Author Topic: "The Right Stuff" (TV Series) (Read 16018 times)

Thorny · « **on:** 05/01/2019 03:23 am »

National Geographic Channel is making a TV series based on "The Right Stuff".

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2019/04/30/leo-dicaprio-right-stuff-tv-show/3621969002/

" "The Right Stuff," a new television series adapted from Tom Wolfe's iconic account of the early days of the U.S. space program, will start filming this fall on the Space Coast. "

MATTBLAK · « **Reply #1 on:** 05/01/2019 04:01 am »

Probably an 'artistically unnecessary' or redundant thing to do. But I applaud the creation of the subject matter. Anything to help curb the rise of conspiracy sh1t and flat earthism rising so rampantly these days...

libra · « **Reply #2 on:** 05/01/2019 06:15 am »

Amazing ! Although the original will be very hard to beat, obviously. Such a movie.

The good thing is that Bill Conti is still alive and kicking. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Conti

Oh please, I do hope he will compose the series music. That would be completely awesome.

I do hope they correct the siliness around Gus Grissom. Can't remember the book, but the movie was wrong, so wrong, about the incident.

flyright · « **Reply #3 on:** 05/04/2019 12:01 am »

Quote from: libra on 05/01/2019 06:15 am

Amazing ! Although the original will be very hard to beat, obviously. Such a movie.

The good thing is that Bill Conti is still alive and kicking. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Conti

Oh please, I do hope he will compose the series music. That would be completely awesome.

I do hope they correct the siliness around Gus Grissom. Can't remember the book, but the movie was wrong, so wrong, about the incident.

Yeah, the book had it wrong about Gus Grissom too. Otherwise a good book. Looking forward to the series.

Dalhousie · « **Reply #4 on:** 05/06/2019 10:19 am »

Quote from: flyright on 05/04/2019 12:01 am

Quote from: libra on 05/01/2019 06:15 am
Amazing ! Although the original will be very hard to beat, obviously. Such a movie.

The good thing is that Bill Conti is still alive and kicking. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Conti

Oh please, I do hope he will compose the series music. That would be completely awesome.

I do hope they correct the siliness around Gus Grissom. Can't remember the book, but the movie was wrong, so wrong, about the incident.

Yeah, the book had it wrong about Gus Grissom too. Otherwise a good book. Looking forward to the series.

The book had it wrong about Neil Armstrong too

Fequalsma · « **Reply #5 on:** 05/06/2019 11:09 am »

How so? IIRC The book stopped after Mercury
F=ma

Quote from: Dalhousie on 05/06/2019 10:19 am

The book had it wrong about Neil Armstrong too

MATTBLAK · « **Reply #6 on:** 05/06/2019 11:37 am »

The book talks about Armstrong's work at Edwards, prior to his Astronaut selection in 1962. He is portrayed by Tom Wolfe as robotic, emotionless and pedantic.

Oersted · « **Reply #7 on:** 05/06/2019 09:15 pm »

Quote from: MATTBLAK on 05/06/2019 11:37 am

The book talks about Armstrong's work at Edwards, prior to his Astronaut selection in 1962. He is portrayed by Tom Wolfe as robotic, emotionless and pedantic.

Tom Wolfe's "New Journalism" was never meant to be taken at face value. The genre was always considered part entertainment, part storytelling. Wolfe supposedly channels Chuck Yeager's view of Armstrong and the other astronauts, but with so much hyperbole that you can't take it as much more than a good yarn. Of course TV people will happily base a whole TV series on that kind of source with no qualms whatsoever. Being TV people.

frankle94568 · « **Reply #8 on:** 09/14/2019 01:35 am »

How do you define “pretty close”? Like most movies, it’s based on a book, usually by the same name. Someone writes a screenplay, which changes things and then the director uses the screenplay to shoot the movie. Sometimes the movie is “pretty close” to the book, sometimes a or a number of techinal advisors are present during the filming to keep things accurate.

In my view, this film is “pretty close”. I think Alan Shepard, one of the astronauts portrayed in the film, did NOT like the actor who played him nor his performance. But, the book mentions “two” Alan Shepards. One was “Smilin’ Al” and the other was the Icy Commander. That wasn’t shown in the film.

libra · « **Reply #9 on:** 09/14/2019 07:19 am »

This Wired masterpiece is a must-read.

https://www.wired.com/2014/11/oral-history-of-right-stuff/

It helps understanding where TRS stood amid the Hollywood galaxy. Philip Kaufman was actually a member of the Spielberg - Lucas - Joe Dante - Laurence Kasdan (sorry, need to stop here for a second and just say that I have to use stupid words to get my point across. I know that means I must have a weak argument, but that's why I use bad words).. He knew George Lucas pretty well.
There is also plenty of anecdotes about the movie - making-off style.

libra · « **Reply #10 on:** 10/09/2019 02:21 pm »

Quote

(sorry, need to stop here for a second and just say that I have to use stupid words to get my point across. I know that means I must have a weak argument, but that's why I use bad words)

The word m-a-f-i-a can be used, for example, as in "fighter m-a-f-i-a" used for the group of AF officers that pushed the LWF / F-16 concept forward in the 60's (Boyd, sprey, and others).
Hence I wanted to say " the Spielberg - Lucas - Joe Dante - Laurence Kasdan M-A-F-I-A" without thinking a stupid autocorrect would ever "think" it might be a rude, offending word.

M-a-f-i-a = pack, as in "the rat pack".

Silly autocorrect, really.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #11 on:** 05/06/2020 12:40 am »

https://twitter.com/disneyplus/status/1257758297773371393

Quote

Before there was one small step, there was one team of military pilots who made history as the U.S. space program's first astronauts. The Right Stuff, an Original Series based on the bestselling novel by Tom Wolfe, is coming soon. #DisneyPlus

hektor · « **Reply #12 on:** 05/07/2020 09:22 pm »

Seems to be no Chuck Yeager in this one...

Thorny · « **Reply #13 on:** 05/08/2020 07:32 pm »

Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 05/06/2020 12:40 am

Quote
Before there was one small step, there was one team of military pilots who made history as the U.S. space program's first astronauts. The Right Stuff, an Original Series based on the bestselling novel by Tom Wolfe, is coming soon. #DisneyPlus

Note that this series has moved to a new home and will be shown on the Disney Plus streaming service instead of (in addition to?) the National Geographic Channel.

libra · « **Reply #14 on:** 05/09/2020 09:11 am »

Hey Ridley ! Got any Beeman's ?

It will be hard to top the original movie (despite its minor flaws we all know about)

Then again, if it has "For all mankind" and Tom Wolfe DNA, it can't be bad.

I REALLY hope they get the record straight on Gus Grissom this time. The movie got it extremely wrong and unfair. Can't remember if the cardinal sin come from Wolfe book, which in this case, might led to a repeat of the silly mistake.
Same for the NF-104A crash at the end - made no sense, at least compared to the real events.

Let's hope for the best !

Won't be easy either to better this scene...

In the original movie the very Chuck Yeager got a cameo at Pancho's. As an old rancher saying to his fictional counterpart Sam Shepard "hey, you stand in my way to the bar" - or something close. Best.cameo.ever.

It is a pity Sam Shepard had passed away, imagine if these two - the "real" and the "first fictional" Chuck Yeager - had a cameo with the "2020 Chuck Yeager".
Three Yeagers for the price of one. ROTFL.

To think the real Chuck is still alive and outlived his fictional counterpart. How about that.

Maybe they will get Ed Harris for a cameo. That would be pretty fun, too. He could play Chuck Yeager.

JMS · « **Reply #15 on:** 05/15/2020 08:09 pm »

Quote from: libra on 05/09/2020 09:11 am

It will be hard to top the original movie (despite its minor flaws we all know about)

Respectfully, more than "minor flaws". Don't misunderstand... it was a well-executed film and enjoyable. But misleading on so many levels. I just needed to correct a user in another part of this forum... believing the scene where the "Von Braun character" and the astronauts butted heads over capsule design and control. Rubbish. Further, the general portrayal of VB as this cantankerous sour figure was senseless. Yes, controversial, but very well-liked and respected.

Grissom's portrayal bordered on slander.

Yeager taking the NF-104 off the flight line to "wring her out" on an unplanned flight... or accepting the job on the X-1 project at Pancho's bar and going out the next morning to make the historic flight just propagated the perception of wreckless test pilots instead of showing the careful, incremental processes that were the reality.

Again, yes, entertaining. Unfortunately, some people believe Hollywood as history.

sghill · « **Reply #16 on:** 05/19/2020 07:01 pm »

BTW, I have a non-speaking, but recurring role as a pad technician in the new series! I filmed several scenes last fall in Orlando with my 1950's hairdo.

Also, as far as the book is concerned, I've read it twice, and Tom Wolf unabashedly ~~hated~~ detested the astronauts, NASA, the federal government, the military mindset, and Floridians. The only people he remotely portrayed as likable characters were the long suffering military wives and Chuck Yeager.

Most of the book is about, what he considered, the irresponsible waste of human lives among the fighter jockey crowd as jets entered service, were killing pilots every day, and the egos at every level of society that allowed all the young men to die in unsafe aircraft. The book could not be more different than the Reagan-era feel good movie.

The trailer for the series is out, I can see a couple of scenes I'm in.

Thorny · « **Reply #17 on:** 05/19/2020 08:02 pm »

Quote from: libra on 05/09/2020 09:11 am

To think the real Chuck is still alive and outlived his fictional counterpart. How about that.

Also note that Fred Haise is still with us, while Bill Paxton who played him in Apollo 13 has passed.

LtCmdr · « **Reply #18 on:** 06/01/2020 07:34 pm »

Some nice 1950 & 1960s photos here:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/new-tvshow-the-right-stuff.113336/

hygoex · « **Reply #19 on:** 06/04/2020 09:08 pm »

Will Conti bring back his score? I'd love to even hear the Planets for John Glenn's launch!