A Steampunk Sequel To Well's Classic Novel In War Of The Worlds: Goliath

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Tripod Entertainment / Twitch / Avery Guerra

Have you ever wondered what kind of world would have evolved after the events of H.G. Well's classic Martian invasion novel "War of the Worlds"? How would the survivors of the near extinction of mankind develop weapons to defend themselves using early 1900s period technology?

Well director Joe Pearson and his animation team at Tripod Entertainment asked themselves these very same questions, and the answers they came up with became the basis for the new feature, "War of the Worlds: Goliath."

The world of "Goliath" is based on "steampunk", that is to say that the world is inhabited by machines and vehicles that use steam for their power supply instead of gasoline power internal combustion engines or nuclear power. Steam powered technology of this type was often featured in the literary works of H.G. Wells as well as Jules Verne.

"Steampunk" has also become the driving theme behind several Japanese animated features (Anime), most notably Katsuhiro Otomo's 2004 film, "Steamboy."

Most western audiences were first exposed to this style of Anime in Hiroyuki Kitakubo's "A Tale of Two Robots Chapter 3: Foreign Invasion", one of several animated features that made up the "Robotto Kãnibaru" anthology, released in the US under the title "Robot Carnival." In the feature a two steam powered robots do battle, one the invention of a mad scientist bent on destruction, and the other a creation of a group of misfit youth's, originally designed for a parade in a small Japanese village.

Now Pearson is set to create his own "steampunk" epic in "Goliath" for western audiences, an animated feature that is very obviously inspired by it's Japanese predecessors with a good deal of Wells and Verne thrown in for good measure.

Well, you couldn't have "War of the World's without using H.G. Well's source material, could you?

Here's the synopsis from Tripod Entertainment:

In 1900, the Earth was attacked by ruthless invaders from the planet Mars. The Martian's 80 ft tall, heat-ray spewing, Tripod battle machines laid waste to the planet, but the invaders ultimately fell prey to Earth’s tiny bacteria.

Fourteen years later, Man has rebuilt his shattered world, in large part by utilizing captured Martian technology. Equipped with giant, steam-powered Tripod battle machines, the international rapid reaction force, A.R.E.S., is Mankind’s first line of defense against the return of the rapacious Martian invaders. Based in a massive fortress complex at the south end of Manhattan Island, the young warriors of A.R.E.S. train under the leadership of Secretary of War, Theodore Roosevelt, and the grim General Kushnirov.

And return the Martians do. The rematch finds the multinational squad of the A.R.E.S. battle Tripod “Goliath” on the front-lines of a vicious interplanetary offensive when the Martian invaders launch their second invasion using even more advanced alien technology. In the crucible of combat, this young team helming the mighty Goliath will be tested to the limits of their endurance and courage as they fight for Mankind's very survival under the onslaught of an implacable enemy.

This is the saga of "War of the Worlds: Goliath", a 90-minute, animated, steampunk epic of war, comradeship and courage under fire.

Goliath Squad's fight will take them from the misty woods of upstate New York and their first encounter with the alien invaders, to the open skies and canyon lands of the New Mexican desert and ultimately, to a battle for Manhattan itself as the enemy attempts to destroy A.R.E.S. at its very heart. Combat will rage on the ground as the steam-powered battle Tripods of A.R.E.S. square off against their lethal Martian counterparts. The skies above the battlefields will be filled with the dying as the advanced fighter planes of A.R.E.S., under the command of Manfred Van Richthofen, battle against the agile Martian Flying Wings. Goliath Squad will even find themselves locked in hand-to-hand with the tentacled aliens as they confront the invaders in the steamy depths of a vast power plant turned Martian Hive.

"War of the Worlds: Goliath" will feature selfless heroism, alien cruelty, base betrayal and passionate lovemaking framed by the life and death paradigm of total interstellar war.

Heat rays, steam-powered battle Tripods, souped up biplane and triplane fighters, a 1,500-foot long, armored battle Zeppelin and a re-imagined steampunk New York City are some of the striking visuals that are being brought to life in this epic production.

Produced by Tripod Entertainment, "War of the Worlds: Goliath" is being directed by animation veteran Joe Pearson (Epoch Ink Animation), and written by accomplished wordsmith, David Abramowitz (Highlander). Featuring the voice talents of Adrian Paul, Peter Wingfield, Adam Baldwin, Elizabeth Gracen, Jim Byrnes and many others, the movie is being storyboarded and designed by an international team of top artists and designers, and is being animated in a state-of-the art combination of CG and traditional cel animation in Seoul, South Korea. Audio and video post-production including music score, sound design, voice direction, mixing, visual effects and editing will be done by the best studios in Southeast Asia, Imaginex Studios and BaseCamp Films.

Currently in mid-production, "War of the Worlds: Goliath" is scheduled for release to DVD in early 2010.

ORIGINAL NOVEL

Written at the end of the 19th century by acclaimed author H.G. Wells, “War of the Worlds” was an instant classic, and is considered by many to be the world’s first modern science fiction novel.

The first story to ever deal seriously with the possibilities of an alien invasion of Earth, “War of the Worlds” has generated numerous adaptations over the years and in all media - books, comic books, radio (the famous Orson Wells broadcast on Halloween, 1938), feature films (the classic 1953 film, produced by George Pal and the Steven Spielberg/Tom Cruise epic in 2005), several TV series (an “X Files” style series in the 80’s and a British series, “Tripods”), and several albums (Jeff Wayne produced a classic adaptation in the 70's).

"War of the Worlds: Goliath" will continue the tradition of War of the Worlds media as a unique retro-futuristic sequel to the original novel, and with deep respect to the other works honoring this H.G. Wells classic.

See Also: War of the Worlds: Making Of Featurette