they went through hyperspace. But, the Vogons located the Heart of Gold in the same Sector and had to hyperspace to get to it. How big is a Sector?
Interesting use of Zaphod's 2nd head & 3rd arm. I was worried after seeing pictures that he was normal.
Differences from book & show include the fact that Magrethia made both planets & Deep Thought. Does that mean Slarti and the mice are the same race?
I was confused that the Vogons were after Zaphod, but then accepted his authorization to release a prisoner. Guess it was just very bad government red-tape at work.
Why did Humma want the point-of-view gun? Or, did he not know what kind of gun it was? Zaphod seemed surprised that Humma was so alien. Was Humma related to the creatures with 50-arms?
I was glad to see the credits included the bit about the fleet swallowed by the dog. I was worried that would be left out.
What was left out, however, was the interlude to relieve stress during the missle crisis. Another missing fact was that the Guide described Earth as Mostly Harmless. But Arthur could have read this before he learned of the destruction.

A must see flick for all. Don't forget your towel!

-- When explaining how they were related, someone used the term ex. Does that mean they were related by marriage? --

I think Zaphod calls him "Ix" which is his nickname for Ford.

Pretty good movie. Not spectacular, but good. Some of the changes worked better than others. I wouldn't mind seeing the next book adapted.

A few more notes. Read at your own risk.


Why did the mice need Arthur's brain when Slarti was able to replace Earth & return everyone? According to the book, it would have taken a very long time for the new Earth to calculate the Question, but that wasn't clear in the movie.

The gang didn't get the gun to Humma and retrieve Zaphod's head. (Unless there was some dialogue I missed.) Also, the actress Chancellor (was she the Vice-President?) wasn't able to capture Zaphod when the Vogons all got depressed, but she didn't seem too upset about it. Did I miss something there?

Does the fact that the Dolphins returned totally mess up the possibility of doing a movie version of the 4th book? Now that Earth is safe, will the Dolphins stop doing tricks? Or, will the Earth be destroyed again (like the fifth book does)?

Two more things....


Does the fact that Slarti returned all the humans prove that they are part of the computer program? If they are, then they can't be descended from Golgafinch. Perhaps the Dolphins returned the humans & made it seem like Slarti did.

Speaking of Dolphins: They are part of the program & are smarter than humans. So, they should know the Question. Unless they left Earth too early.

About the Vice-President not being depressed, Trillian explains earlier in the film that the "depression gun" dosen't work on women.

IMHO, Zaphod should have fired the gun at Trillian, right after she said it wouldn't work. (Then hit it like a typical male, the gun not Trillian.)

The VP was also not too upset because she was really just chasing Zaphod in order to apparently become his lover.

NOTE: I have not read the books.

Now, for my thoughts.

An entertaining movie--cheerfully bounds along and is a definite crowdpleaser. Not having read the books, I'm sure I missed a lot of jokes. At times, the film, as Ebert has pointed out, gets too caught up in its own whimsy and some of the satire is over-familiar by now.

Martin Freeman is capable as Arthur Dent (there were a few times when I thought he became annoying), while Zooey Deschanel does a nice job as Trillian. Sam Rockwell is entertaining and annoying (intentionally) as Zaphod; I wasn't sure if Rockwell was doing a faux-Bush impression at times. Mos Def contributes the best human performance in the film as Ford.

The voice-over work is great; Helen Mirren as the bored computer Deep Thought, Alan Rickman as the depressed Marvin, Stephen Fry as the cheerful narrator--all top notch. I also appreciated the game-show host-esque computer.

Overall, the film is always entertaining, but there are only a few points when it truly becomes inspired.

Rather than going on a large rambling rant I'll say one sentence: Go watch the BBC Tv series then watch this. Your opinion on the movie may change.

I know a lot of fans don't like the TV series but compared to this movie its so much better. OK, that was two (three including this) but..yeesh.

I think that the Vice-President was the only najor new charater. And a good one at that.

PS Does anyone think that the "new Ford Prefect" was a little like Rimmer from Red Dwarf.

PSS The "new Trillian" was a vast improvement over the "old Trillian". IMHO, the girl that played the "old Trillian" was wrong for the part.

A few comments on other people's comments:

Why did Humma want the point-of-view gun? Or, did he not know what kind of gun it was? -Terik Q

He was apparently smarting over Zaphod's victory, blaming it people's aversion to his appearence. If he had a gun to force people into seeing his point of view, that wouldn't be a problem any longer.

Also, the actress Chancellor (was she the Vice-President?) wasn't able to capture Zaphod when the Vogons all got depressed, but she didn't seem too upset about it. Did I miss something there? -Terik Q

I thought she was just trying to catch up with him, and she did do that.

As for original nits, this one my firends pointed out when we saw the movie yesterday (my knowledge of the books is mostly secondhand, but I trust they know what they're talking about) Just before the credits, the gang goes of to "this really great Restaurant at the End of the Universe." Presumably, this is a reference to Milliways, except that they treat "The End of the Universe" like it is a place. Doesn't it refer to a point in time, not space?

Yeah, it is. If they do make a sequel, the would probably just make it a throw away line.

The book has the same issue.

I really wanted a few things to happen in this movie. When they played "Journey of the Sorcerer", I broke into a HUGE grin.

ccabe
PSS The "new Trillian" was a vast improvement over the "old Trillian". IMHO, the girl that played the "old Trillian" was wrong for the part.

Well, in my humble opinion, I thought the new Trillian's wardrobe definately made sense to me, over the original BBC's character. Granted, the movie's Trillian never wore jewlry, but she did dress feminine, but more practical for someone who was traveling around in space. I thought the tight tacky outfits and the ridiculous earings worn by the BBC's Trillian was pathetic and impractical.

spottedkitty
Rather than going on a large rambling rant I'll say one sentence: Go watch the BBC Tv series then watch this. Your opinion on the movie may change.

And this is my feeling only, but I thought that the humor that I regognized in the BBC series, and was worked very well in the film. In fact, I saw this with my family, husband, daughter, and son, and we all laughed. We all loved it. My hubby, who has never seen one episode of the series or read the books, and that goes for my kids too. Yet, we all enjoyed and laughed at the movie. Everyone finds different things in stuff.

I went to the movie with two people who had not read the books and one who did. The one who did laughed uproariously throughout the whole movie and then the next day kept saying the movie sucked. The guy who didn't chuckled a few times, but generally enjoyed the film. Go figure.

The movie was So-so. I prefered the TV series myself. I think it's the rush to get as much as they can into a less than 2 hour movie plus try to have decent up to date effects that killed it a bit. With a TV series you can stretch out the story a bit.
Ok, I saw 2 cameos from the TV series in the movie. Did anyone see more that I didn't recognize? I saw the actor who played Arthur Dent (very obvious) and the Marvin robot from the series (not quite as easy to catch but still visible and recognizable).

Andrew

When I saw him, I nearly leapt out of my seat, shouting 'It's the REAL Marvin!'....

But restrained myself just in time and only whispered it hoarsely to my friend who was watching it with me

Watched it yesterday. Since it's a long time ago I saw snatches of the BBC series, I can't compare.

I loved the opening dolphin song, and the pictures of Earth at the end. They really lent a depth to the comedy, as well as the romance between Trillian and Arthur (which in the books is more of a background). Although I was surprised at the change, I like the other level.

What wasn't in the books - the extra part with the gun and Zaphod's enemy, as well as Trillian being kidnapped by the Vogons: did they change that part to surprise the fans who knew the books back- and forward, or to have one storyline to fill the time with?

What were those slap things on Vogsphere? They punished everybody who had a thought? When they said "Don't think of anything", I remembered the Ghost Buster movie...

Also, "Resistance is useless" sounds totally different after we've heard the Borg....

The Vogons were really well done - not only did they look butt-ugly, but also incredibly natural and real.

When they get the POV gun, there are slots for several guns, not just one. What happened to the others?

Since they didn't take the gun back yet, I guess they'll leave that for the next movie...

Nice to make the pangalactic's look a bit like mice in their natural form. But when Arthur smashes them, and we see the children lying squashed on the table... urrrggghh. That image, I could've done without. In the book, they're merely stunned...

I was surprised a bit that Ford is black (I think the BBC series had Zaphod black?). Is it because blacks look more believably alien? I certainly don't remember any mentions of skin colours in the books...

Overall, while it wasn't what I expected and the changes took some getting used to, I liked the many inside jokes as well as the visuals about how wonderful Earth is (we really should take better care of it!) and the romance story.

constanze: What were those slap things on Vogsphere? They punished everybody who had a thought?
I believe that they punished anyone who said they had a thought, a plan, or an idea.

No, the trio stopped talking quickly, but they were slapped all the way across the plain.

I was confused that the Vogons were after Zaphod, but then accepted his authorization to release a prisoner. Guess it was just very bad government red-tape at work.

That was my impression: since the Vogons aren't evil, but above all bureaucratic, they'll obey each order. And the clerk hasn't been told or authorized to arrest Zaphod... I mean, they ask for authorisation to go to Hyperspace earlier, and instead of pursuing Zaphod right away, they break for lunch...

The VP was also not too upset because she was really just chasing Zaphod in order to apparently become his lover.

Yes, that was my impression, too, which is why she was always stopping the Vogons from being too dangerous....

The part that disappointed me a bit was when they visited the planet with Humma, the aliens didn't look like they had 50 arms (which was described in the guide's segment, after all), and the service was too familiar christian (right down to the music), not alien enough for me.
Also, why does Humma have these mechanical thingies? Was it too difficult to make 50 real arms - what about CGI?

constanze: I was surprised a bit that Ford is black (I think the BBC series had Zaphod black?).

I assume you're referring to the TV series. No Zaphod wasn't black in that version.

Gordon - yes, I once saw a bit of the TV series.

BTW, the music score when the Guide first appeared was awfully familiar to me - was it taken from an earlier incarnation? (And does somebody know the name and composer/band?)

According to others, it's the music from both the radio and TV series.

If you're talking about the piece with the banjo, it's called Journey of the Sorcerer by The Eagles.

Yes, that's the one I meant. Thanks for the info.

I was surprised a bit that Ford is black (I think the BBC series had Zaphod black?).

You're probably thinking of the Illustrated Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a large silver hardcover book with photographic illustrations (not from the TV series, but made specifically for the book), which had a black Zaphod.

I went a while back with Mrs. ScottN, who generally doesn't like this sort of thing. She was laughing through most of the film. She loved Marvin.

And Alan Rickman as Marvin's voice was perfect.

Now that the DVD is out, it's time for a reprise!
I heard that the British set has 2 DVDs.
The extras include the missing fact that the Guide described Earth as Harmless.

Marvin is still great, but he is definately top-heavy. (Brain the size of a planet.)
The Vogon spoke English to the citizens of Earth. Perhaps a Babel Fish was hooked up to the speaker.
Arthur & Ford were on Earth, picked up by the Vogons, kicked out by Vogons, and rescued by HOG all in Sector Z Z 9 Plural Z Alpha. However, the Vogons had to hyperspace to get to HOG. There was no indication that the Vogons left ZZ9 after the kick out.
Others pointed out that Zaphod called Ford Ix, and this was supported by the closed captioning.
Still confused by the relationship between Slarti and the mice. Are they the same race?
Zaphod seemed surprised that Humma was so alien. Still confused with Humma's relationship to the creatures with 50-arms?
The love interest of the VP for Zaphod was clearer.
I wondered why did the mice need Arthur's brain when Slarti was able to replace Earth & return everyone. Now I believe that the mice needed it to try to get the Question quicker, and the new Earth would take longer for the Question without his brain.
Still confused by the ending. Does the fact that the Dolphins returned totally mess up the possibility of doing a movie version of the 4th book? Now that Earth is safe, will the Dolphins stop doing tricks? Or, will the Earth be destroyed again (like the fifth book does)?

Just rented this last night -- a one-day rental so I won't be able to explore it very thoroughly. Still undecided whether or not to buy it.

I can't remember if it was answered in the book(s), but why Arthur's brain? Why not Trillian's?

Some observations (is this movie even nittable? )

A couple things about Marvin -- one thing I don't usually car for in cartoons is having famous actors doing the voices. I tend to see the actors reading their lines than enjoying them as the character. An exception is Toy Story, where they were perfectly matched. OK, maybe Alan Rickman isn't that famous, but I thought he sounded an awful lot like David Warner. The other problem was that it sounded like a voice-over. In the TV series (and in Star Wars, C-3PO), it seemed like the voice was coming from them. The "soundscape" was all wrong for this one, it should have had more spatiality or something to sound like it was coming from the enviroment, rather than a voice-over.

I was very happy to see the "original" Marvin in the queue in the Vogon office as well. Simon Jones, the original Arthur Dent, was the head that greeted the Heart of Gold at Magrathea.

From the previews, I wasn't sure about Mos Def as Ford, but I thought he fit the part brilliantly. However, I was constantly put off by Sam Rockwell's Zaphod. It just seemed too much like "acting" somehow.

But Trillian, wow. I found her to be one of the most attractive women I've ever seen in the movies, in a Bailey Quarters (WKRP in Cinncinnati) sort of way. Sure, the character was intelligent and outgoing, but I loved the pleasant beauty and voice of the actress as well.

So, what album is that Eagles tune on, anyway?

Trillian's brian couldn't be used because she wasn't on Easth till the end. I think that is in one of the novels.

Journey Of The Sorcerer is on One Of These Nights, Track 4.

The only thing in this movie I liked better than the TV series was Trillian. Absolutely loved her in it, could definitely see what arthur saw in her.

Shame that Douglas Adams didn't live to see Hitchhiker's finally make to the big screen.