On his blog, science fiction author Joe Haldeman revealed that Ridley Scott’s film version of his classic novel The Forever War has a screen writer, and that several drafts have been completed.
Who’s is the writer? From Haldeman’s clue, it’s got to be David Webb Peoples, who wrote the screenplay for Scott’s BLADE RUNNER, adapted from Phillip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Peoples also wrote the sci-fi films LEVIATHAN, TWELVE MONKEYS, and SOLDIER.
From Joe Holdeman’s Blog:
“…I heard, it was the fourth rewrite. I’ve talked to the writer — he has good credits, like “Unforgiven.”
I’m not among the people who assume that the novel will be desecrated by the movie. It will be interesting to see somebody else’s take on it.
Incidentally, I wasn’t asked to submit a screenplay, though I’ve been a member of the Writers Guild for almost thirty years and have solid production credits. No surprise. They don’t want the book’s author saying “Hold it! I wrote the book, and that’s not the way it goes.”
While it’s disappointing to know that Haldeman wasn’t asked to submit even a draft of the film as a jumping off point, at least David Peoples has some solid science fiction film experience. (As opposed to other screen writers.)
For those not familiar with the 1974 Nebula and Hugo Award-winning novel, The Forever War tells the story of college student William Mandella, who after an attack on Earth ships by the alien Taurans, finds himself drafted into an outer space war. Due to the effects of time dilation, he ages only a few years, while much time passes on this world. Alienated by massive social changes and with no family links, he and many of his fellow soldiers keeps re-uping for additional tours, as centuries pass back home.
Two sequels, Forever Free and Forever Peace followed in the 1990’s.