One of the next classics of literature to be adapted to film (again) is Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth (Voyage au Centre de la Terre). From Hollywood Reporter comes the news that young Josh Hutcherson (Zathura, American Splendor) will be starring with Brendan Fraser (The Quiet American, Gods and Monsters) in Walden Media and New Line Cinema's Journey 3-D.
For those who are unfamiiar with Verne's story, the description from Wikipedia:
"The story involves a professor who leads his nephew and hired guide down a volcano in Iceland to the "center of the Earth". They encounter many adventures, including prehistoric animals and natural hazards, eventually coming to the surface again in southern Italy. From a scientific point of view, this story has not aged quite as well as other Verne stories, since most of his ideas about what the interior of the Earth is like have since been proven wrong."
Though Verne's novel has been adapted several times in different media, Journey 3-D will modernize his classic story, and make it in 3-D! I'm not up to date on current 3-D technologies that are available, but I hope that they make people wear those red and blue glasses. If I'm not mistaken, these are no longer used because they give people headaches, but I think first of all the film should be set in the past, like the '50s or '60s, and the red and blue glasses will really add a kitsch flavor to the experience.
I've seen both The Time Machine films (from 1960 and 2002), and though both were pretty bad, at least the older one had an entertaining kitsch atmosphere that was lacking in the modern and far-too-serious version.
Filming is expected to begin in Montreal on June 10 of this year.
