Double Shrug

I thought no one could make a movie of Atlas Shrugged.  Then, earlier this year, some filmmaker put out a version and proved me right.  Now it looks like there'll be an Atlas Shrugged: Part 2.  I'm a little surprised, considering how the first one flopped--not even grossing $5 million.

Alas, it'll be by the same people who made the first one.  They plan to open it in late 2012.  If they're trying to take advantage of the political season, sure, why not.  If they hope to affect the election...well, let's just say if Obama loses I hope they don't take any credit.

They'll need to expand their audience if they want to make money. Not easy, but not unheard of for sequels.  My suggestion would be to get a bigger budget and some stars, but I guess that's off the table. So instead let me suggest they rethink their approach.  Capture the spirit of the novel, don't slavishly recreate it (even if Rand fans grumble).  Yes, keep the general outline, the major plot points, but feel free to move things around for dramatic purposes.  And rewrite the novel's dialogue with a free hand--what's read is different from what's spoken.

More important, make the plot suspenseful.  Give the characters recognizable human emotions, and motivations, then put them in honest jeopardy, with difficult odds to overcome.  Slowly reveal secrets, and when the big one comes (which I assume is in Part 2) do it with a sense of wonder.  But then, I should know better than to tell Rand acolytes how to do their job.