This autumn (we don鈥檛 yet know the precise date) we鈥檒l be seeing HG Wells鈥檚 War of the Worlds as we rarely ever see it on screen 鈥� set in the Edwardian period where the book was actually set.
It鈥檚 testament to the vividness and universal appeal of H G Wells鈥檚 1897 shocker that it鈥檚 resisted becoming a period piece. Instead, it鈥檚 consistently inspired screenwriters to update it for their era. Barr茅 Lyndon鈥檚 tight, chilling script for Byron Haskin鈥檚 1953 version captured something of the early Cold War鈥檚 atmosphere of beleaguered desperation. Stephen Spielberg鈥檚 2005 outing was likewise set in contemporary times, casting Tom Cruise as an unexpectedly under-achieving protagonist.
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While Peter Harness鈥檚 new production for the BBC stays close to Wells鈥檚 original, he too finds fresh psychological cards to play. In this version a young couple, George and Amy (Rafe Spall and Eleanor Tomlinson, pictured), defy society by starting a life together in London 鈥� a tip of the hat, perhaps, to Wells鈥檚 own unconventional love life 鈥� only to run up against a far uglier and far more direct threat to their happiness in the guise of Martian invaders.
The cast also includes Rupert Graves as Frederick, George鈥檚 elder brother, and Robert Carlyle as Ogilvy, an astronomer and scientist.
Clearly Mars is having a moment, particularly in London (or 鈥淕round Zero鈥�, as we should probably call it now: Wells鈥檚 invaders landed in nearby Woking and headed straight for the bright lights). This long-awaited television production (it was greenlit in 2017 and didn鈥檛 begin shooting in Liverpool until 2018) has already been pre-empted by a more powerful than expected immersive show in London, based on Jeff Wayne鈥檚 musical version of the story. On the global stage, meanwhile, there鈥檚 the announcement by the United Arab Emirates that it鈥檚 planning to build a settlement on Mars by 2117. (NASA liked their plan well enough to sign a letter of understanding with the UAE last year.)
Any invasion is, I suspect, more likely to go the other way. Opening on 18 October in London, not 25 miles away from Woking, will be turning its spotlight on the architecture, materials and technology we鈥檒l need to settle our nearest neighbour.
This war of worlds is heating up. Those Martians of Wells鈥檚 imagination, those 鈥渋ntellects vast and cool and unsympathetic鈥�, whose minds are to our minds 鈥渁s ours are to those of the beasts that perish鈥� had better get their skates on.
