Yates “definitely” doing movie in “five or six years”
David Yates has revealed that he will “definitely” be directing a feature length Doctor Who movie, but said that it’ll be “five or six years” before work begins on it.
It was announced back in November of last year that Yates had signed up to helm a film based on the series, however there has since been a lot of confusion about when and even if it will ever be made. Speaking to Bleeding Cool, Yates confirmed it’s going ahead, and said he’s “very passionate” about taking the Time Lord to the big screen.
“Yes, I’m definitely doing a Doctor Who movie,” he explained. “I think where everyone got confused was that we’re not making it for five years, or six years. It is a very slow development. Steven Moffat is a genius. I love his work. I think he is incredibly clever.”
The director added that he hopes to sit down with the showrunner soon to discuss plans. He said: “It’s something that we’ve been talking about for a little while. It’s a very slow burn. It’s weird. What will the series be like in five, six years? I’m very excited about it.”
Initial rumours that the film would be a “reboot” were quickly denied by Steven Moffat.
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(4.92 out of 5)
In 5 or 6 years? i thought the movie was for next year as it was going to be a celebratory of the show for 50 years?
Nope, I remember he said it would be years away before.
At the end of the day, I seriously doubt any Doctor Who fan would want a movie that ignored canon.
Why do I get the feeling from those photographs that the Emperor Dalek is returning?
Right, I’m confused. At the convention, they said there were no plans. That does not tally up with Mr Yates suddenly saying that the film is ‘definitely’ happening.
Tbh, I have a feeling that this film has yet to even be contracted by the BBC to officially be made, and is merely in this ‘possibility’ stage, regardless of how Yates puts it.
Because given how he says it’s 5 or 6 years away, many films in that time-span don’t even get made and I have a feeling that’s the case with this one. If we knew for definite what the film’s plot might be then I’d be convinced, but even Yates doesn’t know how it’ll unfold.
All in all, this sounds like something that might happen, rather than will happen.
For what it’s worth, I think it would be interesting to see a version of “Doctor Who” on the big screen. Okay, I know that’s going to incur the wrath of fanboys and -girls around the world but hear me out.
Look at some of the properties that have made a successful leap to the silver screen: for every “The Avengers” flop there is a “Mission Impossible” film that succeeds. How you define “succeeds” is another matter, of course. The “Impossible” films take elements from the original series and makes them relevant to the audience at the time. That’s what the 2005 reboot of “Doctor Who” did; it kept the fundamental elements of the series, and represented them in an interesting and relevant manner. If a big screen version of “Doctor Who” were to happen it most certainly can’t be a like-for-like transference from the television series; it has to be something that at heart is about an alien on the run from his own people… or one who is the last of his kind, but it does need to be of the moment, rather than mired in nostalgia. After all, when you look at how much Superman has evolved since his initial appearance in Action Comics, right up to his newest incarnation in DC’s “The New 52″ line as well as Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” due out this Summer, you can see how the essence of a character remains despite evolutionary changes in appearance and setting.
After all, if anyone can understand how to be the same man who changes his appearance countless times, then it’s the Doctor…
@mwanderson I understand your point of view but there’s something you do NOT understand. Yes the 2005 series gave the show new life and kept the essence of the character the same but WITHOUT ignoring all of the continuity that came before and they did that each time The Doctor regenerated in the classic series as well. That’s what makes it different from Zack Synder’s “Man of Steel” and DC’s “The New 52″. Doctor Who can keep the fundamental elements the same and NOT have to ignore the previous continuity. David Yates clearly does NOT understand that. Also, everyone else says that a “Doctor Who” movie reboot is NOT happening. Only David Yates says it is. Who does it make more sense to believe? One man or a whole group of people including Steven Moffat, Doctor Who Magazine and Edward Russell, The Brand manager of Doctor Who.
@mwanderson
The problem is that Doctor Who is very much a serial show and not one-off adventures each time like in comic book/superhero films and TV shows, as an example you used. The whole 49 year history is very closely connected and tight with little or no room for to radically change the format. This is why I don’t see a Doctor Who film working that well, because everything is connected.
To do a film it has to be one-off and this is why a show like Star Trek is perfect, because very few story-lines linger round for several episodes, unlike Doctor Who where something at the start of a season might not be explained until the very end, at least in the current incarnation of the show. But even the classic series was a serial show, so although it exists in a different manner, it’s still dependant on it being a serial.
We had the Peter Cushing films, yes, but then the show had no history, so many elements could be changed without hesitation, such as the Doctor being human and being called Dr. Who. Looking at those films though, the real focus was actually on the Daleks and not ‘Dr. Who’.
Tbh, a show like Doctor Who hasn’t ‘evolved’ in the same way something like Superman has, as an example you used. It’s a show which has changed it’s regular cast on a frequent basis, but it’s feel and look have remained constant all throughout. So, any change like the one you suggested would damage the film quite severely, because it’s not what people would recognise as Doctor Who.
At the end of the day, Doctor Who is a very, very difficult show to translate into film, simply because it’s a success as a TV show, and not as a film (series) as well, unlike Star Trek or Star Wars, as a couple of other sci-fi examples.
So Yates hasn’t even discussed the project with the current showrunner yet but he knows the film will definitely happen ?
The plans for the big 50th anniversary are in full motion, nobody knows if the main actor will stick around past 2013, nobody knows what the show – if it’s still around in 5 or 6 years – will look like in terms of storytelling, but they’re ALREADY developping a movie and they’ve ALREADY chosen a director ?
I remember, back in 2000, Wes Craven stating that Scream 4 would probably happen between 2002 and 2004 with a brand new cast and a brand new storyline… Scream 4 was eventually shot in 2010, hit screens in 2011 with the three main characters, the same setting as the first movie and a continuation of the main storyline.
Sorry M. Yates, but as long as Steven Moffat or someone at the BBC doesn’t confirm the movie, you can do as many interviews as you want, I won’t believe you. And so far, with the show still going strong and soon reaching a rare milestone, I just don’t see anything interesting a movie could bring.
I doubt it will happen. I have the Last Of The Timelords script, which was green lighted adn then never took off. It was even cast. Doctor had a screen outing in the 1960’s. Leave it at that and concentrate on the TV series, that needs the work and commitment!