The Day the Earth Stopped

Posted by dominie in Films on September 17th, 2008

Does the name sound a little familiar to you?  That’s probably because it’s a direct ripoff of the upcoming Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly sci-fi epic The Day the Earth Stood Still.

According Io9, C. Thomas Howell directed and starred in The Day the Earth Stopped, whose tagline reads “By night they will come.  By day we will be gone.”  In addition, C.T. Howell’s knockoff will feature 1980’s teen star Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club) involved in lots of guns, “killing and car chases” plus more than just one giant robot.  Already it sounds more interesting than Fox’s remake though I doubt it will deter fans of the original 1951 Robert Wise film from going to see the IMAX presentation of Keanu Reeves.

Io9’s blog also featured the following report from Patrick Ian Moore who played a part in the movie as a guard.

“I went to Sunset Pacific Studios in downtown LA where The Asylum Productions were filming The Day the Earth Stopped (homage to/remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still). This movie is directed by and starring C. Thomas Howell (Pony-boy Curtis himself)! The supporting cast includes the legendary Judd Nelson. I was playing a soldier/SWAT officer in a sci-fi, futuristic film… [that] involved 4 car chases and in one of them I was the driver! That’s correct… I was chasing a car being driven by C. Thomas Howell, and one of his passengers was Judd Nelson! It is all so crazy! Then later in the day, under the close personal direction of C.T. Howell, I did an intimate scene with Judd Nelson where I pointed the barrel of a rifle (M-16) at his face (just inches away). Guns and car chases and the stars of The Breakfast Club and The Outsiders. 3 days ago I didn’t know a thing about this project and now it’s over.”

The new addition to C.T. Howell’s extensive filmography is currently in post-production and scheduled for release only 3 days prior (December 9, 2008) to The Day the Earth Stood Still.