HBO to begin shooting "Band of Brothers" sequel this summer

[jmcclain19]

I know there are quite a few out there like me who think Band of Brothers was one of the best series created for TV.

Looks like Spielberg & Hanks are creating a 10-hour sequel titled "The Pacific" that begins shooting this summer.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i91266009d4f35a6c91edce1c1949270f


HBO Films well-armed for 'Pacific'

April 25, 2007

HBO Films has given the green light to "The Pacific," the long-gestating 10-hour miniseries from executive producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg that serves as the follow-up to the duo's Emmy-winning 2001 HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers."

Filming on the epic, which HBO Films is producing in association with Playtone and DreamWorks Television, is set to begin this summer in Australia.

A companion piece to the World War II saga "Brothers," "Pacific" tracks the intertwined odysseys of three U.S. Marines -- Robert Leckie, John Basilone and Eugene Sledge -- across the vast canvas of the Pacific, from the first clash with the Japanese in the jungles of Guadalcanal to the triumphant return home after V-J Day.

Production will be based at Melbourne Central City Studios in Melbourne, Victoria, with filming set to take place in Melbourne, where U.S. troops camped in 1943, and Far North Queensland.

"We're proud to be reuniting with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg to complete the story of the American combat experience of World War II," HBO Films president Colin Callender said. "This epic miniseries is based on the true stories of three Marines whose experiences in the Pacific embodied the unique nature of that theater of war, and dramatize how it profoundly differed from the European front. "

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"Pacific" is based on the books "With the Old Breed" by Sledge and "Helmet for My Pillow" by Leckie, as well as original interviews conducted by the filmmakers and Hugh Ambrose, son of "Brothers" author Stephen E. Ambrose, who died in 2002. Hugh Ambrose serves as a consultant on the miniseries.

Hanks and Spielberg will executive produce "Pacific" with Hanks' partner at Playtone, Gary Goetzman, who served as a co-executive producer on "Brothers." Another "Brothers" co-exec producer, Tony To, is back and will co-exec produce with "Brothers" writer Graham Yost.

[sonny]

Sweet. Band of Brothers was so well done, I can't wait to see this.

No word on the return of Arli$$?

[cumberlandreds]

It will be hard to be better than the original but this series should be very good. Thanks for the info! :thumbup:

[MrCinatit]

Excellent news. Except for From The Earth To The Moon (another Hanks project), Band of Brothers was my favorite miniseries.

[gonelong]

I know there are quite a few out there like me who think Band of Brothers was one of the best series created for TV.

Looks like Spielberg & Hanks are creating a 10-hour sequel titled "The Pacific" that begins shooting this summer.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i91266009d4f35a6c91edce1c1949270f


Excellent. I watched the series on HBO and this Christmas my wife gave me the DVD set. We are waiting for a few weeks into the summer to sit down and watch them again.

I am excited to see another series from this group.

GL

[Razor Shines]

I don't even know how many times I've watched "Band of Brothers", but I don't seem to tire of it. This is fantastic news.

[KronoRed]

Excellent.

[jmcclain19]

Just an update to this thread - some more details have come out about the series - several actors & directors have been named as the series begins filming

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-hbothepacificdirectors,0,3551991.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines



'Pacific' Adds Directors, Tweaks Cast
Jon Seda moves up to starring role

HBO has begun rolling the cameras on its 10-part World War II miniseries "The Pacific" after signing up several directors and shuffling its cast.

The miniseries, which chronicles the experience of U.S. Marines in World War II's Pacific Theater, is scheduled to air in 2009. It's a companion piece to 2001's "Band of Brothers," which was set in Europe, and comes from the same producing team of Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman.

Co-executive producers Graham Yost ("Boomtown") and Tony To ("House") will each direct episodes; they, too, worked on "Band of Brothers," with Yost writing two episodes and To directing one and co-exec producing. Other directors include HBO veteran Tim Van Patten ("The Sopranos," "The Wire," "Sex and the City"), Carl Franklin ("Out of Time," "Devil in a Blue Dress") and Jeremy Podeswa ("Six Feet Under," "The Five Senses").

The production has also made a casting change. Jon Seda ("Homicide," "Close to Home"), who was initially cast in a supporting role, will move up to take one of the lead roles, that of Marine John Basilone. He replaces Val Lauren.

The cast also includes James Badge Dale ("24"), Joe Mazzello ("Raising Helen," "Jurassic Park"), Ashton Holmes ("A History of Violence") and Rami Malek ("The War at Home").

"The Pacific" is currently filming in Australia. Production is expected to continue through the middle of next year.

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Band-Of-Brothers-Follow-Up-Begins-Filming-5839.html


‘John From Cincinnati’ may have left the Pacific for good, but HBO hasn’t left the ocean just yet. Filming has begun for ‘The Pacific,’ a follow-up to the 2001 megahit ‘Band of Brothers,’ produced by the same team of Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman. Whereas ‘Brothers’ focused on the European theater of World War II battles, ‘Pacific’ will focus on, well, the Pacific theater. Don’t say they didn’t warn you.

The story follows three U.S. Marines through battles, from Guadalcanal—one of the first U.S.-Japan clashes—through VJ Day in August of 1945. Jon Seda (‘Close to Home’) has stepped into the lead role of John Basilone, originally to be played by Val Lauren (recently seen on ‘Crossing Jordan’). James Badge Dale (‘The Black Donnellys’) and Joseph Mazzello (recently of ‘CSI’) round out the leads as Robert Leckie and Eugene Sledge, respectively.

Five different directors will take on helming duties across the ten episodes of the series, according to Zap2It. Graham Yost and Tony To, who also directed episodes of ‘Brothers,’ will direct here as well as executive produce; the other directors are Tim van Patten, Carl Franklin and Jeremy Podeswa, with prestigious TV directing credits like ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Wire’ to each of their names.

‘Band of Brothers,’ which used eight different directors through its 10 parts, won five Emmys, including best direction in a miniseries and best miniseries. The team they’ve assembled thus far simply screams “PRESTIGE!”, and the casting of unknown actors indicates a faith in the material that doesn’t need to be supported by throwing Al Pacino, say, into the mix.

‘The Pacific’ is set to air on HBO in 2009.

[cumberlandreds]

Coming up in just over a month (sept 23) is Ken Burns series called The War. It's a 14 hour series on WWII that will be on PBS. I'm looking forward to this and hope it's as good as his other series have been.


http://www.pbs.org/thewar/

[jmcclain19]

This is a couple year old thread, but the topic is back current again.

HBO is finally debuting the Band of Brothers "Sequel" so to speak, in a few weeks.

It's another 10 part mini series made by the same crew.

"The Pacific" - has its first episode premiering March 14

http://www.hbo.com/the-pacific/index.html

[reds1869]

I may just have to add HBO for this. We don't usually have premium channels but Band of Brothers is one of my all-time favorites. I've been looking forward to this series for three years.

[redsfanmia]

I am a little leary about this, Band of Brothers is fantastic and I can not see how the Pacific can live up.

[Roy Tucker]

I am a little leary about this, Band of Brothers is fantastic and I can not see how the Pacific can live up.

I think you just have to judge it on its own merits.

And hey, The Godfather Part II wasn't chopped liver. ;)

[Mario-Rijo]

I may just have to add HBO for this. We don't usually have premium channels but Band of Brothers is one of my all-time favorites. I've been looking forward to this series for three years.

Same here, I was wondering when this was finally gonna go down. Thanks jmcclain for the info.

[yab1112]

I thought Band of Brothers was fantastic. Can't wait for the 14th!

[Raisor]

I watched a preview of this last week and it looks fantastic.

[Roy Tucker]

My dad was in the Marine Corp. in WWII and fought in the Pacific. He was in the 4th Marine Div. and was in on the landings on Roi-Namur, Saipan, and Tinian in the Marianas. He caught Dengue fever there and got send to Hawaii and missed the Iwo Jima landings. His unit got pretty chewed up there.

I still have all of his Marine Corp. books with photos and all that (he died in 1994). I'll be interested to see if this series is all historically accurate.

[Raisor]

. I'll be interested to see if this series is all historically accurate.

From the wiki page:


The Pacific is based primarily on two memoirs of U.S. Marines: With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie.[3] The series will tell the stories of the two authors and Marine John Basilone, as the war against the Empire of Japan rages.

Given the literary sources mentioned above, the series will feature well-known battles involving the 1st Marine Division, such as Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, as well as Basilone's involvement in the Battle of Iwo Jima.

[jmcclain19]

First reviews are starting to come in


Review: HBO's 'The Pacific'
Barry Garron has posted his review of HBO's "The Pacific." I just finished watching last week and my opinion of the project went way up from the two-episode rough-cut I saw last month, which was exposition-heavy to the point where even Tom Hanks was complaining about the cut at TCA.
"The first two episodes are the weakest," assured HBO insiders at the time.
I was doubtful -- we hear that sort of thing a lot -- but the executives were right.
When the final cut was delivered, the clunky exposition was cut out. And after the first two couple hours, the immediacy and writing improved.
Is "The Pacific" as strong as its predecessor, arguably the best miniseries of all time, "Band of Brothers"?
No. It's uneven, with a weaker group of supporting characters (one big exception -- Rami Malek as Merriell "Snafu" Shelton is utterly hypnotic, like Gollum from "Lord of the Rings" reincarnated as a morally ambiguous Marine).
Another point of comparison: For better or worse, "The Pacific" is far more graphic than "BOB." Dismembered limbs flying, Marines cutting gold teeth from dead (and not quite dead) Japanese soldiers, a scene involving an open skull cavity that I won't even describe.
One episode -- Part Nine -- deserves special praise. Directed by "Sopranos" veteran Tim Van Patten, this penultimate hour, set on the island of Okinawa, is the most harrowing and revolting depiction of war I've ever seen. As a self-contained hour of drama, it's a masterpiece and alone worth the price of admission.
So my bottom line: "The Pacific" is a must-see. But if you're a "Band of Brothers" fan, set your expectations accordingly.
Here's some of Barry's take....
The result is "The Pacific," also 10 parts but in some ways as different in its approach to the material as the jungle warfare of the Pacific was from the more conventional fighting in Europe. Both miniseries are infused with raw, powerful stories of personal triumph and adversity, but "Pacific" feels more random and more contained. Each episode is so completely built on discreet incidents that a strong case can be made for calling this a limited series.

But call it what you will, it is a gem of a production and would be a highlight of any TV season. "Pacific," in its totality, conveys a sense of the combat experience that is as complete and realistic as any work of film could be. From the harrowing nighttime battles with a deadly but invisible enemy to the sheer misery of the punishing jungle climate to the macho posturing of the young American fighters, "Pacific" omits nothing.

Where "Band of Brothers" adapted Stephen Ambrose's saga of a single unit, "Pacific" melds the memories of three authors: Robert Leckie, Eugene B. Sledge and Chuck Tatum. Leckie and Sledge become two of the three principal characters; the third is John Basilone. During the course of the war, the paths of these three Marines cross, but each has his own circle of friends and unique set of circumstances.

[redsfanmia]

Bump, Just wondering how many people are watching and what they think. I think it is just ok, the last episode #4 was the strongest so far and has me wanting to watch this weeks episode. While a bit disappointed with it I find it is still better than 90% of what is on tele now.

[yab1112]

I've been watching. Like the review above says, it's not Band of Brothers, but without that to compare it to it's pretty darn good.

[KYRedsFan]

It is picking up. I really like it. It's not Band of Brothers, but I think that works. It's much more personal and it gaining steam in the last two weeks big time.

[Raisor]

I'm going to pick up both Sledge's book and Robert Leckie's. I've got two or three of Leckie's history text books from college, and they're good reads.

[MWM]

I just finished watching The Pacific on DVD and thought it was pretty incredible. It's inevitably going to be compared to Band of Brothers, and it's difficult to ever live up to that. But had this come first, we would have been just as in awe of it as we were BoB.

Was it as "good"? Probably not, but it wasn't far off. I thought this one was more "impactful" as I watched it from beginning to end. The pacific war was a different animal than Europe and I thought Spielberg captured the brutality of that one about as well as it can be captured on a screen. I also think this one did a better job overall at portraying the way war can change a person in the story of Eugene Sledge.

Episode 9 in Okinawa was probably the best and most powerful episode amongst either mini-series. That episode alone was worth the entire 10 hours.

[medford]

I loved both, caught Band of Brothers on HBO ondemand the month or so prior to The Pacific coming out, then watched that over the next couple of months, so I got to compare the two in a similar time frame.

I think Band of Brothers tells a better story, but it also has the advantage of being part of the battle that more of us know about. For whatever reason, the pacific battle is lost in History in a sense comparred to the attention that the European front has recieved. So from that standpoint, The Pacific needed to concentrate a bit more on the background of each episode, and had less time to focus in on the "story of the individuals" which helps move a movie along better (IMHO). The Pacific was more graphic; the author of Band of Brothers (Stephen Ambrose?) wanted BoB to be largely showable in a classroom setting, wanted limited cursing or over the top violence, which again allowed the show to get more into the story of the individuals.

In the end though, I think I got more out of the Pacific. While the discovery and releasing of the jewish prisoners was a moving and key story line, and even taught me something I had not known (spolier alert: like the soilders being forced to take food back from the prisoners for fear that giving them too much food in their state would cause their stomachs to explode) has been largely covered, while the battle amongst civilians in Okinawoa (sp?) w/ civilians running out b/w battles to avoid fire from the japanese side was something I had never heard before. The Pacific gave me knowledge that history class or previous movies have never told me (perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention)

I think both are excellant, and both are worth watching and both provide depth that your typical 2 hour movie can't match. HBO usually does things right anytime they make a series (save "The comback") and I was pleased to see HBO live up to their billing with both of these shows.

[MWM]

I think that's a really good way to put it. I, too, "got more out of" The Pacific as well. I recognize that BoB had the better plot to follow, was more linear, and was an overall better piece of cinema. But The Pacific was more powerful, IMO.

I think over the years, I'll wind up watching The Pacific more often than BoB.

[westofyou]

Dick Winters, a decorated Army officer whose World War II service was recounted in the best-selling book and HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers," died Jan. 2. News reports listed his age at 92.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postmortem/2011/01/dick-winters-dies-wwii-hero-co.html

[MWM]

That's very sad! A truly great american. I read his war memoir and I'd recommend it for those who want to know more about him.

[cumberlandreds]

I'm very sorry to hear about his passing. Dick Winters was the definition of a real American hero IMO. Just a great man in all things he did.

I wrote to him a number of years ago to express my appreciation and admiration to him. He sent me a very nice letter back with a picture of himself. It wasn't long after that he and his wife said they had to quit responding back to all the letters they received. The BoB series had overwhelmed them with letters and request for book signings. Also he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. So they wanted some peaceful times with the remaining years they had left.

R.I.P. Major Winters, you were a real American hero that no one should forget.

[reds1869]

RIP Dick Winters. I am in awe of the people of his generation.

[Mario-Rijo]

RIP Dick Winters. I am in awe of the people of his generation.

Ditto, they were what we some just strive to be. When I think I have done something so tough, Bastogne suddenly leaps to mind and I realize I have a long way to go.

R.I.P Dick Winters as we all know you deserve some peace!

[nmculbreth]

For those of you that are interested, I've been watching The Pacific on blu-ray and there are a ton of special features including a bunch of interviews with the marines and historians. Definitely worth checking out if you're into that kind of thing.

[New York Red]

R.I.P., Major Winters. One of the true heroes this country has ever known.