Doctor Who: The Movie: Part 1

The big news this week is that there is going to be a Doctor Who movie. There was also some stuff about Saif Gadaffi, the government capping benefits in a way that will screw the poor, the eurozone going into meltdown, Burlesconi quitting - which is great for the people of Italy but bad for hookers and topical comedians - David Cameron going to Germany and asking their chancellor what the word for Bazooka is in German - clearly the "don't mention the war" memo never reached him - but we all know the real important story is there is going to be a Doctor Who movie. As in actually there might be this time, not just some sad fangirls/John Barrowman going "oh, there should be a movie with David Tennant coz I miss his face," starting rumours.

David Yates, the director of Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix, which is definitely in my top 8 favourite Harry Potter films (top 9, if you count puppet pals, which I definitely do)*, announced to Variety magazine that he was "in talks" with BBC Worldwide about a potential Doctor Who movie. Lots of fandom have decided that this is terrible news, for a show that's had 11 leading men, Doctor Who fans have very little tolerance for change. To be fair though, I think this time there is a case for doubting this film. David Yates said "It needs quite a radical transformation to take it into a bigger arena...Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat have done their own transformations, which were fantastic, but we have to put that aside and start from scratch." Words like "Radical" and "transformation" can be a bit worrying especially since they seem so needless.

If the late, great Doctor Who Confidential (God rest it's soul) were still with us, I'm sure they'd be interviewing somebody who says "every episode of Doctor Who is like a mini-movie" anyway. An entire drinking game could be built around the number of times people say that on confidential:
1 shot every time someone says "it's like a mini-movie",
2 shots every time someone explains green screen,
A pint when Steven Moffat has to slowly and carefully explain his plots,
Half a pint whenever Matt Smith and Karen Gillan seem to be having too much fun,
A vodka for every time it seems Christopher Eccleston is taking it too seriously.

As for ignoring what RTD and the Moff have done with the show, well what they did was make an unloved show that was treated by most people as a joke and turned it into the biggest show in the UK that doesn't have Simon Cowell in it. They made a clever and emotionally engaging TV show fit for the 21st century that is loved by loads of people worldwide. By all means take it in your own direction, RTD did that, The Moff gave it his own spin, but he didn't just brush aside what had come before.

The implication is this is gonna be separate from the TV show. Made by BBC Worldwide and Hollywood, it will have it's own Doctor, its own companion and its own writers. I have no problem with that. The same thing was done in the 60s, when 2 films were made with Peter Cushing as the Doctor allowing the series to carry on churning out episodes. If it was to star Matt Smith and be written by the Moff - who are my favourite Doctor and favourite writer by the way - it would mean they're tied up making it for 2-3 years, and we'd have no TV series in that time. Fans are all ready not happy with having to wait till Autumn for the next series, so imagine waiting 3 years! Personally I think the TV series should always come first, it's just so damn good. And how exciting would it be to go into the 50th anniversary year in 2013, knowing that a film is just around the corner.

It's kinda hard to judge it at this stage. I think Yates leaked the news far too early. It's only under consideration. We don't even really know that Yates will direct it although it's a safe guess. It's only a little bit more substantial than fangirl/John Barrowman led rumours at this stage. I wont condemn or get excited for this film yet. I suspect this will change with announcements of actors, writers, plots, villains etc. But for now:

Things I Want To See In This Film

• Darker stuff. Doctor Who should never be too dark, and I'm not looking for anything scary like The Hills Have Eyes or as bleak or grim as The Waters Of Mars but I think doing a film that's separate allows them to go a bit more mature and scary, but still keep it a kids film.
• Plenty of references to 'real' Doctor Who. Not so many that it's annoying, but maybe a few jokes for the fans in the know. Something akin to the 11th Doctor phoning the Brigadier in The Wedding Of River Song would be nice too.
• British talent. Harry Potter had loads of British stars in it, so I'm hoping he brings that to this film. An all-American Doctor Who would be naff. And don't make this another Torchwood: Miracle Day where you say it's 50:50 but all the good parts go to Americans and the British parts are extras or people we've seen before.
• Steven Moffat's name in the credits as "adviser." I know the film needs it's own identity and all, but it would be great to get some official seal of approval or at least get someone in the know to proof-read the scripts.
• Something that establishes it's own continuity but respects the shows past. I'm happy for them to start with a new actor and call him "the first doctor" and for him not to be like William Hartnell's Doctor, but he has to keep the basic characteristics common to all Doctors

Things I don't Want To See In This Film

• A prequel where the Doctor becomes a timelord/leaves gallifrey/anything like that. The TV show has always been ambiguous about his past. It's part of the character's appeal. Hints are fine, but don't tamper with the myth of the character.
• The Time War. This is always mooted as good idea for the film, but is it? As the people at Big Finish productions put it: "How can you show a time war? 'Firing time-onic missile' 'oh no the past is coming out of my ear!'" Fans love to imagine what the time war would be like, but how do you make it that epic on the screen. David Tennant's Doctor talks about saving Davros from the jaws of the Nightmare Child and mentions "the horde of travesties, the could-have-been king with his army of meanwhiles and never-weres" excellent metaphors, but difficult to live up to.
• With the exception of characters who regenerate, no new actors playing existing parts. I don't want them to decide that Rose Tyler was popular so they're gonna bring her back played by Lindsay Lohan. For that matter, I don't want to see Billie Piper playing Rose Tyler, stop being lazy and write your own damn characters.
• Anything that's not true to the series and it's tone, message and philosophy. The Doctor is not an action hero, he shouldn't hold a gun. At most he can be like Pertwee was, that's as action hero as he gets.

*I have since learnt that David Yates directed other Harry Potter films, including my favourite the last one. Also he's working with Jane Tranter who was partly responsible for Doctor Who returning to TV in 2005, so....

And in tribute to the way movies seem to work these days. This blog is being split into two parts in the hope of making more money. Next time, I'll be having a look at the previous attempts at Doctor Who films to see what we can learn from them.