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| Beastmen from 1977's film version |
For those unfamiliar with the original,
The Island of Dr. Moreau was written by H.G Wells in 1896 about a man who winds up stranded on an island inhabited by the eponymous Dr. Moreau and his creations; a collection of "beastmen" he made by vivisecting and surgically rearranging normal animals into human shape, which somehow (in addition to causing incredibly pain but
not killing them) gave them human-like intelligence, although they gradual regress. It is sometimes cited as the first use of the sci-fi concept of "uplift" (making animals more human-like/sapient through induced changes). The novel has been adapted for the screen several times.
In addition to the novel's existing themes of cruelty, playing with nature, and what it means to be human, I would use a TV mini-series to examine a very pertinant modern concept; scientific ignorance/denial. The novel was written before genetics was well-understood (hence Moreau's surgical transformations), but a modern setting would allow a new angle; an ignorant and arrogant denialist who thinks his own beliefs about the way something works supersede all scientific evidence, playing god in his house of pain, and the suffering he inflicts on everyone through his ignorance.
This would probably work in a monster genre as well. It would definitely work for our modern society and the view of science and technology that many people have right now. I especially like your payoff of suffering through ignorance. Even better may be the EFFECTS of that ignorance over time.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree that this story does seem to lend itself to a worthy television series. So many of the complex themes translate to questions we're still struggling with, and I think Mike is right that it works in the monster genre as well (this could easily be a horror movie).
ReplyDeleteThis is a good idea. Would be interesting to watch. I have not heard of the original novel. The concept of the fine line between humans and animals would be interesting to watch. This show can have a sort of Dexter's laboratory theme. Would the mini series be animated?
ReplyDeleteI think this modern twist on it is a really great idea. The advancement in genetics since this novel was written would certainly cause for change within the story. Dystopian sci-fi stories now just seem all too relevant, don't they :/
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of this story being used to combat those who deny basic scientific truths. There are lots of possibilities for how this could play out, and all-too-many issues that individual episodes could focus on.
ReplyDeleteI have never read the book or seen one of the films, like Mike said this could fit into the monster genre. I feel a Frankenstein type vibe from this. Would you still keep the beastmen experiments or would you adapt it to this age of lab grown sheep fetuses? This book reminds me of some of the experiments Dr. Mengele did in the Nazi Death camps.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this book, but this story sounds pretty interesting. I think a miniseries of this would be insane to watch honestly. the story sounds kind of scary, so I want to ask: would the miniseries be primarily horror/ thriller? or a mixture of several things? or mainly sci-fi action?
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cool idea. I'm not familiar with the original work past recognizing the name, but your description made me think of a Margaret Atwood book called Oryx and Crake. The novel is about genetic engineering run wild, and ultimately ends in apocalypse. Interestingly enough, HBO was supposed to do a miniseries adaptation, but it seems to have fallen through the cracks. All this is to say, there's definitely a market for this remix!
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