J.J. Abrams plans to bring the story of the world’s first robot to the world.
J.J. Abrams, Lost co-creator and director/producer of films such as the recent Star Trek reboot, has his sights set on a steampunky tale about the world’s first robot called Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel. Originally popularized through a graphic novel of sorts, Hollywood Reporter revealed that Abrams will be adapting the character’s story into a movie.
Boilerplate, created by Paul Guinan, is a fictional humanoid robot character built in the late 1890s, and boy did he get around. The book Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel is not a typical graphic novel and instead inserts the robot into various historical images, making Boilerplate into the Forrest Gump of robots. He’s seen alongside Lawrence of Arabia, Houdini, Nikola Tesla, and other famous characters from the world’s past. Boilerplate is said to have disappeared during World War I.
Guinan’s efforts, including the Boilerplate website, often refer to Boilerplate as a real robot, leading some to think it was a hoax when they discovered a robot didn’t actually hang out with Teddy Roosevelt. Abrams direct involvement with the project doesn’t appear to have been decided yet though it was handed to his production company Bad Robot by Paramount.
Boilerplate sounds like an interesting concept that could result in a really cool movie with a steampunk theme. The fact that Abrams is behind it doesn’t mean it’ll automatically be amazing, but he does bring a degree of clout that could ensure it’s well made and that people will probably go see it. I would pay $10 just to see a robot on a high-wheel bicycle.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
