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War Of The Worlds (2005)

MOVIE INFORMATION

Expected Release Date : 29th June 2005

A contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells's seminal classic, the sci-fi adventure thriller reveals the extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive it.

Producers : Colin Wilson, Kathleen Kennedy
& Paula Wagner
Screenwriter : David Koepp
Director : Steven Spielberg

CAST

Tom Cruise .... Ray Ferier
Dakota Fanning .... Rachel Ferrier
Tim Robbins .... Ogilvy
Miranda Otto .... Mary Ann Ferrier
David Alan Basche .... Tim
James DuMont
Yul Vazquez .... Julio
Daniel Franzese
Michalina Almindo .... Refuge
Gerald Blakey .... Extra
Justin Chatwin .... Ray's Son
Ambi Daniel .... Abductee
Miguel Antonio Ferrer .... Brazilian Neighbour
Stephen Gevedon .... Neighbour
Rick Gonzalez
Tommy Guiffre .... National Guardsman
David Harbour
Travis Aaron .... Soldier (as Travis Aaron Wade)
Amy Hohn
John Thompson Hopkins .... Survivor
Priscilla Hopkins .... Survivor
Elizabeth Jayne Hong
Johnny Kastl .... Soldier
George Katt
January LaVoy .... Brazilian Neighbor's Wife
Riley G. Matthews Jr. .... Newark Cop
Mariann Mayberry
Kirsten Nelson .... Business Woman
Dempsey Pappion .... Man in Basket #3
Rick Pisarro .... Swarthy Longshoremen
Sharrieff Pugh
Ann Robinson
Camillia Sanes .... News Producer
Rafael Sardina
John Scurti
Columbus Short .... Soldier #4
Ty Keegan Simpkins .... 3 year old boy
Channing Tatum .... Boy in church scene
Lenny Venito .... Manny
Travis Aaron Wade .... Soldier
Michael Waldron .... Newark Cop
Lisa Ann Walter
Christopher Evan Welch
Christopher Evan
Julie White
Christopher Anderson .... Boy 2 Church Scene (uncredited)
Rose Pasquale .... Boston Survivor (uncredited)

 
MOVIE TRIVIA

The film has been given a huge budget, recent reports suggest $128 million, but it could possibly be as high as $200 million. Spielberg's answer for the high budget:  "We will spare no expense"

Spielberg became interested in making a version of the story during the 1990s, but instead of becoming a straight adaptation that project evolved into the film Deep Impact.

Initially estimated to have a 2007 release date, this film was abruptly greenlit in mid-August 2004, for a 2005 release, causing substantial delays in director Steven Spielberg's and star Tom Cruise's other projects.

While filming in Bayonne, New Jersey, studio Paramount Pictures offered quick cash to residents who lived on First Street and Pointview Terrace to move their cars off the block, between a Tuesday and Friday. This was in order for the film crew to resume shooting.

The crew started filming only seven months prior to its release. In order to finish all 500+ CGI effects, Spielberg did all the big action scenes in the early stages of shooting.

Gene Barry & Ann Robinson who appeared in the 1953 War of the Worlds movie are the only cast members from the original to make an appearance in this remake.

MOVIE NOTES

Steven Spielberg is set to use Dennis Muren and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) for the movie. The two previously teamed up for Minority Report which also featured star Tom Cruise.

Production artist James Clyne (previously worked on Spielberg’s A.I. & Minority Report) is working on War of the Worlds under production designer Rick Carter (Jurassic Park).

Doug Chiang, the conceptual artist on Spielberg's upcoming War of the Worlds movie, told SCI FI Wire that he relied heavily on the detailed descriptions in H.G. Wells' original book for the look and feel of the film's aliens and tripod war machines. "As much as we could, yeah," Chiang (Star Wars: Episode II) said in an interview at WonderCon in San Francisco last weekend. "I mean, we wanted to be faithful to it, because ... we think it's best to go to the source material versus other interpretations, as great as the other interpretations may have been. It's always nice to see where the inspiration came from. And then Steven, of course, takes it to a whole new level."

TEASER POSTER

Click on the above image for a larger view

REPORTS

Hudson Reporter - "Have We Been Invaded" - click here
Hudson Reporter - "Surviving The Surreal" - click here
Hudson Reporter - "Thanks For The Memories" - click here
Hudson Reporter - "Coffee For Cruise" - click here
Hudson Reporter - "Rescuing Spielberg" - click here
Hudson Reporter - "Staten Island side of bridge" - click here
Hudson Reporter - "Bayonne & Superbowl" - click here

Set Report - Feb 11th - IGNFF - click here
Daily News - Feb 20th - 'Getting Small-Town Feel' - click here
Behind the Scenes of "War of the Worlds" - click here
Jawad's Set Visit - 3rd March - click here

NEWS

"'The War of the Worlds' is a timeless literary treasure and one of our most exciting properties," says Sherry Lansing, Chairman, Motion Picture Group, Paramount Pictures. "Since Paramount has enjoyed such tremendous success partnering with Cruise/Wagner, there is clearly no better team to entrust this to."

TEASER TRAILERS & SUPERBOWL TV SPOT

The above stills are from the new teaser trailer, click here to view trailer, click on the stills for larger versions.

Stills from a Superbowl TV spot (click on them for larger versions),
click here to view trailer

Stills from the first Japanese War Of The Worlds trailer (click on them for larger versions), to watch the trailer click here or click here for trailer 2

There is also a new Japanese trailer (20th March 05), click here to view
 

'ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT' BEHIND THE SCENESS

On February 7th 2005 'Entertainment Tonight' broadcast behind the scenes footage of the movie.  Click on the above stills for larger images or to view the clip, click here

BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE PARAMOUNT MOVIE

Set pics from Globephotos (go to their website for even more pics). 
More pics from the set here

Click on the above set t pics for a larger view. 
Thanks to Annie from www.tomcruisefan.com

Brooklyn War of the Worlds Set Pictures
For more info and larger pictures click here

More set pics here

FERRY PICS FROM ATHENS SHOOT...

For a larger version, click on the above images
For all the images on this shoot, please click here