The Day the Earth Stood Still - December 2008

The Day the Earth Stood Still - December 2008

The 2008 remake about an alien and his indestructible robot will star (Keanu Reeves) as Klaatu, Jennifer Connelly as Helen Benson, (Jaden Smith) as Jacob, and (Kathy Bates). Gort has not been cast at this time and will most likely be created using FX.

The remake of (The Day the Earth Stood Still) will supposedly remain true to the original movie, however there is a chance the remake will more likely remain true to the short story upon which the 1951 movie is based. In either case the alien 'weaponry' seems to have been upgraded. In addition to a city going dark, and a very brief look at the new Gort, the film trailer shows a cloud of black smoke, capable of rapid movement and disintegrating matter on contact.
In the 1951 movie, Gort is described as one of a race of robots created by the planets to maintain peace throughout the galaxy. If the 2008 remake follows the short story by (Harry Bates), "Farewell to the Master" upon which the 1951 movie is based, it will be revealed at the end of the movie by Gort himself that he is the master, and not Klaatu.

In the original movie, a flying saucer orbits Earth, and lands in Washington, DC, on the Mall. Klaatu (Michael Rennie) steps out and is shot by a jumpy soldier. Gort (Lock Martin), an indestructible robot steps out of the spacecraft and proceeds to melt all the weapons, including tanks, without harming a single human being. Later, the Earth comes to realize that Gort has used very little of his power to make this happen.
While lying on the ground, Klaatu orders Gort to stop, and is then taken by the military to a hospital from which he later escapes in order to learn more about this planet called Earth and its human inhabitants. He meets Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) and her son. Billy Benson (Billy Gray) takes Klaatu on a tour of Washington DC finally stopping in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Klaatu reads the words uttered by Lincoln many years ago and realizes that there might be hope for Earth.
When they begin to suspect him, he reveals himself, along with the news that Gort is a member of a race of super-robot enforcers invented to keep the peace of the galaxy and will destroy the Earth if provoked. Klaatu is pursued and shot and killed by the military. Before Klaatu dies, he tells Helen to go to Gort, and say these words Klaatu Barata Nikto. If she does not, Klaatu tells her Gort will destroy the Earth. Helen makes her way to the ship and finds Gort. As Gort moves towards her, she repeats the phrase over and over. Gort picks her up and takes her into the ship. Gort then retrieves Klaatus body and through their alien science, resurrects Klaatu.

Directed by : Scott Derrickson
Written by : David Scarpa and Ryne Douglas Pearson
Produced by : Paul Harris Boardman, Gregory Goodman and Erwin Stoff
Release Date : December 12, 2008
Genre: Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller

Casts:
Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, an alien messenger
Jennifer Connelly as Helen Benson, a microbiologist who works at Princeton University and inducted by the government into investigating Klaatu
Kathy Bates
Jon Hamm as Dr. Granier, a NASA official who recruits Helen into a scientific team investigating Klaatu.
Jaden Smith as Jacob, Helen's rebellious eight-year old stepson.
John Cleese as Dr. Barnhardt.

Plot Summary: "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is 20th Century Fox's contemporary reinvention of its 1951 classic. Keanu Reeves portrays Klaatu, an alien whose arrival on our planet triggers a global upheaval. As governments and scientists race to unravel the mystery behind the visitor's appearance, a woman (Jennifer Connelly) and her young stepson get caught up in his mission – and come to understand the ramifications of his being a self-described "friend to the Earth."