[quote=http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=26564]Dan O'Bannon, the sci-fi and horror screenwriter behind some of the genres' most recognisable titles, has died in Los Angeles following a short illness. He was 63.
A USC graduate in the same year as John Carpenter, O'Bannon was instrumental in Carpenter's cracking (and crackpot) first feature Dark Star, serving as co-writer, FX supervisor, production designer and editor, and playing Sgt Pinback (who turns out not to be Sgt Pinback at all). O'Bannon is the one who chases the beachball alien all over the spaceship; an idea that would sort of resurface later...
O'Bannon did some FX work on Star Wars in 1977, but is best known for kickstarting a different franchise. While authorship of Alien as we know it today is down to a number of people, there's no question that O'Bannon's Star Beast screenplay set the ball rolling, and he brought many of his colleagues from Alejandro Jodorowsky's aborted Dune to the project. The rest is movie history.
He wrote Blue Thunder and Life Force, and had two cracks at Philip K Dick, adapting We Can Remember It For You Wholesale and Second Variety into Total Recall and Screamers. Some say his Moebius-illustrated Heavy Metal comic The Long Tomorrow was a big visual influence on Blade Runner.
His Soft Landing and B-17 segments of the 1981 Heavy Metal movie were well-received, And he directed twice, fronting the fondly-remembered George Romero knock-off/parody Return of the Living Dead in 1985, and The Resurrected in 1992: an adaptation of HP Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
His screenplays were often reworked, much to his chagrin (particularly Blue Thunder, which lost most of its politics) but his legacy is without doubt. Just like Pinback, he had something of value to contribute to this mission.[/quote]
:smithicide:
Goodnight sweet prince
[img]http://www.empireonline.com/images/image_index/150x180/38371.jpg[/img]
1946-2009
That sucks he didn't get to open his Christmas gifts before dying. :frown:
Dark Star was awesome
It seems like the screenwriting finally got a grip over him. :smug:
I loved Return Of The Living Dead...
;-;
Awww, and he was writing the Alien prequel that Ridley was going to direct.
:bang:
I didn't like his work to be honest.
[QUOTE=Draicia;19031440]Awww, and he was writing the Alien prequel that Ridley was going to direct.
:bang:[/QUOTE]
you're kidding, right?
[editline]04:48PM[/editline]
please say you're kidding
[QUOTE=cjone2;19030754]Dark Star was awesome[/QUOTE]
And here I thought I was the only one on earth who'd seen that movie.
He did a good job on that zombie movie. It's one of the few that can stand up to the best of them. "Rabid weasels"- that's genius comedy writing right there.
NOOOOO!
DAMNIT!
FIRST BILLY MAYS, NOW THIS!
Seriously, what the fuck is happening?
who?
:patriot:
Thank you for your contribution to Science Fiction.
[QUOTE=Sickle;19039677]NOOOOO!
DAMNIT!
FIRST BILLY MAYS, NOW THIS!
Seriously, what the fuck is happening?[/QUOTE]
You know, other people died this year.
[QUOTE=FunkyHippo;19029993]That sucks he didn't get to open his Christmas gifts before dying. :frown:[/QUOTE]
Reminds me of Christmas years back when I had bought a gift for my great nan which I knew she would love as she had raved about it on and on when I was shopping with her one time but didn't have the money to buy it as it was quite expensive. It wasn't anything amazingly interesting just a large detailed statue of a horse. I gathered some funds from my parents as well as selling various things then bought it.
On Christmas day she started crying when she opened it and told me how much she loved it and how grateful she was, I felt great and it made my day and being the very old lady that she was she went to bed shortly after. The next day I was told that she had passed away in her sleep.
Felt terrible man but I was comforted that she had at least lived long enough to open that one present.
Life Force was a weird movie.
I have it on an old VHS tape somewhere.
[QUOTE=NinjaPanda;19040341]Reminds me of Christmas years back when I had bought a gift for my great nan which I knew she would love as she had raved about it on and on when I was shopping with her one time but didn't have the money to buy it as it was quite expensive. It wasn't anything amazingly interesting just a large detailed statue of a horse. I gathered some funds from my parents as well as selling various things then bought it.
On Christmas day she started crying when she opened it and told me how much she loved it and how grateful she was, I felt great and it made my day and being the very old lady that she was she went to bed shortly after. The next day I was told that she had passed away in her sleep.
Felt terrible man but I was comforted that she had at least lived long enough to open that one present.[/QUOTE]
:unsmith:
I read this on IMDB last night, I was saddened when I heard the writer of Alien was gone.
As a mad sci fi nerd, I too am sad :smith:
Wait, he did the B-17 segment of "Heavy Metal"?
As in, this segment?
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWh4Ux_Vlq4[/media]
If so, then a true God has died.
That was the only segment in that entire movie I enjoyed. Such a terrible movie... :smithicide:
Well... He could say [i]Beam me up, God![/i]
Humanity has suffered a great loss today.
EDIT:
Derp :downs:
[QUOTE=Nenghis;19081547]Well... He could say [i]Beam me up, God![/i]
Humanity has suffered a great loss today.[/QUOTE]
It was a few days ago :ssh:
Aww :frown:
I liked his stuff.
wait...he wrote alien?
I'm going to kill myself :(
[QUOTE=NinjaPanda;19040341]Reminds me of Christmas years back when I had bought a gift for my great nan which I knew she would love as she had raved about it on and on when I was shopping with her one time but didn't have the money to buy it as it was quite expensive. It wasn't anything amazingly interesting just a large detailed statue of a horse. I gathered some funds from my parents as well as selling various things then bought it.
On Christmas day she started crying when she opened it and told me how much she loved it and how grateful she was, I felt great and it made my day and being the very old lady that she was she went to bed shortly after. The next day I was told that she had passed away in her sleep.
Felt terrible man but I was comforted that she had at least lived long enough to open that one present.[/QUOTE]
That's a really touching story. Sorry for your lost.
Heard about this a couple days ago.
Really sucks, alien is probably my favorite movie ever.
That really sucks. I loved alien :(
[QUOTE=Draicia;19031440]Awww, and he was writing the Alien prequel that Ridley was going to direct.
:bang:[/QUOTE]
Where did you read that? I can't find any mention of it.
Return of the Living Dead and Alien were both brilliant films. Dan will be sorely missed :(
[QUOTE=postal;19094181]Where did you read that? I can't find any mention of it.[/QUOTE]
Check the Empire site, it definitely exists.
[QUOTE=FunkyHippo;19082805]That's a really touching story. Sorry for your lost.[/QUOTE]
It was quite a few years back so it doesn't exactly bother me anymore. :smile:
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