Gods and Generals

[Bub, Andrew]

Turner is at it again.
This time he takes the first book from the younger Shaara (who's really taken the mantle of his father) and makes Gods and Generals, which covers the Civil War from start to Chancellorsville (when Stonewall crosses the river to rest in the shade of those trees). Jeff Danials is back, Stephen Lang plays Stonewall Jackson and Robert Duvall wrests General Lee back from Marty Sheen (pleasing the South and, likely, Lee Johnson, because Duvall is tall enough).

I had no idea this film was being made! But, here's the trailer. How many poorly faked beards died for this? I can't wait! Maybe next we'll get Gettysburg to Appomatox with The Last Full Measure and then back in time to Shaara's recent, and excellent, Revolutionary War work?

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/gods_and_generals/qt_520x216.html

[ydejin]

Maybe next we'll get Gettysburg to Appomatox with The Last Full Measure and then back in time to Shaara's recent, and excellent, Revolutionary War work?


Andrew, apparently Ted Turner has already optioned The Last Full Measure and filming is tentatively scheduled to begin next summer. There is a little info on it at the director's website (http://www.ronmaxwell.com/lfm_project.html).

[Anonymous]

I spoke at length with Ron Maxwell, the director of Gods & Generals and also Gettysburg (and The Last Full Measure). If you liked Gettysburg, and have a fondness for pretty well done costume dramas (thousands of re-enactors get their moment in the sun at least) this stuff is pretty darn good. There's a game coming out tied to G&G as well, a first-person shooter believe it or not; www.godsandgenerals.com has some stuff on it.

Anyhoo, what I think is kinda interesting is that Maxwell prodded Shaara into writing Gods and Generals, and The Last Full Measure, with an eye towards two more movies to go with Gettysburg (based on The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, Jeff's father).

[Bub, Andrew]

I'm glad Shaara was coaxed. I can't tell if his father is a better writer though (his advantage being that Gettysburg is a marvelously self-contained story) but I think Jeff's books function well as a continuation and homage. I liked Gettysburg well enough to buy the DVD so the movies sound good to me.

Robert, have you read his Mexican American war book (Gone for Soldiers)? Or his recent twin Revolutionary war novels (Rise to Rebellion & um... the one I just finished yet can't remember the title of)? I'm hoping the next book covers the war of 1812. I do so like that Overature.

Heh, a first person Civil War game, eh? I once haunted the SMGettysburg forums and I can't recall just how many crazed fist person Civil War shooter ideas came about. Doesn't seem a natural to me. Click - boom - reload or stab wildly with your bayonet while you HOPE your AI regiment doesn't break around you. Fun?

So, um, why were you speaking at length with Maxwell then?

[Dirt]

Yeah, I can just see it now... Your main character marching across the field at Gettysburg...

[Anonymous]

I was speaking with Maxwell in conjunction with a preview of the game, actually. The game itself, as you can pretty much tell from the website, is going to have you doing stuff kind of independent of the poor schmucks standing in lines. You're going to be scouting, raiding, etc. as well as assaulting, and you'll have revolvers and repeating rifles, etc. so you don't have to spend the whole time reloading it seems.

[Shawn]

How could you not want to play a stunning game like this? Hoo wah!

http://www.anivision.com/gng/pix/ss/3.jpg

[Bokonon]

It's so amazingly lifelike.

[Jupiter Jones]

Is that a mullet I see?

[Lunch of Kong]

Apparently, the Akimbo style was invented in the civil war.

http://www.anivision.com/gng/pix/ss/2.jpg

[wumpus]

Those are, like, the most fakest screenshots ever. EVER.

[Anonymous]

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/godsgenerals/review.html

-wumpus

[Jason McMaster]

Robert Duvall wrests General Lee back from Marty Sheen (pleasing the South and, likely, Lee Johnson, because Duvall is tall enough).

If I remember correctly, Duvall is a descendant of Lee.

[Bub, Andrew]

Those are, like, the most fakest screenshots ever. EVER.

I'm reviewing the game now Wumpus. They aren't fake. In fact, they look slightly better than what I'm seeing.