The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982
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AlbakiReads Editorial The six weeks that reshaped science-fiction cinema
The six weeks that reshaped science-fiction cinema
Chris Nashawaty examines the unusually concentrated summer of 1982, when eight major science-fiction releases—including E.T., Blade Runner, Tron, The Thing, Poltergeist, Conan the Barbarian, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Mad Max: The Road Warrior—arrived within six weeks. The book traces their difficult origins, creative figures, and divergent early fortunes, placing individual productions beside a larger shift in studio thinking. It frames this moment as a turning point in which Hollywood increasingly recognized the commercial possibilities of high-concept filmmaking, fan communities, merchandising, and sequels. Part film-production history and part account of an industry in transition, it gathers several landmark releases into one focused cultural snapshot.
Good fit for readers who enjoy
- Film-history readers interested in 1980s Hollywood
- Science-fiction and fantasy cinema fans
- Readers curious about the business forces behind franchise filmmaking
Themes
1982 science-fiction cinemaHollywood production historyHigh-concept filmmakingFranchises and merchandisingCult film legacies
Based on publisher information and book metadata.
Book Overview "Hollywood boldly went where it hadn't gone before and Nashawaty chronicles the journeys." --Los Angeles Times ("Books You Need To Read T...
"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.
Book Details Format: Paperback | Pages: 320 | Language: English | Publisher: FLATIRON BOOKS | ISBN: 1250827078
FormatPaperback
Pages320
LanguageEnglish
ISBN1250827078
EAN9781250827074
PublisherFLATIRON BOOKS
Publication Date2025-07-29
AccessoriesNo Accessory
ConditionNew
Product TypeQUALITY PAPERBACK BOOKS
Weight0.75 Pounds
Length9.0 Inches
Width5.6 Inches
Height0.9 Inches
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