Pass, sorry but the last film put me right off any adaptations apart from the original TV series. Before anyone starts, yes I know it was a radio show as well but I bet even that was probably better than the film (never heard it but I assume it was fine).

Why can't they just leave stuff alone?

I'll probably give it a chance, but my hopes aren't high as to the quality. Still, the original TV series was and is so fantastically good that we don't need another TV or film version. And I agree that the film was rubbish, it was so bad that even Martin Freeman (who is almost THE actor for an 'every man' character) couldn't save it.

The radio series is great, at least as far as I've heard. I know I've heard the first season, but I've just checked Wikipedia, and apparently there have been six radio seasons. I'll try to get to listen to them, but I've no idea how good or bad they'l be, apart from the sixth season, which is based on Eoin Colfer's novel And Another Thing, which I didn't like at all, so I'm pretty sure I won't like season six.

To me, though, Douglas Adam's novels are the best part of the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, at least the first two books. The original book, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is very good, the second book (Restaurant at the End of the Universe) is my favourite of them all. The third book, Life, The Universe, and Everything is extremely variable, having some very good parts and others that are either awful or just don't work at all. The fourth book, So Long and Thanks for all the Fish, is much more consistent in it's quality and writing than Life, the Universe and Everything, but mostly just doesn't feel like a HHGTTG book. The fifth book, Mostly Harmless, is strange. It has some good ideas, but feels wrong for some reason, like someone who isn't Douglas Adams found Adams' notes and wrote a full novel around them, but lacked Adam's wit and ability to make the disparate threads tie neatly together and make you think "Of course, why didn't I see that coming?".

My advice re: the novels is to definitely read the first two, and if you want more, then give book three onwards a go.

...Deadline says that the series will be a “modern updating of the story"

All you need to know. Admittedly, that's more succinct that "we'll pump it full of dumb alterations by a bunch of hacks for no reason at all, other than to make it 'different'/push some agenda/add fanservice/sell more views". Now I really can't wait. 😁

VileRancour wrote:

All you need to know. Admittedly, that's more succinct that "we'll pump it full of dumb alterations by a bunch of hacks for no reason at all, other than to make it 'different'/push some agenda/add fanservice/sell more views". Now I really can't wait.

Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if they "update" Marvin's voice and personality to be an "independent and powerful woman-droid" 😒

What scares me the most is that they went with one of the screenwriters from Lost... personally I think that JJ Abrams' little gang of writers (Orci, Kurtzman, Lindelof,...) is the clearest example of everything that's wrong in the movie industry today.

Pardon me for breathing, which I never do anyway so I don't know why I bother to say it, Oh God, I'm so depressed.

If handled right it could be good, I thought the recent Good Omens adaptation was handled well but one of the authors (Neil Gaiman) oversaw that. I hadn't read the book size I was a kid so it was amazing how much I remembered. HHGTTG definetly cannot be Americanized, assuming that's what "modern" means.

..Deadline says that the series will be a “modern updating of the story"

Why is that ? - Our current era and technology is so superficial and hollow (by comparison).
Why not using an Jules Verne era setting ? 😀 Or something from early 20th century (aka Metropolis setting) ?
(Sci-Fi wise, the 1950s would also be technologically cool, with tube radios, electro-mechnanical relays, electron valves, early rockets etc.)

I liked the movie, found the TV series adequate, LOVED the (German) radioplay, and also loved the books (1-3 of course). I am more surprised that Hulu still exists. It has virtually no presence here in Germany. Let's see how this series turns out. Will definitely not buy another subscription only for one series, though.