Lorne elaborates to Edge on why focus on films

[used:)]

Yes, and most of us knew it was coming already.

[skillya_glowi]

it's exciting to think that we'll be able to view Oddworld in a completely different way someday.

I don't know, maybe I'm taking my crazy obsession with the original Oddworld a bit too far, but (speaking for myself here)...I don't...want a different way. Oddworld doesn't seem to me like something that can be twisted and turned thisaway and thataway just so that more people will know it's there. Perhaps it's the sort of seeing-things-that-aren't-there-only-because-you-want-them-to-be-there phenomenon I'm experiencing, but it just seems that Oddworld was created, it's done. Messing with that creation, tweaking it just to popularize it, doesn't appeal to me at all.

I realize that if they release an Oddworld film, it'll still be Oddworld, and most likely the same story. But it's the story revealed in another way, a different way, that kind of bothers me. If I had my way in the world, I'd keep Oddworld the way it is (or was, rather, what with Stranger and all).

It's great if they do an Oddworld film, but I really want them to do it nicely, you know, well-done, that doesn't change the stories, so that people won't get the wrong idea of Oddworld. I feel paranoid that they'll make a mistake here and have a slip-up there the story will come out completely different. I just feel like the mom of a kid who's about to be introduced to some of her friends, you know, don't chew with your mouth open, don't squirm, use a napkin, etc.
Dammit I can be a bogan sometimes.

[snuzi]

Oh, I know exactly what you mean, believe me. I don't want them to change the story at all. I too want it to be the same Oddworld we all know and love. What I meant was that we'll be able to see it happen before us without interference. I dunno, it seems like the story will come along more naturally that way, since we won't influence it ourselves.

It's great if they do an Oddworld film, but I really want them to do it nicely, you know, well-done, that doesn't change the stories, so that people won't get the wrong idea of Oddworld. I feel paranoid that they'll make a mistake here and have a slip-up there the story will come out completely different. I just feel like the mom of a kid who's about to be introduced to some of her friends, you know, don't chew with your mouth open, don't squirm, use a napkin, etc.
Dammit I can be a bogan sometimes.

I agree completely. I want them to do it right. This relates to my problem with there most likely being a remake of the Battle Royale movie in the future. I fear that they'll change the story, the characters, and the overall mood that the book was conveying. I don't want them to alter anything, or make a mistake, otherwise, the people who have never read the book before will not fully understand what it was truly about. That's why I'm so afraid of it being in the hands of a person other than the author.

And that's exactly why I don't want them to change anything if and when they create an Oddworld film. I want it to give me the same feeling that the games give me. I want to be sucked into it the same way I was when I played AO for the first time. What I don't want is for Oddworld to just become a crowd pleaser. I don't want it to change just so it could make more money. If that were to happen, I would never be able to view the series in the same way I do now.

I just never want it to change. Not for anyone.

[skillya_glowi]

The big fat PROBLEM is, in my opinion, there's absolutely no way that a movie can have the same feeling as a game. They're two completely different media (although they can intermix (heehee I made up a word) sometimes). But they're just different. It's very, very, very hard to bring movies up to the same level as videogames in regards to immersion, and I trust in what Oddworld can do and all, but I just don't think they're up to the challenge just yet. No film producer had done it before, imo.

'Sides, a film gets old after a while. You watch it, you like it, you watch it again, and on it goes until you know exactly what will happen next. With a game, though, the way you play it can always change. That's the big difference between the two media as I see it.

And then again, why make the change at all? Those people who became Oddworld fans from getting to know the real Oddworld won't be the same as the fans who get to know the movie Oddworld.
If it's a matter of money, I'm completely befuddled at why Lorne needs a financial boost.
He's got an authentic submarine door for his booze cellar.
Honestly.
Well that was back in 2004 but still...

[Jordan]

I hear ya loud and clear Skillya! With the games you can go back and find secrets, and occasional glitches. But with the movies you know what's gonna happen next all the time after watching it a couple of times.
But I'm very excited about seeing an Oddworld movie, and I'd hate it if they changed the story.

[Andrelvis]

But as far as they've told us, there will be games too, based on the movies...

[Arxryl]

They probably will do that, but still... I just hope that the movies are as good as the games. Even if they aren't, I'm still going to see them. (when they come out in the distant future. Or semi distant, not too sure.)

[Wil]

The films won’t perfectly emulate the atmosphere of Abe’s Oddysee. Even Abe’s Exoddus couldn’t do that. There’s an otherworldly spirituality to AO that really stands on its own. Fortunately, Oddworld is a much broader vision than that alone, and I can’t see any reason to believe the films won’t hit the Oddworld mark. They’ve been in conceptual development for over a decade, and dedicated post‐production for two years.

That said, you won’t see me telling you what to be a fan of. Just remember that the two Abe game plots were spliced apart from the original story and simplified.

[Arxryl]

Just remember that the two Abe game plots were spliced apart from the original story and simplified.

with that being said, I'd love to see what they could do with a non-spliced story-line.

And yes, hardly anything can get close to the original feeling of AO. A red-wood in a forest of shrubs so to speak.

[Sapphire]

I don't know, maybe I'm taking my crazy obsession with the original Oddworld a bit too far, but (speaking for myself here)...I don't...want a different way. Oddworld doesn't seem to me like something that can be twisted and turned thisaway and thataway just so that more people will know it's there. Perhaps it's the sort of seeing-things-that-aren't-there-only-because-you-want-them-to-be-there phenomenon I'm experiencing, but it just seems that Oddworld was created, it's done. Messing with that creation, tweaking it just to popularize it, doesn't appeal to me at all.

I realize that if they release an Oddworld film, it'll still be Oddworld, and most likely the same story. But it's the story revealed in another way, a different way, that kind of bothers me. If I had my way in the world, I'd keep Oddworld the way it is (or was, rather, what with Stranger and all).

It's great if they do an Oddworld film, but I really want them to do it nicely, you know, well-done, that doesn't change the stories, so that people won't get the wrong idea of Oddworld. I feel paranoid that they'll make a mistake here and have a slip-up there the story will come out completely different. I just feel like the mom of a kid who's about to be introduced to some of her friends, you know, don't chew with your mouth open, don't squirm, use a napkin, etc.
Dammit I can be a bogan sometimes.

I agree with your last paragraph entirely, and I empathize with you on the rest. I’m an old fogey of a fan (Okay… not ancient, but I am 22, and was introduced to it when I was 14. That’s… dang, eight years of my life already! But, I digress.)

The first two games really had something special, some element of empathy that just grabs your heart. I think that this quality, the atmosphere of the world and the endearing and entertaining traits of the characters can be translated well and beautifully into film, especially given the fact that we have already played through Abe’s Oddysee in its video game form. Can you imagine a full, feature-length film with lovingly crafted characters that would look even better with today’s capabilities, captivating the audience for a big, juicy chunk of time? I and others have long discussed the idea of Oddworld feature films, down to the nitty-gritty of the music. I would just love an epic soundtrack, weaving the Oddworld theme here and there throughout but focusing on different instruments and moods for different species and settings.

Another thing about a film that I’ve discussed at length with my boyfriend (also an enormous fan of Oddworld) is that the story would have to be manipulated in order to suit an audience in the theatre, rather than an individual playing a game. There would need to be more character interaction, more unique situations that Abe gets into, and a more intimate journey with him through specific trials and encounters. In the games, we guide him through puzzles and take the journey with him that way, but it’s just not the only way that Abe’s or any other character’s story can be told. The repetitive aspect of gameplay just doesn’t work when you’re writing a story for a screenplay, a novel or any other sort of narrative, and in that respect, games are a different kind of balance between the motor/mechanical and mental aspects of puzzle-solving and the storyline. A movie would be the pure, raw story of Abe’s Oddysee, as Lorne probably dreamed up initially in his mind.

That’s not to say I don’t want more Oddworld games… I very much do. I’m just saying that I have been looking forward to an Oddworld movie for a heck of a long time, and if done right, it could be an amazing series of films.

It also could attract an audience that, although they might have appreciated OW in its PSX/PC heyday, just simply wasn’t aware of it then. This could be their chance to tell their story to the public…a reinvigoration.

That said, I haven’t been bothering to keep up with news articles like this, especially since Citizen Seige is next in line, not AO or any other OW game. I’ll just grow as an artist in the meantime, and if something happens to show up, excellent.

Wow. I just don’t shut up once I get going. Sheesh!