h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hugh Laurie might do the trick.

Yeah...

on the subject of shaggy I'm affraid you're wrong. It's matthew lillard (scream,hackers).
but returinging to the question at hand, anyone opposed to steven wright (monotone on the radio in reservior dogs) as the voice of Marvin? maybe patrick stewart could be "the book"?

Yeah! Him as the book. Good idea.

Would John Cleese be good in any parts...

John Cleese? Good idea, he could be, ummmm, the maitre d' in the restaurant...

Room for anyother Pythons in there?

Terry Jones - Slartfartiblast
Michael Palin - Vogon Captain (voice in a deeper version of the Knights who Say Ni)
Eric Idle - Arthur Dent (possibly too cock-er-knee)

Michael Palin as a gay Vogon guard! Ni!

Hmmm... Monty Python and the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy?

Back to Trills: Party - point granted, But to be on the Dole Queue she had to be, at least, living in Britain - and the mice she had as pets? Imply being from Britain (she couldn't have brought them in from another country without leaving them in Quarantine for 6 months....)

Sorry that should have been

Monty Python and the Holy HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy...

hehe, nice title

Shall we write a script?

'He's not the hoopiest frood in the universe, he's a very naughty boy!!!'

Ahem. My script contribution.

"We are the knights who say 'Holy Zarquon'..."
There's mine...

Jim Carrey as Arthur Dent - it would ruin the film completely.

It was bad enough when they cast Sandra Dickinson in the role of Trillian for the TV series - granted she's an intelligent woman in her own right but her voice belies it somewhat and doesn't fit to the character of Tricia McMillan. And Tricia McMillan in the radio play was British with no mention of her going anywhere near the US. As usual, it's the movie makers wanting to pander to the US audience by insisting that at least one of the major parts is played by an American. I'm sure the Yanks aren't that stupid and the success of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's (Sorceror's) Stone goes to show that a film can have an all-British cast and still do well on that side of the pond.

What about having an entire cast of (as yet) unknowns? It worked for the original.

Jim Carrey...? DA would spin in his grave.

How about Robbie Coltrane as Slartibartfast ?

Jim Carrey is quite good at what he does but he does tend to "take over" the movies that he stars in. I think it should definitely be as much an English cast as possible.

My 2c:

Arthur Dent : Hugh Laurie
Zaphod Beeblebrox : I have no idea! A hard part to find a cool enough guy for.
Trillian : Posh Spice(JUST KIDDING!!! )
Marvin : (voice by) John Cleese
The Vogon Captain : John Thaw...(?)
Slartibartfast : Robbie Coltrane
Ford Prefect : Eric Idle.

And there should be a part in it for Tony Robinson somewhere... The elevator in the h2g2-building maybe?

It's all a bit uncertain now of course. They are already planning the release of the Salmon of Doubt and if there is no movie the publisher will include the script that DNA wrote for the movie.

BTW : Everyone here should now by now that "The Salmon of Doubt" will be released around April 29 2002. But does everybody know that Amazon is already taking reservations/orders ? Just so you know.

TM.

Oh yeah, and the book. I wish Richard Burton was still alive...
Can you imagine it? Can you hear it? In the voice of the War of the Worlds CD he did with Jeff Wayne : Space is big...

TM.

TowelMaster, can you please explain to me why it "should definitely be as much an English cast as possible".

Is it because the author was British? So what! DNA wrote a story about people from all over the UNIVERSE being brought together by events beyond their control. He also showed (time and agin) that he wasn't averse to changing things to present it well on a different medium, i.e. the books are different to the radio play and TV series, the TV series is different from the books and radio play, etc. Isn't it logical to assume that the movie script is going to be different again?

Is it because the original actors who portrayed them in the radio play were British. So what! The radio play was put together in GB on what I'd imagine was a very limited budget. The budgetery constraints will be much less of an issue for the movie.

Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ford Prefect, Marvin, Slartibartfast and the Vogon Captain are not British. They are all from different parts of the universe and I think the movie would be that much more interesting by having these parts played by actors from various parts of the world (i.e. not just from the UK or USA).

Having said that, I'd love to see Tony Robinson in there somewhere.

Every time I think about Deep Thought I recall the voice of God in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and I still like the idea of Patrick Stewart as the book.

It's all academic anyway. The movie (if it ever gets made) is being made in the USA by Disney (I think). We can look forward to Arthur becoming a New Yorker named "Chuck" who clogs up "Eddie the Computer" by asking for a hotdog and a Bud.

Sandra Dickinson, who played Trillion, was American and spoke with a very obvious accent.

Ironically, I would go for another Welshman to take the Voice of the Book... Anthony Hopkins. Having followed his career from early times (War and Peace etc) I know that he is capable of bringing just the right touch of humour without being overpowering.

shazz

Technically, Ford was beleived by Arthur to come from Guildford. So I assume that he must have had a beleivable British accent, though I suppose Arthur wasn't the most observant spark...

But that could be Guildford, Massachusets, of course. And there would be room for an actor doing a dick van dyke (?) rendition of southern British, which could be good for a giggle... The casting is now open for all foreign actors who have ever mangled RP...

Hello Sir EvilRoy,

When I say "As much an English cast as possible" it has nothing to do with the qualities of actors/actresses outside of Britain.
It's just that I believe that the humor in the Guide is so typically British, that the vast majority of non-British actors will find it almost impossible to act out the book on the screen. How would you do Marvin if not with a pure British accent ? It would be like having an American Basil Fawlty to me. I've seen one episode of the american Fawlty Towers, and it definitely convinced me that it is almost impossible to replace British actors with American actors and keep all the zany English humor intact. I think it works the other way too btw, Robin Williams played by a British actor? Possible but not too likely imo.

Please believe this : I am not a religious guide-zelot who treats it like the Bible or Koran. I really don't go as far as the Lord-Of-the-rings-fans who criticize every stupid little thing in the new LOTR-movie that is different from the book. As a matter of fact, it would be fantastic to hear/see some new or altered jokes in the movie.

I have not read the script for the Guide-movie(obviously ). But I do believe that Douglas Adams would not have strayed to far from his original version(the radioplay). Judging from his meticulous work on all versions of the guide I would say that it's more likely that he focussed on getting even more details right.
The Guide is a brilliant piece of work, but that may also mean that Douglas and the BBC were right on the mark with their casting of the radioplay in the first place.

So for me it's basically a case of "why change it if it worked before?". And as far as I know, both the radioplay and the tv-series were done with a mainly british cast, so Douglas didn't change much there. But "who knows, who can tell", to quote Gag Halfrunt.

So for me it's not so much that "they should all be brits". To me the guide satirizes(?) events in the outside-world in a typically british way. So why not use British actors.

I agree with you that Patrick Stewart might make a great "Book". As would Anthony Hopkins. Loads of candidates actually... Let's hope they don't die before the movie gets made(ARE YOU LISTENING DISNEY?). As for Tony Robinson : which part would *you* give him?

And finally about your Disney-statement : yessss... I do fear the company-directors will want to butt in. Although the stories I heard said that Douglas had a lot op freedom in writing the script. Relatively speaking probably...

TM.