BBC are set to make massive Victorian Era set War of the Worlds

One of the things that really disappointed us about the 2005 War of the Worlds movie – and the 1953 version – the most was the setting.

Sure, we understand that for financial reasons, setting it in the modern day is the smart option as the original tale written by HG Wells, was set in the Victorian era and the sets, props and costumes would ramp the budget up massively.

However, one of the things we always loved about the original 1898 novel and even Jeff Wayne’s iconic musical, was the setting.

Those massive machine become scarier when they attack a world that have seen nothing like it as it is still just entering the industrial revolution, a world where giant robotic machos are every bit as alien as the pilots within them.

And it looks like the BBC may finally be giving us what we really want, having just announced that they are doing a massive three-part adaptation of Wells’ timeless classic, written by Peter Hartness, who adapted Susanna Clarke’s Victorian-era Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell as well as a handful of Doctor Who episodes.

Alsom according to The North-West Evening Mail Mammoth Studios Managing Director of Productions Damien Timmer has said of the production: “no one has ever attempted to follow Wells and locate the story in Dorking at the turn of the last century.”

It’s interesting that the novel has just entered the public domain – meaning it can be adapted by anyone as and when they wish without having to pay massive royalties and rights.

We’ve waited a long time for this and, given the BBC’s handling of Doctor Who and the aforementioned Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, we’re confident this could indeed be a massive project that was worth the long wait.

Source: Variety