I Can't Wait for Fanboys to See Peter Jackson's 'The Lovely Bones'

New pics arrive and the exclamation points begin

Photo: Paramount Pictures

The first official images for Peter Jackson's upcoming filmed adaptation of Alice Sebold's fantastic novel, The Lovely Bones, hit the Internet today and the excitement continues to brew the fanboy corners of the digital domain.

The first image, the one you see above, comes from Empire and features Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) who plays Susie Salmon, a 14 year-old girl who has been murdered and watches over her family — and her killer — from Heaven. Sebold's vision of heaven is a complex and mixed one as everyone's version is different from another, although visions could collide while at the same time it could smell like skunk. Susie must learn to let go of her human life and she will then be able to let go of the grief caused by her final days and the results they had on her family.

Photo: Paramount Pictures

The second image is of Stanley Tucci who plays George Harvey, the man that killed Susie. Don't expect Lord of the Rings-style special effects to create a nether world, Jackson told USA Today. The film proved one of Jackson's toughest, particularly scenes of the child's afterlife.

"It's God-less in the sense that when Susie dies, she finds herself caught in a place between Earth and heaven — she is in an 'In-Between,' as Alice Sebold calls it." When she moves on, "we're happy for audiences to imagine this new world in whatever way makes them comfortable."

Like it says above, this is not a Lord of the Rings-style film, which is what I think fanboys are counting on. This is actually more of a tragic family drama that has a few rather bright spots that still come as of a result of a major loss dealing with the death of a young child.

Even if fanboys who praise Jackson for his Lord of the Rings success want to look at this as something of a Heavenly Creatures, this story doesn't even have the fantastic elements of that film either.

Personally I am highly anticipating this film, since I loved the book, yet I am not expecting much since I don't believe this is a story that is easily adapted for the big screen. On top of that it has taken forever to get the film into theaters as the first casting information arrived in June of 2007 and the first set pics hit the Internet on October 2007 and the film is finally going to see theaters on December 11, 2009. Such a lengthy delay is worrisome, but the fact Paramount placed it in a prime award season location keeps hope alive.

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Post #1
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So…wait…Fanboys ARE or ARE NOT counting on this being like "Lord of the Rings"? Because I'm pretty sure no one in their right mind is expecting that. I don't understand what you're getting at. Why can't you wait for them to see this?

- Uh...
( April 20th, 2009 | 11:19 am )
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Post #2
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@Uh…: I agree. I think Fanboys will be able to tell the difference between a drama and an epic advenutre/fantasy trilogy.

- Katie
( April 20th, 2009 | 12:23 pm )
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Post #3
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i LOVE the book too! is this film most likely gonna be a contender for the upcoming awards season?

- cecilia
( April 20th, 2009 | 12:30 pm )
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Post #4
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The book is wonderful. But I disagree with you, Brad: I think Peter Jackson is an amazing choice for this adaptation. And I think you can compare Heavenly Creatures's Borovnia (the world the two girls create) to The Lovely Bones's Heaven – after all, it's two fantastical worlds. I know we won't be seeing Mario Lanza-esque clay heroes, but still…

(I still think Heavenly Creatures is Jackson's best film)

- Adriano
( April 20th, 2009 | 2:39 pm )
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Post #5
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I actually think this will be pretty good. I like the sounds of it. I've never read the novel, but the plot is interesting.

- rolling_streetcar
( April 20th, 2009 | 3:20 pm )
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Post #6
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It's spelled "Saoirse" Ronan. As an Irish person, I thought I'd give you a heads-up. I'm sure it's hard to spell for anyone who has no clue of the language.

- Am123
( April 20th, 2009 | 3:32 pm )
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Post #7
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@Am123:
So it's spelled "Saoirse." How's that pronounced? "Sigh-OR-see"?

Anyway, she's a phenomenal actress, and she deserved her Oscar nomination. And those two images look brilliant! I cannot effing wait for this film!

- JM
( April 20th, 2009 | 6:02 pm )
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Post #8
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@Katie: haha…yea

- Amit
( April 21st, 2009 | 4:03 am )
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Post #9
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Like one of the other posters asked: Why is it exactly you can't wait for Fanboys to see this movie? I don't even think they'll show up for this one.

I'm not 100% sold on Jackson the auteur. I mean, he's not that far removed from the gory horror director he was just a decade or so ago.

Heavenly Creatures was okay, IMO

- oldskool138
( April 21st, 2009 | 5:21 am )
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Post #10
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@oldskool138:

"Heavenly Creatures" was absolutely amazing! I am personally 100% sold on Jackson the auteur. Or Jackson the anything he chooses to be. He's proved himself with low-budget horror, then again with the arthouse world, and then most importantly with that big-budget epic we all love and know as "The Lord of the Rings."

"The Lovely Bones" is going to be amazing.

- JM
( April 21st, 2009 | 12:28 pm )
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Post #11
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@JM: It's actually pronounced "seer-sha". Just to complicate it more for ya.

- Am123
( April 21st, 2009 | 4:58 pm )
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