Lensmen: the movie

First LensmanThis is cool news: J. Michael Straczynski, creator of the late, lamented Babylon 5, has written a script for a movie adaptation of the Lensmen series by E.E. “Doc” Smith.

I devoured these classic space operas as a kid. The scale of, well, everything was enormous: ships the size of moons (long before the Death Star–Star Wars is small potatoes compared to Lensmen series, although there are a lot of similarities). Psychic abilities magnified by mysterious Lenses created by an incredibly advanced race to help in the battle against an equally advanced but EEEVIL race…men in space armor battling it out in hand-to-hand combat in boarding actions that took place in the open space between ships and on the ship’s hulls.

I doodled this stuff, and lived this stuff, and those who detect a faint whiff of pulpy space opera goodness about my own books have “Doc” Smith to thank (or blame) as much as Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke.

Man, I hope this movie gets made!*

*As long as, you know, it doesn’t suck.

Permanent link to this article: https://edwardwillett.com/2009/06/lensmen-the-movie/

3 comments

    • Stephen Friend on November 9, 2011 at 12:33 am
    • Reply

    PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do it right. As the books were written and no directorial (or production) ‘interpretations’!!! PLEASE!!!

      • on December 14, 2011 at 10:47 pm
      • Reply

      I agree! I loved these books as a kid. (Although I’m a little afraid to try reading them again in case they don’t measure up to my memories of them.)

    • scott allison on March 27, 2010 at 12:08 pm
    • Reply

    I can only say WOW… it has long been a dream of mine to see the lensman series tranfered to the screen , i think it would even overshadow the star wars movies !
    BUT it is not pc and therefore will be PLAYED about with. i am reallly surprised that Spielberg or the like havnt taken it on board yet.
    I DO SO VERY MUCH WISH YOU LUCK AND IF IT IS GOING TO GO ON SCREEN PLEASE LET ME KNOW …BEFORE MY PENSION RUNS OUT!!!!!!!!SCOTTY

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