Day after tomorrow. Excited to see a TV version.

Suggestions about a timeline for Atlas are almost irrelevant. We must remember that the events of Atlas actually began at least 12 years before the first line of the book was written.

The story actually begins with John Galt leaving the 20th Century Motor factory. Rand achieved this by integrating flashbacks with technique so skilled that the reader barely notices. And the time before that--the history of those flashbacks-- is summed up in Galt's speech.

Any movie treatment worthy of the Atlas name must handle those flashbacks with equal skill.

I recommend hiring a professional Objectivist Philosopher--Peikoff or Binswanger--as an adviser for such a project.

May I humbly suggest....

Atlas 2016


Ext.

Current era. Cloudy day. Early afternoon. City street.

Camera pans across an average-looking city street, stopping on the front entrance of a public school.

Cut to interior. Classroom. Plain environment, not current high-tech nor ghetto-dingy. Average.


STUDENT ONE
You gotta be kidding us! Read Atlas Shrugged?! It’s the friggin’ size of a phone book and how the hell is it relevant to our lives today? What’s in it that could possibly help me get a job?

TEACHER
Well, maybe you’re right. It was written quite a while ago, and a lot of things have changed since it was first published. But what if we could look at life today and see if we can identify current events or situations which just might have some roots in what Rand wrote over half a century ago. What if there were some relevance and we might learn from it?
Anyone here willing to give it a try?

[a mild smattering of agreement from the class…]

TEACHER
Ok, so much for overwhelming enthusiasm, but let’s give it a try and see what happens.

[Fade to opening scene of Atlas Shrugged, set in the steam-engine era as Rand wrote it…]


[When a teachable event takes place in Atlas, cut back to the classroom to have teacher explain the parallels and how Atlas foreshadowed decay in the US and around the world. Use media clips of recent events that parallel Atlas.]

And so on…

Excellent question. Period piece or futurist novel? "A Tale of Two Cities" or "1984"? Those who know and love Rand's book and are purists would prefer a faithful verbatim embodiment. Those who want the TV series, like the 3 films, to be relevant to the present day, will opt for "day after tomorrow" interpretation.

If Rand had written only a story, we should go with the original, set in the 1950s. However, her intention was a morality play, a philosophical lecture and world-changing idea piece, and as such it should be adapted for the present generation. The 1950s are not "period" enough, not historically ancient enough, to serve as persuasion and prophecy for today's society.

I think, therefore, that the ideas are the priority, and Rand's philosophical passion would best be served and preserved by bringing the story into today's political and economic reality, with today's technology. Cellphones, not rotary dials; computers, not punch cards; modern trains, not steam engines; current automobiles, not Studebakers and vintage cars; today's fashions and hairdos, not housedresses and Father Knows Best.

The world is perishing from an epidemic of bad psychoepistemology. Atlas Shrugged is a riveting story with fascinating heroes and villains that is a prescription for the cure. Rand used it as a delivery vehicle for her vision of a deteriorating world and the values that could save it. The TV series needs to be an equally bold vehicle for the philosophical message, for liberating today's humans from the irrational brainwashings that have suborned their consciousness.

It bears mentioning that every Star Trek episode was likewise a morality play about social problems, more readily digested in the form of a futuristic tale. So, I vote for the "day after tomorrow" format for the Atlas Shrugged series. Any Kickstarter opportunities?

day-after-tomorrow would be immensely challenging,
but would have the greatest impact. . . Dagny tweets
her rejection of the govt mandate. . . .

I write/edit science friction and volunteer my help. -- j

WOW...This is fantastic news. I just hope it lasts for a number of seasons. I go for "the day after tomorrow", which is almost now! Wait is is now, damn

Both options have their advantages but I think using Ayn Rand's admonition to look to the "day after tomorrow" should guide the decision. Besides, current affairs would seem to provide ample material to work with that fits beautifully with the message she so passionately espoused.

Its got to be in the future, and needs to show the collapse of our society and to take off where AS left off- the rebuilding and reconstruction phase. That puts a positive spin on things

Actually, if you want a real time series- just do a documentary of present day Venezuela to see how a country disintegrates. The problem in making an Atlas shrugged series will be to have it relate to people today without being too pedantic. Otherwise, it wont be widely watched.
Two of the best movies/series dealing with economic collapses were JERICHO and ALONGSIDE NIGHT, both of which seemed to be failures (Jericho only lasted two seasons and Alongside Night isnt even on DVD or online any more). The story of Atlas Shrugged isnt very popular, since it glorifies basically the very people our current culture demonizes.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up! Present day or the day after tomorrow. In the 50's it was no more than a concept, now it's reality!!

Wow, It took me over an hour to read this whole thread. Having completed that task, I can see that there is a significant split between the 50's period setting viewpoint and the Day after Tomorrow theme. I suspect Scott anticipated this when posing the question.

Here is my take. I am one of the older set that first read AS and then everything I could get my hands on written by Ayn Rand back in the 60's. I have engrained images generated from my own imagination fueled by the times. When John Galt appeared in Part III as disheveled, shirt tail hanging out, with the presently-in-vogue-look of a 5 day stubble face, that fell flat with me. I would still maintain that an individual of John Galt's stature would display more self respect than that. I think back to Gary Cooper's presentation of Howard Roark as a better example.

Having said that, having the setting of the story brought forward to the present or the near impending future was absolutely effective in making the timelessness of the message completely relevant. This is a must.

A more full blown mini series should also bring it forward, but also keep the structure of the tome intact. However, weaving in the high points of the last 60 years of history would augment the impact of the story. Particularly of going off the gold standard, the accelerated printing of fiat money, the rise of the bureaucracies, the trashing of the constitution by phone and pen, and the militarization of local police. As examples.

This will be a very challenging undertaking and let it take however long and however many episodes to get it right. The obvious experience of the negative effect of changing the cast can be considered a hard lesson won and incorporate it into the contracts of the willing actors. With all the successful mini-series out there like Mad Men and Downton Abbey, character recognition is a huge appeal.

All power to the effort!

I was particularly fascinated by Alan Falk's (plusaf) thoughts and think there is the possibility for a much greater series that has the potential of actualizing Ayn Rand's motivating vision. Setting the series as today with flashbacks to "how we got here" would seem to have significant merit. Such an approach would eventually present current situations being considered in the light of Rand's philosophies. It would provide for the development of a team of Galt's heroes confronting moochers of the day to slowly dig civilization out,crisis by crisis. Ayn Rand already wrote Atlas Shrugged and the movie has been made - what is left is the application of her philosophies to current problems. Such an effort would require writers of Ayn Rand's talent, but surely our culture has produced such. It could become very political, but also very educational if a reverence for truth is accepted as the guiding principle.

Whatever is done, it will be great to have something of value on TV again!

I grew up in the 1940's and 50's.Ayn Rand had some great insight into the future.That was not what the 50's were like. The TV show must In the 2000's where all her writings are coming true.The youth of today need to see this in their own time frame for it to make an impression.

I would definitely place the series in the present technology-wise. I wouldn't reference specific dates as that can become cheesy. The series should lead a viewer to think "this is my world, oh shit".

When I think of turning Atlas into a moive, it seems so simple. After all, Rand provides the settings, the characters and the dialogue. Of course, including each and every character and event will take time. More time and, perhaps, money than anyone has. Perhaps starting the series exactly as Rand wrote the book and asking viewers to help fund its continuation. BBC's Masterpiece depends on support from viewers and othe donors [I know this from watching' Island At War', a program that was unable to complete a fina lseason for lack of funds] As I am on a fixed income, I cannot contribute a lot but there are lots of Atlas readers out there. Add to that the viewers who would want to see What's Next and the money just might materialize. I think the really important thing is to get Rand's message clear in every possible way.

Wow! Wonderful news!
As much as I would like to see a period piece, I think it needs to be set in "the day after tomorrow". People unfamiliar with Rand will be better able to relate to it and see the parallels with their own lives.
And please keep the cast the same throughout! The constant changes would be too jarring.
Will you be funding it through another Kickstarter program? I think most of us would love the opportunity to help with this, as with the movies.

You might want to insert something before every episode. Something like "Atlas Shrugged was originally written by Ayn Rand in 1957."
Just imagine, someone unfamiliar with Rand's philosophy watching this and seeing all the parallels happening today. Everything she predicted coming true now. Imagine their horror.
It might spur people into action, to try to get our country back on track.
This is so exciting!

Damn, you actually scared me then made me laugh, as I read your P.S. It gave me chills. You must have a weird sense of humor.

It could even take place about today, basically starting in about 2007. I'm just not sure where the conservative side of the story would come from. Would it have to be fictional?

Wonderful and exciting news. The mini-series would be more relevant and attract more viewers, in my humble opinion, if set "the day after tomorrow." The more real, the more hinged on current events the more it will attract our current "reality" based audience. Not to say a reality series, but rather more like "House of Cards" which has proven the method works. This will be a great mini-series. Looking forward to enjoying it with my friends and family. Best wishes!!

I loved the modernization of Atlas Shrugged...and Ayn would have approved.
She wrote philosophically, not historically.
The ideas contained in Atlas are even more relevant today than they were in 1957.
I, for one, am delighted with the thought of a mini-series and would love to try out for a part.

Rather than a mini-series, make it a three, 13 episode seasons.
For some insight into making this please read "A Reader's Guide to Atlas Shrugged" published in "The Tracinski Letter" https://www.tracinskiletter.com/

Part 1: https://www.tracinskiletter.com/2013/04/...

Part 2: https://www.tracinskiletter.com/2013/06/...

Part 3: https://www.tracinskiletter.com/2013/09/...

Part 4: https://www.tracinskiletter.com/2013/10/...

Part 5: https://www.tracinskiletter.com/2014/08/...

Mini series? Absolutely! Because of the current political atmosphere I would definitely opt for "the day after tomorrow" scenario. If the "Tea Party" members of today were at the first Tea Party in Boston, we would still be under British rule. P.S. Get Taylor Schilling.

The comments here overwhelmingly prefer that the story be told in the present day, or day-after-tomorrow. The thinking is that younger people will not relate if it doesn't include jets, cell phones, computers, etc. I think this is wrong. Good story telling needs a plot that is consistent with the setting, time period, and characters. Settings in the past can be more compelling than 'ripped from the headlines' contemporary settings. For example, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Roots, Thornbirds, etc., were powerful productions based in times gone by. Rand wrote a story that was consistent with her times, but the themes can be understood and applied today by any thinking person. Changing the time period means changing the characters and their motivations, which would destroy the internal consistency of the story (think of the great moral dilemma Hank Reardon faces with his infidelity, a theme that is almost irrelevant in today's setting but which was central to the social setting of the 1950's and central to understanding Reardon and about half of the book). You can't write that out of existence and make the story hang together.
Be true to the story and the setting, or write your own story and call it something else, because it most certainly won't be Atlas Shrugged.

What is Atlas Shrugged really? To many people, it is a philosophy presented in the form of a novel to gain wider readership. Since it has sold more copies than most other books and has impressed many to adopt the vision of it's philosophy, I think it is a success. Those that believe in objectivism and those that enjoyed the story have wanted to "see" it for a long time. The trilogy was very brave but due to the limitations of theatrical presentations too many compromises had to be made. While mini series were popular at one time (Roots, The Thornbirds, etc.), current lifestyles became such that people did not have the time or a regular schedule to follow a long series. Netflix, DVR's, etc. have changed all that and Downton Abbey, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Mad Men, etc. have been very successful and has created a new guilty pleasure called binge-watching.

Let's say we were doing a mini-series based on one of the best selling books, like The Holy Bible. Would we want it set in the "day after tomorrow?" I think not. Atlas Shrugged is more than a novel and I think it deserves to be presented EXACTLY as it was written. If not, perhaps we can do a mini-series on Gone With The Wind set in modern downtown Atlanta too.

There's no outstanding reason not to put it in its original setting. Even from that point in time, it still showed a forward style of thinking that goes beyond even today. It's just that now we can see the edge of the cliff more clearly then people at the time the book was written. So it's my belief that the setting of the fifties will only put a more powerful context to the story.

Stick to the story. You can explain that it was written back in the 1950's and was futurist at that time and now is an alternative history somewhat like Robert Heinlein or other classic speculative fiction writers (even Star Trek). Don't change the characters and plot as your movies did. I understand the limits of such short times but a series could take the time to do it right. You won't satisfy anyone completely but you could make a series that would actually present the story and characters as Ayn Rand wrote them. To update it would destroy much of plot and background. It should seem timeless. So, you don't need old cars or dresses, but depending on cell phones and computers would not fit into a time when TV was just becoming used, the highways had not been built, long distance fast planes were not available and railroads were essential. How could you hide from modern detection? How could Dagny get lost with her cell phone handy? Today no one cares who has sex and that was definitely part of the plot - it has to be a piece in its time to keep the plot. And that must be explained. Otherwise don't mess with something you can't improve on.