Saturday 19 May 2018

CHILDHOOD ' S END - THEN AND NOW

You may recall a  more  recent sci-fi  mini-series called     CHILDHOOD'S   END   in which Charles Dance appeared as a demonic looking alien  :























I cant be the only viewer who was reminded of    Tim Curry's  character from  LEGEND.  ( 1985)



















The plot concerned a race of  benevolent aliens who visit earth and improve the quality of life for humanity.






However in a chilling twist,  it turns out they were not so benevolent after all and were in fact just fattening us up for slaughter.






But how many of you know that this  show was being touted as far back as  1981  in the pages of STARLOG  ?




















The art depiction of the aliens is actually quite close to how they were eventually realised.


The producer clearly had high hopes of getting the show made but  sadly it didn't happen at that time ,  presumably due to the  high costs involved.







3 comments:

  1. The stalled production is covered in detail in "The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made" book by David Hughes. I'd highly recommend the book--it's a bit dated now, but absolutely fascinating and definitely your kind of read, Ed. Childhood's End, as you are no doubt aware, is based on a 50s novel by Arthur C Clarke.

    (And yes, certainly seeing some echoes of the Tim Curry "Legend" make-up in that design)

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  2. Thanks Krusty, I will have to check out that book !


    I never read the original novel but I know what happens thanks to the mini-series.


    What did you think of the Martian Chronicles tv adaptation ?

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    1. I was a bit too young to watch Martian Chronicles at the time. I've very much enjoyed some of Ray Bradbury's work, both "Fahrenheit 451" and "Something Wicked ..." are great books.

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