SAHARA Legal Saga Coming to End?

I guess I must have been in the minority. I enjoyed the film. McConaughey and Zahn were funny and had great chemistry. I know it wont happen, but since seeing this film I had hoped to see a sequel.

I`m not going to say it was a terrible movie. It was okay. After seeing National Treasure, I was a bit disappointed because this wasn't as good. And I don't think Zahn is all that funny. He`s actually just pretty annoying.
40 mil? Did the movie even make that much?

It seems crazy that a studio would be willing to write a contract giving an author veto power. The studio ends up with a project that can be stalled at any moment on the whim or nervous nature of one person, and if the studio forges ahead anyway, they may be exposed to litigation.

It's not unheard of that an author gets script approval for a movie based on their works. A lot of it depends on how popular the source material is. The more popular the work is, the more control the author can potentially retain.

And ponyboy, I don't think it did make that much. That's why Cussler was suing - for lost profits. He felt that, because he didn't get the approval he should have, the movie didn't keep the spirit of the books and tanked in the theaters.

I must have superhero on the brain. McConaughey looks like Matt Murdock to me.

Well, this explains Cussler's hesitance to speak of the movie at his past book signings. By the way, was the "Author's roll" a jelly roll? I like jelly rolls!

I was expecting a better movie, but it was ok. It's really a shame the movie bombed, because I was a hoping for a new action/adventure franchise to spin out from the movie if it was a success.

Well, I really liked this movie. It had handsome guys with out shirts on, lots of action, a killer motorboat chase and an intriguing mystery. I thought the locations were beautiful and the actors did a competent job. What's not to like?

I liked it so much that I tried reading one of Cussler's books but I was disappointed. I thought it was poorly written and didn't finish it. Go figure.

I also saw National Treasure but wasn't impressed. The idea that there could be large cashes of treasure burried under Manhattan is nonsensical. Disbelief not suspended. Give me a trackless jungle or sprawling dessert location any day.

I thought the movie was fine. I don't really understand Cussler. The movie pretty much follows the book, with some minor things cut out for screentime.

I'd like to see Atlantis Found made into a movie.

The characters of Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino are iconic to the fans of Cussler's books. I have read a few and consider them entertaining pulp fiction but no great literary achievement. More of something to read lazily while half asleep, sipping a beer in a hammock on the beach. The plots of all the books are fairly predictable and follow the same standard formula every time. The location and the historic mystery are the only thing that changes from book to book.

This means that casting actors to play the characters is the most important part of adapting the books into movies. At least, if you want to satisfy the millions of Cussler fans out there. Dirk Pitt is tall, with wavy black hair and aqua green eyes. Al Giordino is short, big, and built like a body-builder or a tank. You have to make a spectacular movie if you want fans familiar with the characters accept Mathew Zahn and Matthew McConaughey as these characters.They didn't. Knowing the author was unhappy, they pushed him aside and they made a standard buddy action flick that angered hard core fans, angered the author of the series and was met with apathy by everyone else. I don't imagine that the producers cared about the property beyond casting a hot leading man and rushing out a mediocre film in order to capitalize off of the success of National Treasure. Then they have the audacity to point their fingers at Cussler and say its his fault the movie failed. What is their argument? Cussler didn't eat shit and grin like everyone is supposed to when money is involved? Bottom line is that if they were basing a large portion of their marketing campaign on the Author, then they should have made sure the author was happy with the product.

Ultimately, I like what Stephen King has done with The Dark Tower. He has selected who he wants making the film adaptation. Then he will sit back and watch it unfold. But not many authors have the personal wealth and the luxury of doing so.