Trailer Lanterns | Official Teaser | HBO Max

[Thomas Shey]

It’s quite sexist, but I wouldn’t expect an adaptation to be slavishly faithful. I think geek culture often gets too hung up on that.

Sure. Its the question of what you decide to keep and get rid of that's the question. Do you toss the whole Red Lensman thing out completely, or have her distinct for some other reason? There's other elements that raise those sorts of questions, too.

 

[Ryujin]

Little bit of both. While not as bad as some of his cohort, Smith's handling of women was--not ideal. And I'm not sure we ever saw a non-white person among his human characters (though maybe he just didn't describe them in enough physical detail for it to show).

(And as others have mentioned, you at least need to handle the whole Arisian thing very--carefully).

Since The Lens is simply a device, paired to it's holder, it could even be couched as the Arisians finding people of impeccable moral character (by their measure), then giving them the tool that elevates their abilities.

 

[Ryujin]

Sure. Its the question of what you decide to keep and get rid of that's the question. Do you toss the whole Red Lensman thing out completely, or have her distinct for some other reason? There's other elements that raise those sorts of questions, too.

Yeah, I'd just skip that distinction completely.

 

[Willie the Duck]

It’s not news, George Lucas is on record saying he was influenced by Lensmen.
It’s remarkable how forgotten Doc Smith is now, given that he was such a big deal in the 60s.

I've been hoping that Hollywood would discover the series ever since I first read it, back in the '70s. The Anime is nothing like it.

Smith's Lensmen has the same issue that H. Rider Haggard's Allan Quatermain has* -- they would be mistaken as imitations of their descendants (Indiana Jones for Quatermain, every OP space-cop since for Lensmen). Yes, I'm sure if a movie/series came out, it would rapidly spread around the discussion that actually (or ackchyually) lensmen came first. The problem is, generally speaking, no one cares. You don't get special credit** for having the idea first because there's no one handing out credit, it's just what people like or get into.
*in things other than stuff like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, where being last-century-famous is part of the premise.
**ask Hydrox cookies. Er, well you can't because they're inanimate objects, but you get the idea.

Personally, I would love a Lensman series, new Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers movies, and maybe even an adaptation of King Solomon's Mines that met with modern sensibilities (honestly, this is the one you might have to set in space for it to work...). However, I have no idea how to make them viable, given that people have been seeing their stories for years, just with different heroes on the box covers, etc.

Little bit of both. While not as bad as some of his cohort, Smith's handling of women was--not ideal. And I'm not sure we ever saw a non-white person among his human characters (though maybe he just didn't describe them in enough physical detail for it to show).

(And as others have mentioned, you at least need to handle the whole Arisian thing very--carefully).

Sure. Its the question of what you decide to keep and get rid of that's the question. Do you toss the whole Red Lensman thing out completely, or have her distinct for some other reason? There's other elements that raise those sorts of questions, too.

I think, like 90+% of US IP before a certain time, Lensmen never included a non-white character when it wasn't specifically relevant to the plot, and wildly overused women as helpless characters or femme fatales. However, I don't recall any of that being vital to the premise or important storylines. It would be easy to do a Lensmen series without these problems.

 

[sabrinathecat]

Season 4 of Young Justice had a comment about the number of human Lanterns.

Remember the movie "John Carter of Mars"? It flopped. Why? People walking out of the theater were complaining that it was a rip-off of Star Wars.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I think, like 90+% of US IP before a certain time, Lensmen never included a non-white character when it wasn't specifically relevant to the plot, and wildly overused women as helpless characters or femme fatales. However, I don't recall any of that being vital to the premise or important storylines. It would be easy to do a Lensmen series without these problems.

I think you've forgotten what an important plot element Clarissa's position as the first female Lensman and the whole breeding experiment part of the process. Among other things it has impact how, if at all, you plan to engage with the whole "Children of the Lens" part of the storyline.

 

[Willie the Duck]

Remember the movie "John Carter of Mars"? It flopped. Why? People walking out of the theater were complaining that it was a rip-off of Star Wars.

The point stands that Burroughs' Barsoom series was a foundational inspiration to space epics like Star Wars but it being the earlier work not mattering to people introduced to SW first.

However, there were many reasons that movie failed. Foremost in my mind was that it was actually called John Carter and the promotion campaign failed to successfully explain who that was or why anyone should want to go to a movie about him. Calling it A Princess of Mars would have at least alleviated that issue.

It was a good flick. I wish more people had seen it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Sure. Its the question of what you decide to keep and get rid of that's the question. Do you toss the whole Red Lensman thing out completely, or have her distinct for some other reason? There's other elements that raise those sorts of questions, too.

That’s really a non-issue. I would not expect any adaptation to so slavishly stick to the original text.

A bigger issue is why are the Green Lanterns so male? They don’t have the excuse of having been written in the 30s/40s.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The point stands that Burroughs' Barsoom series was a foundational inspiration to space epics like Star Wars but it being the earlier work not mattering to people introduced to SW first.

However, there were many reasons that movie failed. Foremost in my mind was that it was actually called John Carter and the promotion campaign failed to successfully explain who that was or why anyone should want to go to a movie about him. Calling it A Princess of Mars would have at least alleviated that issue.

It was a good flick. I wish more people had seen it.

I would have at least put “from the creator of Tarzan” on the advertising!

I can’t say that I think anyone cares if something is a rip off of Star Wars or not though.

 

[MarkB]

Yeah, there's a way to do that correctly. Think super-soldier in MCU. From the Red Skull's side it's couched as eugenics. From the allied side, just a way to project force on the battlefield.

Depending upon how deep you want to get into the story. In the novels the Arisians are enacting a plan spanning millions of years intended to culminate in the creation of, essentially, their successors - beings of even greater powers than their own.