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The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982
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Original price was: $29.99.$25.69Current price is: $25.69.
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“Hollywood boldly went where it hadn’t gone before and Nashawaty chronicles the journeys.” ―Los Angeles Times (“Books You Need To Read This Summer”)
“Written with a fan’s enthusiasm . . . An important inflection point in Hollywood filmmaking.” ―New York Times (“Nonfiction Books to Read This Summer”)
In the summer of 1982, eight science fiction films were released within six weeks of one another. E.T., Tron, Star Trek: Wrath of Khan, Conan the Barbarian, Blade Runner, Poltergeist, The Thing, and Mad Max: The Road Warrior changed the careers of some of Hollywood’s now biggest names―altering the art of movie-making to this day.
In The Future Was Now, Chris Nashawaty recounts the riotous genesis of these films, featuring an all-star cast of Hollywood luminaries and gadflies alike: Steven Spielberg, at the height of his powers, conceives E.T. as an unlikely family tale, and quietly takes over the troubled production of Poltergeist, a horror film he had been nurturing for years. Ridley Scott, fresh off the success of Alien, tries his hand at an odd Philip K. Dick story that becomes Blade Runner―a box office failure turned cult classic. Similar stories arise for films like Tron, Conan the Barbarian, and The Thing. Taken as a whole, these films show a precarious turning-point in Hollywood history, when baffled film executives finally began to understand the potential of high-concept films with a rabid fanbase, merchandising potential, and endless possible sequels.
Expertly researched, energetically told, and written with an unabashed love for the cinema, The Future Was Now is a chronicle of how the revolution sparked in a galaxy far, far away finally took root and changed Hollywood forever.
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The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982
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Original price was: $29.99.$25.69Current price is: $25.69.
Gae A. Weber –
No one knew, when they stood in line for “The Wrath of Khan” or “ET”, came out of “Blade Runner” not sure what they had seen, jumped out of their shoes in “Poltergeist” or “The Thing”, watched the absolute mayhem of “The Road Warrior”, suffered on the Wheel of Pain with “Conan The Barbarian” or gaped at the visual newness of live-action video game movie “Tron” that they were watching a sea change in the movie business as well. In just 8 short weeks in the summer of 1982, everything about how, why, when and whether movies got made and released changed completely.
“Jaws” had initiated the concept of the summer blockbuster. “Star Wars” had shown that science fiction wasn’t just for nerdy kids. Movie studios are behemoths—it takes years for them to change direction. From idea to premier a movie can take *at least* 4-5 years to come together, and studios a highly risk-averse. After “Star Wars” they were scrambling for the next Star Wars, and that’s how a bunch of people no one had heard of, a few people that some people had heard of—and Steven Speilberg—drove themselves crazy with never enough money or time or creative control to produce a fistful of classics that led (for better or worse) to the movie business as we know it now.
Nashawaty is an excellent guide to this creative whirlwind, skillfully tracking the people and productions with a light hand. He handles the controversies, frustrations, successes and disasters evenhandedly, but his love for these films and the people who made them is evident.
The book is fun, thorough without getting bogged down in detail, and never boring. The writing style is clear and straightforward. If you love film, science fiction and fantasy, or finding out how films get made (or don’t) you will enjoy this. There’s also a bibliography of sources other than his own interviews and (yay!) an index.
Daniel Stuelpnagel –
Former Entertainment Weekly film critic Chris Nashawaty launches the reader into a pro-level journalistic look back at the confluence of epic studios, writers, directors and actors who created such memorable success in sci-fi and parallel genres in the blockbuster season of 1982,
a retrospective that is still relevant and inspiring to screenwriters and viewers alike.
It’s wonderful to stumble across a book like this that kept me glued to the page in an expert tapestry of interlocking destinies recounted with journalistic passion and clear coherent timelines.
Outstanding and 100% enjoyable book!!
ivan kireev –
I loved the idea of this book as soon as I saw the previews, so bought it in advance, writing off the days in my calendar. Now, when I do that, it usually comes with a sense of disappointment (because of a self imposed sense of hype I cannot control), but in this particular case, I got exactly what I wanted.
I understand not everyone will feel as compelled to read it as I was, but for those of us who do, it is exactly as advertised: a dive into the summer of 1982 and the movies that made it special, for years afterward.
I devoured it and enjoyed it thoroughly, but I’m left wondering how attractive it might seem to regular folks.
This nerd found gold.
tkc –
Highly recommend this one! Nashawaty writes about the release of 8 sci-fi films during the summer of 1982: Conan The Barbarian, E.T., Tron, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, The Thing, The Road Warrior, Blade Runner, and Poltergeist. If you love horror and sci-fi, definitely check it out. I read it in less than a week, and I learned a lot about these movies which made me want to watch them again.
Peter Bonventre –
In the summer of ’82, I went to the movies a lot, like so many of us did way back when. I remember seeing E.T., Conan the Barbarian, Poltergeist and Road Warrior. Pretty sure I skipped Tron, Blade Runner, The Thing and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. As you’ve probably guessed, I’m not a huge Sci-fi fan. But after reading Nashawaty’s The Future Was Now, in which he dramatically chronicles those eight movies, I feel compelled to watch the ones I’ve totally ignored and the ones I merely caught glimpses of through the years on TV. Nashawaty’s behind-the-scenes reportage is a revelation—and revealed in crisp sentences that gallop through the book in a nimble narrative. Oh, here’s another tip for movie lovers: If you haven’t read Nashawaty’s previous book—the riotous Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story—what are you waiting for?
rob f –
I so enjoyed The Future Was Now. Highly recommend. As a casual movie fan, I knew next to nothing about the story of sci-fi’s rise in the early 80s. Nashawaty’s narrative reads like a thriller, and I found myself rooting for the characters (the producers, writers, directors, actors) who worked to one-up each other in their race to mainstream the once-fringe sci-fi genre. The book is full of fascinating behind the scenes drama, but also captures a moment in time in our culture with the perfect amount of affection and nostalgia. And, the way these stories are told keeps you on the edge of your seat. Sci-fi fans, movie buffs, and anyone who enjoys a good non-fiction thriller, will love this book.