Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} I Robot The Illustrated Screenplay by Harlan Ellison I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay. Review by Paul Riddell 1st Publication: Warner, 1974 Illustrated by Mark Zug Based upon the "Robot" stories of Isaac Asimov. MAIN EVENTS HOME PAGE ELLISON NEWS LINKS OF INTEREST KICK NET PIRACY ONLINE WORKS PICTURE GALLERY BIBLIOGRAPHY BIOGRAPHY RESOURCES/STORE VISITOR FORUMS RANTS SITE INFO AND MAP. Commentary. (Originally published in Tangent , Fall 1995) It sounds like a Monty Python record: this is the novelization of the screenplay of the book I, Robot . Isaac Asimov, wrote the original, Harlan Ellison wrote the screenplay for Warner Brothers nearly twenty years ago, and when one dumbass producer helped prove that Hollywood doesn't understand SF more complex than Star Wars , the screenplay came out as a book. The practice of publishing movie scripts in book form isn't new, but then, I, Robot: The Movie never saw release. More than any other example in recent memory, I,RTIS demonstrates why the fannish practice of ghost-casting unmade movies is so damn foolish. Since a fan of a particular book already has an idea of what the characters look like, it's folly: whenever I read Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero , I see the late Warren Oates as Deathwish Drang, but I also see Stephen Jay Gould as Vic Hunt in James Hogan's Inherit the Stars , and I can't expect anyone else to share those perceptions. Indeed, I was responsible for a small hoax in fandom several years ago, in which I proclaimed that a small movie company in Dallas was finishing a "Green Lantern" movie with Lyle Waggoner as Hal Jordan, Damon Wayans as John Stewart, and Vanilla Ice as Guy Gardner; the shrieks were long and loud, and would have had as much impact on a real production as the screams of the bacteria in a pimple when faced with a Stridex pad. No matter what happens, fans of a book will be disappointed by a movie adaptation. Since movies are such expensive projects (can you imagine spending $50 million on getting a book completed?), the investors and the studio feel compelled to put their two drachmas in, with horrendous results: look at Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire and Michael Keaton in Batman for a pair of sterling examples. Concepts that cost next to nothing when presented as a string of words on paper cost thousands and millions of dollars when special effects crews try to actualize them for the screen, and what if the idea itself needs a bit of "sprucing up" before it lends itself to a decent adaptation? Even when filming is completed, postproduction nightmares and the now-omnipresent preview screenings tend to mess with the mix: remember how the theatrical version of Dune became nothing more than FX shots and scenes with Sting? And let's not forget that the audience for literary SF isn't the same as the one for cinematic SF, because were Star Wars , Alien , and The Terminator (to name just three) to have appeared as novels in the first place, rather than ripoffs of novels and other screenplays, they would have been justly derided as formulaic garbage. In a way, it's much better that Harlan Ellison's screenplay never became a film: it's too good for Hollywood. While not a one-for-one adaptation of Asimov's stories, it manages to give the first-time reader an overview of Asimov's world without coming off like one of those blasted sharecropping novels based on a long-dead author's works, and it lets the imagination run free. Mark Zug's illustrations enhance the feel without getting in the way, leaving the reader with the opportunity to experience the world of Susan Calvin, Robert Bratenahl, and Lenny and Robbie the way it should: with that all-important sense of wonder. Besides, aren't you the sort who gets violent when forced to listen to a quartet of frat boys in the theatre who belch, try to feel up girls in front of them, and whine "This is so stupid" to any concept that requires more than three brain cells to comprehend? I thought you were. Go out and buy this book. ISBN 13: 9780446670623. With an Introduction by Harlan Ellison, explaining what happened to "I, Robot" and why it never reached the screen, this book features cover art and interior illustrations--both black-and-white sketches and 16 pages of full-color paintings--by fan favorite artist Mark Zug. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Harlan Ellison has written or edited 75 books, more than 1700 stories, essays, articles and newspaper columns, two dozen teleplays and a dozen movies. I Robot by Asimov, Ellison, easton. I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay (Collector's Edition) Ellison, Harlan; Asimov, Isaac. Published by Easton Press, 1994. Used - Hardcover Condition: Very Good. Full-Leather. Condition: Very Good. Zug, Mark (illustrator). Limited Edition. limited edition, number 1,336 of 1,500 copies, flat signed by Ellison. some scuffs, scratches on gold gilt page edges. text is unmarked. binding crisp, tight. Signed by Author(s). I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay. Asimov, Isaac and Harlan Ellison. Published by The Easton Press., Norwalk., 1994. Used - Hardcover. Limited edition, #923 of 1500 copies. Signed by Ellison on the signature page. weight: 1.2 lb. Fine, blank Easton bookplate to pastedown. Illustrated by Mark Zug. 23.5x15.5 cm. [12], 271, [4] pp. Full black leather, raised bands, gilt and silver decorations, all edges gilt, silk endpapers, ribbon marker. I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay. Harlan Ellison, Isaac Asimov. Published by Easton Press, 1994. Used - Hardcover Condition: Good. Leather Bound. Condition: Good. Signed. First Edition. Full leather boards. #1210 of 1500 first edition copies signed by Harlan Ellison. Light shelf wear on boards. Clean pages. A few scuffs on gilt page edges. Tulsa's largest used bookstore. Located on South Mingo Road since 1991. No- hassle return policy if not completely satisfied. I, Robot : The Illustrated Screenplay (Numbered, Signed Limited Edition) Harlan Ellison and Isaac Asimov. Published by Easton Press, 1994. Used - Hardcover Condition: Very Good. Leather. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Laidin Easton Book Plate never used. "This leather-bound Easton Press Limited Edition is personally signed by Harlan Ellison. Number 1,004 of 1,500.". Book. I, Robot - The Illustrated Screenplay. Harlan Ellison and Isaac Asimov. Published by Easton Press, 1994. Used - Hardcover Condition: Fine. Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Mark Zug (illustrator). This is one copy of a limited edition of 1500 Easton Press Leatherbound. Signed by Ellison on a special limitation page. The book is in Fine condition and without dust jacket as issued. Intros by both Ellison and Asimov. Many B&W and colour plates artwork by Mark Zug. Signed by Author(s). I Robot the Illustrated Screenplay (Easton Press Leatherbound) SIGNED Copy #424 of 1,500. Ellison, Harlan and Isaac Asimov. Published by Easton Press, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1994. Used - Hardcover. Hardcover. Illustrated by Mark Zug (illustrator). Hardcover. 1994. Leatherbound. Easton Press publisher. 271 pages. Book is in FINE condition. Hubbed spine. All page edges in gilt. Bound in ribbon marker. Silk moire endpapers. SIGNED by Harlan Ellison. Copy #424 of 1,500. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 271 pages; Signed by Author. Easton Press, Harlan Ellison, Isaac Asimov I ROBOT: THE ILLUSTRATED SCREENPLAY Signed Limited Edition [Very Fine] Harlan Ellison, Isaac Asimov. Published by Easton Press, 1991. New - Hardcover Condition: New. Hardcover. Condition: New. Limited Edition. VERY FINE GUARANTEED. A wonderful bright clean copy free of any markings, writings, or stamps. Sharp corners that have not been bumped. Tight binding. Most likely an unread book. No bookplates attached or indication of any removed. The gilded page edges are free of any marks, scratches, or blemishes. Personally SIGNED by Harlan Ellison on a special limitation page. No. 293 of only 1,500 signed and numbered copies. A magnificent addition to your library, one of only 1,500 copies signed by the author. Easton Press. Norwalk, CT. 1994. SIGNED BY Harlan Ellison. "I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay". Harlan Ellison & Isaac Asimov Signed Limited Edition - Limited Collector's Edition. A great unique gift for yourself or for a loved one. A luxurious leather bound masterpiece by Easton Press. Beautifully illustrated and bound in full genuine leather. One of the most celebrated works of science fiction literature by a historical writer. A rare signed limited edition for the discerning collector. Illustrated by Mark Zug. 272 pages. #293 of only 1,500 signed and numbered copies. Contains all the classic Easton Press qualities: * Premium Leather * Silk Moire Endleaves * Distinctive Cover Design * Hubbed Spine, Accented in Real 22KT Gold * Satin Ribbon Page Marker * Gilded Page Edges * Long-lasting, High Quality Acid-neutral Paper * Smyth-sewn Pages for Strength and Durability * Beautiful Illustrations ABOUT Numerous attempts had been made to adapt Isaac Asimov's classic story-cycle, I, Robot, to the motion picture medium. All efforts failed. In 1977, producers approached multiple-award-winning author Harlan Ellison to take a crack at this impossible project. He accepted, and produced an astonishing screenplay that Asimov felt would be The first really adult, complex, worthwhile science fiction movie ever made. That screenplay is presented here in book format. Signed by Author(s). Screenplay. ARL3: I, Robot The Illustrated Screenplay By Harlan Ellison & Mark Zug. I can’t believe it’s been two and a half years since I read Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot for the first time. After finishing that book and doing some reading, I came to understand that renowned sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison wrote a screenplay that took the pieces of Asimov’s anthology and put them together with more of a through story, but it never got made. Reading a few more lines or paragraphs lead me to the realization that the script was made into a book with concept artwork by Mark Zug. After that I added I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay to my Amazon wish list and was lucky enough to get it for Christmas or my birthday, but it wound up taking quite a while for me to get around to it. I’m glad I added it to my third Ambitious Reading List because it got me to focus on this book that wound up being both a great story in and of itself, and a good introduction to Ellison (an author whose work I’m almost wholly unfamiliar with) and showed me how intricate and precise a screenplay can be. Right away, I’ve got to say that this is not the easiest book to read. It’s in screenplay format which might be confusing if you’ve never read anything along those lines, but it’s also an incredibly dense screenplay packed with all kinds of jargon, some of which even I didn’t understand and I took a screenwriting class in college (though am in no way an expert). Also, since this is a futuristic story packed with all kinds of technology, you’re dealing with a lot of descriptions for ideas that might be hard to grasp at first. I found myself re-reading some of the descriptions several times to get a good idea of what was going on. In those cases it helps to have Zug’s full color art in the center of the book and some of his sketches throughout the regular text. Ellison’s tale revolves around Bratenahl, a reporter who finds himself driven by the idea of interviewing Dr. Susan Calvin, a robopsychologist whose work helped usher in the robot revolution that advanced humanity throughout the cosmos. At first he’s just covering a funeral and encounters the mysterious woman who most people would describe as cold and ultra-scientific, but he sees something else there. Encouraged by his editor to keep digging, Bratenahl winds up becoming obsessed with his quarry and her hidden story. That drive leads him to various locations all over the galaxy — teleportation is common place — which brings him in contact with people who tell him tales of Calvin, those stories are all found in Asimov’s book. The screenplay incorporates “Robbie,” “Runaround,” “Liar!” and “Evidence” as well as elements from the other tales. I’m glad that I took a few years between reading the source material and digging into this adaptation because it was still able to surprise me. As I got into the first flashback sequence, some of the synapses in my memory started firing and I could remember little bits and pieces of what was possibly coming, but not everything altogether. I also kept remembering elements from the other stories and wondering if they would pop up, which added another layer of mystery and wonder to the proceedings. Screenwriting is a form of writing that I’ve always been interested in and a format that I thought I knew pretty well before seeing how freaking amazing Ellison is at it. I’ve read things like Kevin Smith’s scripts as well as Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Christopher McQuarrie’s original The Usual Suspects screenplays and while those use the format to convey the story, the way that Ellison so completely understands the form and how to move the camera is just mind-blowing. So if you’re interested in seeing how well executed a screenplay can be while also getting in on a piece of sci-fi goodness that really needs to get made — I picture it as an animated movie, someone start a Kickstarter! — give I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay a look. As far as the ARL3 goes, I’ve got to admit, I was struggling there for a while. Even with branching out to read Al Capp and The Totally Sweet 90s , it’s taken me a pathetic seven months to get through three books and realize that Elmore Leonard’s Riding The Rap just isn’t for me (at least right now). I’ve even started working on my next pile which has a few more books that I’m really interested in reading, but finishing the I, Robot screenplay has inspired me to stick with this one and see how things go. I’ve already moved on to Hunger Games which I’m about 60 pages deep into. It’s a pretty quick and easy read so hopefully I can keep that momentum going. I Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay by Harlan Ellison. I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay by Harlan Ellison. Reviewed by Galen Strickland Posted March 31, 2001, with later edits. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission. Sometime late in 1977, Harlan Ellison encountered a film producer in the Warner Brothers studio commissary, and the conversation eventually came around to the fact that Warners had optioned Isaac Asimov's I, Robot but had yet to see an acceptable screenplay. When it became apparent that Harlan was both exceedingly familiar with the stories, and also had a definite idea of how it should be adapted to the screen, he was asked to take a crack at a script. Touching base with Asimov himself on several occasions, Ellison devoted nearly a year to the project, working on it exclusively and putting several other stories and script ideas on hold for the interim. When it was complete and had received Asimov's complete support, Harlan began a series of frustrating meetings with Warners executives. Many changes were suggested, none of which Ellison was willing to implement. As written, his concept of the stories would have been a bold, mature, and complex examination of the life of Susan Calvin, a "robo-psychologist" in the employ of U. S. Robots and Mechanical Men, the world's largest manufacturer of robots. [PLEASE NOTE: The 2004 film that starred Will Smith was not based on this screenplay, and from what I have read was not even originally based on Asimov's stories. Instead, changes were made to an existing script to add the elements of Asimov's Laws of Robotics and acquire rights to use the title.] The studio heads, of course, knew exactly what was wrong with the script. It didn't feature cute and comical robots as had become enormously popular the previous year in the original Star Wars film, now known as Episode IV: A New Hope . Nothing Ellison could say was going to alter their perception of the film, so his script was shelved and they went looking for other writers. Several times over the next few years different directors were also approached in connection with the project, and on more than one occasion they asked to see Ellison's script but were informed his version was unacceptable and would not be used. Years later, when it seemed apparent a production based on his script was not likely to be undertaken, Ellison was still anxious for the general SF audience to be able to read and appreciate his work. He was successful in persuading Warner Brothers to allow the screenplay to be printed in a serialized version in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, and it appeared in the November, December and Holiday issues of 1987. In 1994, Warner Books also issued a hardcover edition of the script, with both color and black-and-white illustrations by Mark Zug. In his introduction, Ellison expressed the desire for readers who enjoyed the book to contact Warner Brothers and petition them to use his script for a production of the film. This book has been out of print for several years, but you can take this LINK to amazon to search for a used copy. If you can find it you don't have to take my word for it to understand why this is possibly the greatest SF film never made. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission. Even used copies. When first informed of the project Ellison correctly surmised the basic mistake other screenwriters had made with their scripts. Since I, Robot is a collection of short stories rather than a continuous novel storyline, most had envisioned it as an omnibus type of film, i.e. an anthology of short vignettes. Even though Ellison also took an episodic approach, his screenplay focused on the character he felt was the most important to the whole saga, that of Susan Calvin. For book publication, Asimov had added connecting passages between many of the stories that related the efforts of a reporter to interview Calvin on the occasion of her retirement from the robot firm for which she had worked her entire adult life. This gave Ellison the idea of emulating one of his favorite films, Citizen Kane , in which a reporter interviews friends and acquainances of Charles Foster Kane following the death of the reclusive tycoon. An early segment of the screenplay recounts the events of the story "Robbie," with an alteration that replaces Gloria Weston with the young Susan Calvin as the child whose nanny was a robot. It was the devotion of Robbie to young Susan, and her to it, that compells her to pursue a career in robotics. I have read I, Robot several times, and I have also read a few of Asimov's other robot stories, however I have not read them all, which were collected as The Complete Robot in 1982. Ellison used some elements from some of these extra stories in his screenplay, but because of my lack of reading experience with all of the stories I am not sure if some scenes were creations of Ellison himself or based on stories I have not read. Two different stories in the original I, Robot concerned Stephen Byerly, a lawyer who was suspected of being a robot in disguise and who later entered a career in politics and eventually became chairman of the World Council. Ellison's screenplay begins with the announcement of the death of Byerly, who is described as a chairman of the Galactic Council. Many aspects of Byerly's life had been shrouded in mystery for many years, and an enterprising reporter sets his sights on penetrating these mysteries when he encounters Susan Calvin at the memorial services. Rumors had been rife concerning a possible relationship between Calvin and Byerly, and the reporter figures to uncover truths about the man by probing into the life of Calvin. She rejects his bid for an interview, so instead he embarks on the task of interviewing co-workers of Calvin's, among them Gregory Powell and Michael Donovan, trouble-shooters for the robot manufacturing firm. In a flashback to their younger days, they tell the reporter of an occasion in which they had observed the ingenuity and strength of will Calvin brought to her profession as robo-psychologist, a discipline which had made her the most knowledgeable authority on the positronic brains of the robots. The story Ellison used for this segment, "Runaround," was one in which Calvin was not featured, however her inclusion in the script version of this story was handled with complete logic. Another segment of the script is a recreation of the story "Liar." This time the flashback is related by another of Calvin's colleagues, the mathematician Peter Bogert, who is temporarily revived from cryonic suspension for the interview. This is an element I am assuming was a construct of Ellison's that had not appeared in one of the stories, but I may be wrong about that. The usual instructions for screenwriting is not to include too much description of the scenery, and certainly not camera movements and placement, which is the prerogative of the director and his cinematographer. Thankfully, Ellison has ignored this advice and given an excellent description of this scene. It would have been very easy to visualize it even without Mark Zug's illustrations, but I am glad they were included because they are as masterful an interpretation of Ellison's ideas as Ellison's words are of Asimov's original stories. I have no idea if Harlan had another film in mind when he wrote this scene, but it reminded me of John Carpenter's first film, Dark Star , in which a starship crewman converses with his "dead," cryonically frozen commander. "Liar" is my favorite of the robot stories, one in which a unknown element in the manufacture of a robotic prototype has rendered the machine capable of reading the minds of its human creators. Herbie, as the robot is known, constrained from harming humans by the restrictions of the Three Laws of Robotics ¹ , is forced to lie to them in order to protect them from what it considers information that would harm them psychologically. Even though Herbie knows the reason behind his unusual ability, he witholds this information from Bogert and executive officer Alfred Lanning, since he realizes this information would damage the humans' self-esteem. When Herbie learns that Susan Calvin harbors an infatuation with another of her colleagues, Milton Ashe, the robot informs her that Ashe is secretly in love with her but is too shy to broach the subject himself. Normally shy and reclusive herself, Calvin eventually begins to believe this lie, but before she is able to open up to Ashe about her feelings he informs her that he is considering marriage to someone else. Devastated by this revelation, Calvin confronts Herbie about the lie. She is able to drive the robot into a catatonic state when it realizes its lies have harmed the humans as much as the truth would have, and thus it has inadvertantly broken the First Law. One of the Susan Calvin stories not included in I, Robot but that Ellison incorporated into his script is "Lenny." Lenny is another robot prototype which suffers from an error in its manufacture, the error in this case rendering its positronic brain into the semblance of a human infant. All of the robots' brains had been designed for specific purposes, such as off-world mining operations or an intricate manufacturing procedure. Lenny's malfunction occured as a result of a child's random keystrokes on a keyboard inadvertantly left open during a school group's tour of the robot factory. Every official with the company but one feels that Lenny should be destroyed since he would be unable to perform the function intended. Calvin argues in his defense that it is the perfect opportunity to see if a positronic brain could be trained from scratch much as a child learns from its experiences. Her speculation was that such a procedure might result in a multi-purpose, versatile robot capable of learning many tasks. The others relent, and Calvin devotes the rest of her professional life to Lenny's training. The original story ended there with no indication of whether her experiment was successful or not, but with the implied assumption that anything to which Calvin set her mind would be accomplished. Ellison used this idea as a springboard to tie it into the previously mentioned stories about Stephen Byerly. Toward the end of the screenplay, Calvin finally relents and allows an interview with the crusading reporter. As she tells the story of Lenny it gradually dawns on the reporter what Byerly's great secret had been all along. He was indeed a robot, in fact was the mature Lenny. The most fantastic story of the reporter's career is one he has difficulty accepting himself. Byerly had been the most successful and respected statesman Earth had ever produced, one who had led humanity into a bold new future that spanned many star systems and had encountered multitudes of other sentient species. To realize that it was a robot that had shaped man's destiny to such a remarkable degree was more than most people would be willing to tolerate, as the hatred of robots was still extremely strong among those who had never ventured off-world where robots were commonplace. Since reading this screenplay, I have often wondered if some of the ideas presented by Ellison had possibly influenced Asimov in the creation of the series of novels he produced in the 80's which bridged the gap between the robot stories and those of the Foundation series, which had previously not been thematically connected. I have not read all of them either, but one aspect of them that I do know is that Asimov presented the concept that the robots helped create the Galactic Empire as a way to assure the survival of the human species, which the robots felt to be essential in order to literally comply with the First Law. Regrettably, a film based on Ellison's screenplay may never be produced. Even if another film of I, Robot is ever made using his script as a guideline it would more than likely be re-written by so many other writers, directors and/or producers into such a state as to make it practically unrecognizable to Ellison as his own work, and what is worse it would probably resemble Asimov's stories even less. I was fortunate to be able to obtain this book from the Science Fiction Book Club several years ago, but it is no longer offered by them, in fact at the current time they do not offer any of Ellison's titles and very few of Asimov's either. It is currently available from amazon.com in paperback, plus I am sure you could find it new or used through other online sellers. It is a perfect compliment to the Asimov collection, and it is also an insight into what is really wrong with the production process of Hollywood. This is a film that cries out to be made, just as Ellison envisioned it! All illustrations from I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay are copyright © 1994 by Mark Zug. Please visit his website, browse his other artwork, and if possible buy something or send a donation through PayPal. Related Links: My review of Asimov's book I, Robot My profile page on Harlan Ellison. ¹ The Three Laws of Robotics are: 1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.