One of these was a Robert Carradine movie about alien testing at Area 51 that was set to film in 1996. Other movie projects are continuing to be developed today. We know of three, but there are sure to be others that seek to take advantage of the public's fascination with aliens and Area 51.
New line Cinema and Atari Games are currently collaborating on a motion picture based upon the Area 51 arcade game. Brannon Braga and Ronald Moore, writer of Star Trek First Contact, are currently writing the script, which is in early development and will be produced by Steve Tisch, the producer of Forrest Gump. In the arcade game, a military rescue team must infiltrate Area 51 to stop an alien infestation that has overrun the base after an alien spacecraft was recovered.
There is also the long rumored movie based upon the life of Bob Lazar, who is one of the people who first started the Area 51 craze by claiming to have worked at the base. In fact, Mr. Lazar's desire to have a movie based upon his claims has long been used to question his veracity. Lazar spoke about this movie at the Ultimate UFO Conference that was held at the Little A'le'inn in 1993. This movie was actually set to be made in 1996 by New Line Cinema. We haven't heard much about it lately but, knowing the way Hollywood works, it may still be made one of these days.
The final movie we know about is based upon the Area 51 science fiction novels by Bob Mayer. In Mayer's novels, a ragtag group of journalists, scientists and an ex-Area 51 security guard seek to expose the truth of alien testing at Area 51. The two novels released so far, Area 51 and Area 51: The Reply have become extremely popular by combining Area 51 lore and Tom Clancy-like military action. The screenwriter of Total Recall and Aliens is currently working on the script.
Below are some conversations we've had with Bob Mayer concerning a movie based upon his novels.
5/97 -
The movie rights were optioned and its getting pitched right now to various studios. One problem is that New Line Cinema is going to make a movie they're calling Area 51 [which is] based on the arcade game of all things. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that someone sees the merit in this story. Another problem is that the sequel is an integral part of the story. A TV mini-series would be the best way to do it justice, but it is so hard to get anything made by Hollywood. Just got a call yesterday from some Hollywood guy who really liked the book. Actually, I'm also hoping to sell the rights to The Rock, my first sci-fi book, which is mixture of Stargate and Millennium.
2/98 -
As far as movie stuff goes, the production company just renewed the option, which means they're still pursuing it. Ron Shusett is working on a
screenplay. What everyone seems to be waiting on is if Shusett gets the green
light on Total Recall II, which he is writing, then it will open the door for
other projects. One thing I have learned is that Hollywood can take forever
on something. I'll let you know if anything happens.
You can check out the rest of our interview with Bob Mayer at our review of the first Area 51 science fiction novel.
Of course, there are probably more movies in development. On the Net, we found the screenplay for a horror movie that takes places at Area 51. The script is an unofficial fourth installment of the George Romero zombie movies entitled Twilight of the Dead. In Twilight of the Dead, the remnants of humanity seek to stop a plague of the living dead that has overrun the entire planet, except for Area 51. It made for interesting reading but, unfortunately, is no longer available online.
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