Ridley Scott Has Decided to Make the Most Boring-Sounding Disaster Movie Ever

The Day Britain Stopped, the 2003 BBC pseudo-documentary, a fictional disaster telefilm in which “a train strike is the first in a chain of events that led to a meltdown of the country’s transport system,” doesn’t seem like the most thrilling of source materials. But then again, we are clearly not located inside the brain of Ridley Scott, who, along with fellow filmmaker Steve Zaillian, have signed on to produce a projects inspired by it. 

This, like many of Scott’s projects, will likely remain in development (but nonetheless eagerly anticipated) for years to come. Another thing to add to the list.

Nonetheless, it’ll probably make quite the bang when it finally lands in front of us, which makes us chuckle a little bit given how many times we wanted to doze off while reading about the film this project if based on. Here’s the film’s IMDb description:

One day in the near future, a rail strike, traffic congestion and a mid-air plane collision bring the UK’s transport system to a halt.

There doesn’t seem to be much more to it than that. Call us cynical, but it basically seems to be about all the trouble halted traffic can cause. Granted, this is a seasoned filmmaker we’re talking about; add a few characters to latch onto, tie them up in a larger metaphor about the meaning of human existence and the failings of society, and we’re sure he’s got a hit on his hands. A source connected to the film has already asserted that the team will not be remaking the 2003 film, but rather using it as a jumping-off point with which to go in their own direction.

It’s certainly a timely acquisition; With the London Olympics about to begin, insane traffic is certainly a reality being faced by Britain at the moment. Whether the gut feelings of road rage will still be felt when this film comes out in a few years remains to be seen.

We may also be judging this thing far too soon; for instance, we haven’t even seen the original source material. Io9 has the entire thing embedded here, if you’re interested.

(THR via io9)

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