Topic: Unabridged audiobook for World War Z in production

[amysrevenge]

So apparently the unabridged version of the audiobook for World War Z is in production.  Nathan Fillion is doing a chapter.  I don't know if it will be entirely re-recorded, or if cut parts will be added in, or what. 

I loved this audiobook (it's in my shortlist of top audiobooks, along with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Neverwhere, Howl's Moving Castle, Ready Player One, and I Drink for a Reason), and I thought the original performances were really good.

[AgnosticBuddha]

I've read the book and I'm looking forward to the movie. I understand they've pushed the release date from Dec 21 2012 to Jun 21 2013. The Dec 21 date would have been an awesome addition to my end of the world party. 

[Xptical]

I've read the book and I'm looking forward to the movie. I understand they've pushed the release date from Dec 21 2012 to Jun 21 2013. The Dec 21 date would have been an awesome addition to my end of the world party. 

The early stuff I heard about the movie was that it would be nothing like the books.  It would be a pre-outbreak, hero-stops-the-bad-guy kind of movie.  The latest info on Wikipedia seems to suggest they are still going for the single-hero viewpoint as opposed to an investigator gathering stories.


Anyway, I loved the audio book.  I'm looking forward to another, longer, version.

[Holden Attradies]

@amysrevenge: where did you hear this oh so exciting news?!

@Everyone: I've followed stuff about the movie online since it went into production and unless they pushed the release date back to make MAJOR changes to it it is going to be nothing like the book.  It follows one person (Brad Pit) jetting around the world as the outbreak starts/things fall apart.  Aparently in early drafts of the script he was supposed to be the Max Brooks character but once production started filming everything I read described his character as a "bourne ultimatum type character".  So the narrative it will be nothing like the books.
From the videos and shots of filming that can be found on line the zombies are Runners and change almost instantly after infection, which alone totally changes the tone of the work.  One of the things that set the book apart (for me at least) among the throng of zombie lit is that the zombies are slow, shambolic, and follow a very steady pace of infection (the rules he set up in Zombie Survival guide).
Anyways, I gave up long ago hoping it will be a "World War Z" movie in anything but name, but still hold out it will be a good zombie movie.

[Caffiene]

I gave up long ago hoping it will be a "World War Z" movie in anything but name

Yep. That was pretty much my conclusion last year. "Good" to know not much has changed.

[Holden Attradies]

Uh... thanks for linking to a post I never read?  Have you heard anything about why they pushed the release back?  I'd heard it but not why.  Any hope that they are making major changes to the movie?

So, I didn't know Max Brooks was Mel Brooks kid till WAY after I had read both his books.  I was totally taken by surprise, was anyone else?  I know there is no reason that Mel Brooks son couldn't have written something so gory and comedic in nature, our parents don't dictate our lives, but there was still this gut reaction to the discovery.  Like seeing a picture of a band for the first time and seeing the lead singer is some ass kicking rock god but, but a pudgy unremarkable looking white 30 something dude.

[Caffiene]

Uh... thanks for linking to a post I never read?

I was linking it for anyone interested in the previous conversation (and for location of the "movie" thread, as this particular thread is in the books section).

Have you heard anything about why they pushed the release back?  I'd heard it but not why.  Any hope that they are making major changes to the movie?

Just looking at info now... Wiki says they pushed it from December 2012 to June 2013 so that it wouldnt conflict with their release of the film Tom Cruise film "Jack Reacher" in december. And that gave them time to bring in the writer from Prometheus to rewrite the 3rd act. And then he fell through and they got the other guy from Lost instead.

Oh joy :S

[pandamonium]

I downloaded the Abridged audiobook by accident early in my Audible life. I hate abridged books. HATE. I didn't even realize the unabridged wasn't even available.

[amysrevenge]

a) The source of this news (for me) was Nathan Fillion tweeting a photo with Max Brooks in the recording studio, with a note that this was precisely what they were doing at that very moment.

b) I normally don't do abridged either, but I'll make an exception if 1) the unabridged isn't available or 2) it is an ensemble cast recording.

[Holden Attradies]

I was about to say, "What the hell could he be recording that wasn't already recorded?" but then I remembered he DID have the occasional introduction and question thrown into a chapter here and there. 

I also REALLY hope that any of the "short stories" he's done since the release of the book in anthologies get thrown in here.  I only know of one, but there's probably more.  It would be cool to have all the published WWZ entries in one place.  Have you read the one in "The New Dead" by the way?  It was a tear jerker...

[amysrevenge]

I've only listened to the abridged audiobook, but I understand that there is a whole huge Russia section that is cut entirely from the audio.

[Holden Attradies]

There is a whole huge "Everywhere outside the U.S." feel cut from the audio book.  I'd say it covers maybe a third of the entries in the book, if even that.  My first listen I felt they were chosen totally at random, but I think they were chosen mainly for the ones that were most U.S. centric, although even with that in kind the choices they made are baffling.  One of the early chapters is the one where the guy is talking about smuggling people across eastern Europe/Southern Asia and the end of that chapter the interviewer asks him where his last cargo was headed and he says a specific place, in the book the next chapter was an outbreak there.  There were a lot of chapters like that that were heavily linked that the audiobook just broke up.  Like the two Japanese Ninja's that helped reclaim the mainland, they have the masters story, which literally ends with him running across the student who I think told the first story in the book, but they left that out of the audio book.

[pandamonium]

There is a whole huge "Everywhere outside the U.S." feel cut from the audio book.  I'd say it covers maybe a third of the entries in the book, if even that.  My first listen I felt they were chosen totally at random, but I think they were chosen mainly for the ones that were most U.S. centric, although even with that in kind the choices they made are baffling.  One of the early chapters is the one where the guy is talking about smuggling people across eastern Europe/Southern Asia and the end of that chapter the interviewer asks him where his last cargo was headed and he says a specific place, in the book the next chapter was an outbreak there.  There were a lot of chapters like that that were heavily linked that the audiobook just broke up.  Like the two Japanese Ninja's that helped reclaim the mainland, they have the masters story, which literally ends with him running across the student who I think told the first story in the book, but they left that out of the audio book.

And this is why I hate abridged audiobooks.

[bozothedeathmachine]

This is so awesome. The WWZ audiobook is hands-down the best audiobook I've "read". I hadn't realized when I got it that all the stories were done by actors/celebs. I just recall thinking "that sounds a lot like Henry Rollins" and "Alan Alda???". The one nitpick I had was the lady who read the story of the pilot in Louisana swamp mispronounced "Atchafalaya". A small nitpick, but to a Louisiana boy it stuck out.

I also dislike abridged books, but at least the abridgment makes sense this case since it's an anthology. There's no loss of post; whole stories are just omitted.

Conversely, the anthology format does not translate to movies well, so I'm curious to see how they pull it off. They should have just done an HBO mini-series. One story per episode. And you can get as bloody as you want.