comScore
  1. Mediaite
  2. Gossip Cop
  3. Geekosystem
  4. Styleite
  5. SportsGrid
  6. The Mary Sue
  7. The Jane Dough
  8. The Braiser

old gods do new jobs

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

by Alanna Bennett | 2:48 pm, July 27th, 2012


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)

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

TAGS: | |


  • Anonymous

    Don’t you UNDERSTAND, Mayor?  If you don’t do something NOW, MILLIONS of people will be mildly inconvenienced!

  • Anonymous

    Did the escalators all break down too?

    Cheese and rice…

  • Anonymous

    I don’t get it, this is Britain we’re talking about. Wet leaves and a mild breeze shuts down transport here, not exactly blockbuster material.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IGRK4BKTKC5RGO56RXTUEVFJSM ainok

    Infrastructure collapse is one of the most terrifying things I can think of. Lack of transportation means no food. It’s actually a very real possibility in our world today–a handful of well-times disasters or breakdowns or lack of fuel and boom!–millions of hungry people without recourse.

    It’s terrifying because you know how people would react in that kind of situation–and it could really happen.

  • Anonymous

    I dunno, it might be refreshing. Disaster movies are overdone anyway… I’d rather see something banal, like a traffic jam, slowly escalate into chaos, than another cheesefest about a MichelBayishly filmed natural catastrophe and an expert trying to stop it while dealing with a family drama (seriously, how many of those are there?!). 
    The only disaster movie I really like is Children of Men – that one, too, has an unusual premise, and it’s extremely well directed. And it’s Ridley Scott, I trust he knows what he’s doing.

  • Anonymous

    I think it’s high time we had a horror movie about the IRS. 

  • http://twitter.com/JonathanLHoward Jonathan Howard

    I remember the original BBC TV programme. It was thought provoking stuff; transport networks are far more fragile than you might think. The programme was inspired by the fuel tanker drivers’ strike in 2000 that resulted in widespread logistics failures after just a few days, and that was only affecting the roads. If rail and air failed too, any modern society would be thoroughly screwed in a week. There’s truth in the old adage that “any society is three square meals away from anarchy.” 

X