Terry Pratchett’s first ever Discworld book, The Colour of Magic, has been made into a film and is being shown on Sky One over Easter.
I was really looking forward to it so I had a look at the Colour of Magic website and was surprised (and disappointed) to see that Twoflower is being played by Sean Astin, an American. Twoflower is from the Agatean Empire which is, of course, a parody of the Orient. He’s supposed to be Oriental, not American. Or at least foreign looking. In an interview on the website, Terry Pratchett says that Twoflower is only exotically foreign in the book and not specifically Oriental and that Sean Astin said he wanted to be in one of his films so he let him play Twoflower. Talk about selling out!
Anyway, the poor casting decision for Twoflower is made up by casting Laura Haddock as Bethan, Cohen the Barbarian’s warrior hairdresser girlfriend. I’m still excited about watching the film but I just know I’m going to be shouting “no, he’s supposed to look like the bloke off the Halifax adverts” at the telly when he comes on.
Technorati Tags: Terry Pratchett, Colour of Magic
I am so old, I bought the second one 2 weeks after it came out. After that i got them on the day of release more or less for the next 10 or 12.
It will be like Hitch Hikers, when it first appeared, both times, people were moaning because it did not quite fit into their precise view of things but soon it became the established view of how it should be.
The latest Hitchikers wasn’t even the same story. I know that you have to allow some artistic licence but it was basically a different story with some of the characters from the book – it was more of a spin-off than a dramatisation!
Twoflower should definitely not be an American tourist in a Hawaiian shirt with an American accent. And as much as a love David Jason, as my colleague pointed out, Rincewind is a young wizard and even by wizard standards David Jason is knocking on a bit.
Having been lucky enough to be at the premiere, I can safely say the adaptation rules. I watched it with a hardcore group of Discworld fans who would have lynched the production crew if it was overly different for the source material. And, yeah, Twoflower was supposed to be Asian (Masi Oka was first chice to play him)But Astin does a good job.
There is a review at my site if you’re interested.
http://vonnt.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/the-colour-of-magic-the-film-reviewed/
I agree about David Jason, I think an idealk candidate would be the guy from the Office and Pirates of the Carribean, he has the right ferrety survival instinct look about him.
Did Twoflower not have a Hawian shirt? It has been a looooong time?
Also, the image of the dippy asian tourist that was so funny in the mid 80s, might not be funny anymore. And I think everyone can laugh at a pig shit thick American.
Did you know that Hotblack Desiato were estate agents?