1 Apr 2012
Danny Boyle, in surprise move, buys rights to remake ‘In Transition 2.0’
In a surprise move that could bankroll the Transition movement for many years to come, Transition Network can reveal that it is in the final stages of discussions with Danny Boyle, director of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, to buy the rights to remake ‘In Transition 2.0’. Boyle, who saw the film at its preview in Tooting, London, stated “as soon as I saw it I recognised its potential for a remake. It would need recasting, but for me it’s the ultimate feelgood story”.
“Negotiations have been kept under wraps until now”, said Transition Network’s Ben Brangwyn, “but we’re very excited. We’re really just dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s, and this seems like as good a day as any to break the news. Five years ago, when we started Transition, we could never have imagined anything like this”.
George Clooney yesterday.
Boyle is believed to be hoping to cast Mickey Rourke as Transition Town Lewes’ Dirk Campbell, Kenneth Branagh as Transition Lancaster’s Chris Hart, Helena Bonham-Carter as Sophy Banks, and Robert Downey Jnr as Rob Hopkins. George Clooney is in the frame to play Cristiano Bottone, and work is believed to have already begun on a film set re-creation of Kilburn underground station at an as yet undisclosed location. Filming is due to begin in September, once Boyle’s role co-ordinating the opening of the London Olympics is completed.
While some Transition purists may balk at the sequence in the current version of the script where the launch of the new Brixton Pound pay-by-text system is greeted with a huge Bollywood-style dance routine involving over 1000 dancers in a CGI version of Brixton High Street, and one where Penelope Cruz singlehandedly decarbonises Portugal, Boyle is confident that his remake captures the essential spirit of the original. “Ultimately”, he says, “it’s about ordinary people being extraordinary, and that’s what I love about it. I think we’ll capture that really well”.
Boyle is understood to have paid over $4million for the rights to ‘In Transition 2.0’. Nicola Hilary, Transition Network’s fundraiser, had to be revived with smelling salts upon hearing the news. ‘In Transition: New Dawn’ is slated for a summer 2013 release, in both 2D and 3D.
Howard
1 Apr 7:33am
What absolutely fantastic news! I’m using ‘fantastic’ correctly here for once; – and not just because Rob might be played by Robert Downey Junior! 😉
(Sorry Rob, – couldn;t resist it)
Superb news though, Transition funding AND increased worldwide awareness in one move.
mike grenville
1 Apr 7:56am
Unbelievable! Incroyable!
john thackara
1 Apr 8:06am
May I ask if the online game rights are still available? and, if so, whether you would be open to a slight change of location for the story? http://bit.ly/HceKn1
Jan
1 Apr 8:31am
agh, you got me well & truly, for a whole minute I believed you & was wondering whether to quiTTT!!!!
Lucy
1 Apr 8:42am
dont tell simon cowell or he’ll want to do the tooting factor
Rob Hopkins
1 Apr 9:03am
John, we’d certainly be open to negotiations re. the online game rights.
Jo Coish
1 Apr 9:41am
Typical! I am last one to know! Another pot of money to account for!!!!
Jo Homan
1 Apr 9:56am
just had a call from Julia Roberts begging to play me. Obviously I said no – we need someone far younger and better looking.
Annie Leymarie
1 Apr 10:47am
What about the music? Beyouncé in a new version of ‘Summer time and the living is easy. Fish are jumping and the pigs are flying…’?
Michaela woollatt
1 Apr 10:50am
Hook line and sinker! Hilarious!
Helen Civil
1 Apr 2:12pm
Hey Rob, very funny! Pinch punch to you and all the gang too.
Great idea though and Danny is a bit of a dude! As of course is George. Send them a copy and free DVD. By next April, who knows what might happen!
Carl
1 Apr 4:08pm
Wow, awesome good news. Can’t wait to hear more.
danielle grunberg
1 Apr 4:22pm
What amazing news. But…and I dont like’em..but…
By Good does that money need ultra careful handling.
Just thinking of the ” bother” some of our groups in Scotland had who were in receipt of Climate Challenge funding, including my own Transition group in Hawick!
And that was small fry.
However ..love the prospect of millions of people creating more transitions allover the world.
yepee!
Danielle
Rob Hopkins
1 Apr 8:58pm
Dear all,
Just in case anyone was in any doubt about this story, it was in fact my April Fools joke… although the money would have come in very handy!
Carl
1 Apr 9:05pm
…a huge Bollywood-style dance routine involving over 1000 dancers in a CGI version of Brixton High Street.
Classic, I tweeted it out and got a few friends and associates. Good one Rob!
Ben Brangwyn
1 Apr 11:27pm
Don’t be too sure this is a joke. Danny Boyle is one of Rob’s followers on Twitter.
john thackara
2 Apr 7:13am
Ben, not to mention that “World Without Oil” inaugurated the boom in Alternate Reality Games (or ARGs as they are known to digital folk) which are now *huge*.
Chris Mills
2 Apr 2:20pm
Robert Downey Jr as Rob Hopkins? Typecasting! I am SO looking forward to the Bollywood dance number too. Is there anything we in Canada can do to help? Stephen Harper as David Cameron? Jim Carrey as Ben Brangwyn? Maybe we could get Rush to write the theme music…
Rob Hopkins
2 Apr 11:48pm
Just to be clear, Ben’s comment about Danny Boyle following me on Twitter is equally as fictitious as my original post… so far as we know, Danny Boyle knows absolutely nothing about ‘In Transition 2.0’ at all, but there’s a first time for everything!
Ben Brangwyn
3 Apr 12:37am
ROFL!! Try this search:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22danny+boyle%22+transition