A Synopsis of Squid
…Being an interview by Ollie Barder that just went live over at Forbes (or slightly less live over at Archive, if you’ve used up your monthly allocation of free articles). Ollie was originally drawn in because he’s Mr. Mecha and was intrigued by Secret Level’s “Armored Core” short―a big chunk of the piece goes behind the scenes of that particular project―but the remainder delves deep into my past, and shallowly into my future.
True fans will find much here they’ve read before: my favourite authors, my past travails as a marine biologist. I swear I’ve told that old Jules Verne plagiarism anecdote more times than I have fingers and toes. On the other hand, I’ll bet none of you have encountered the Canvas Submarine and Underground Hideout stories before (even the BUG didn’t know about that last one). And while you may have heard the occasional rumour, the ball gag has finally come off so I can officially talk (a little, at least) about the Blindsight series treatment I’m working on with Neil Blomkamp.
Photo credit: Do-Ming Lum/Tiger Mountain Creative Services
A mix of the novel and the familiar, then, in a publication that doesn’t generally do people like me. But if I’m honest, the highlight of the piece just might be the author photo by Do-Ming Lum: a contemporary picture that doesn’t hide my age, but also doesn’t make me look like a decrepit goof. A picture in which I managed, just once, to not roll my eyes or mug awkwardly. A picture containing an Easter Egg that references the subject of my previous blog post. A picture which, if I’m being honest, actually makes me look good.
I figure it’s because my face is in shadow.
I can only hope you finish Omniscience before you are consumed by your new modeling career.
I second that emotion
Nice interview, and it’s exciting to hear that Blindsight will finally be adapted! I’m also glad that it will be as a series of episodes rather than a movie. The short movie that was made was incredible, but there is no way even a long film could ever truly do it justice.
A Blindsight series? With Neil Blomkamp? Intriguing! Those I always fancied that it would make an excellent Anime under Mamoru Oshii…
Peter, I am proud to be your photographer. When you become world famous from the Blindsight adaptation, my plan is to retire after selling a million copies of that photo of you blown up into a poster.
Now i absolutely want a series of glamour shots of our host to hang on my bedroom wall.
I think Dr. Watts would look great in a black leather jacket and with an eyepatch, really leaning into the “handsome rogue” look. Maybe some star cut-outs like for those boybands of yore? Endless possibilities (to make money!)
Come on, K, we all know that if Peter is to wear anything at all during a photoshoot, it HAS to be a starfish costume (tho the eyepatch would make for a fun touch)
A Jethro Tull t-shirt is also obligatory.
Me and my credit card are open for all kinds of Dr. Watts photoshoots!
Check out my fan site on “OnlySquids”
“the Blindsight series treatment I’m working on with Neil Blomkamp”
HOLYFUCKHOLYFUCKHOLYFUCKHOLYFUCK
Dont hope. Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.
With how things are currently going, Drumpf starts the nuclear apocalypse a day before the series goes live.
In the wise words of H. Simpson: “Attempt is the first step on the road to failure”.
Yeah, hope often ends in disappointment, so what? It’s part of the fun. That’s why gambling addicts play despite knowing that they’re not gonna win.
At least hope is free, vegan and not tested on animals.
Who knows, we might just get ourselves a screen adaptation that rivals the LoTR trilogy in quality.
Oh, and nuclear armageddon is not an experience in the human existence, so you can just ignore it in your calculation. Set its probability to zero in terms of your plans and hopes, and the calculation result does not change.
Eh, if I happen to survive the nuclear apocalypse, I’ll fucking pantomime the series myself for a captive audience of painted rocks, if I have to :p
Gunna be honest, old Neil remains a one-trick pony. Everything he did after District 9 was mediocre at best. I try to blame shallow screenplays, but I’m on the fence. Can’t, won’t jump head first into the fanboy silliness. Blindsight has enough depth for fifty Nolans, so here’s to hoping Mr Blomkamp will manage to make Blindsight the sight to behold. I do remain cautiously optimistic.
Now that I have actually read the interview thoroughly, fuck cautious optimism. Blindsight adaptation? Yay! Sicario with vampires? Fuck, yay!
Also, thanks for Tchaikovsky pointer, added Shroud to my bucket list.
I do hear your reservations, though. Neill seems to be a master visual stylist; the bad stuff seems to come down to source material. That’s where I come in.
I did get a sneak peak at his Sicario screenplay, FWIW. It had some logic issues, but I expect those have been fixed since. And judging solely from the written pixels, I think it could be the best thing he’s done since District 9.
*Patiently awaiting news on your new publications you have in the works*
Got one coming out in Lightspeed in a couple of months. Set in the Blindsight universe.
Great article, love all the backstory. That author photo is most excellent.
I’ve read Blindsight countless times and one of my favourite things to do is imagining how I’d direct it if it was a movie. Always end up concluding it’s too much for a single movie and would go with a small TV series (6~8 episodes) with Jóhann Jóhannsson’s or Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s soundtrack and whatnot (yeah I also have unlimited budget on this thing).
So you can imagine how H Y P E D I am about having Blomkamp directing it. Cannot wait for more details on it (release date, casting, soundtrack, anything!)
Mr. Watts, words cannot express the joy of the news about a possible film adaptation of Blindsight, but can you share some information do you have plans to release a sequel to Blindsight and Echopraxia?
I apologize in advance if this issue has already been raised, but I can’t find any reliable information. Separately, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you for these novels.
I like Blomkamp’s work. I’m glad you’re working together. Should make for an excellent series.
I’ve always liked your writing origin story of, “they were forcing me to write fiction anyway, so I figured I’d just add some characters and plot and sell it as such,” but it was interesting to read the actual backstory.
I remember paddling off Robson Bight in the late 90s, prohibited from going in because the orcas that came in there to rub their bellies on the rocks were protected under provincial legislation. The crazy thing was that the fed’s fisheries act superseded whatever provincial protection was in place, so we were stuck sitting in our kayaks outside the bay while these massive diesel spewing fishing boats set up right inside it. Writing this now it sounds too stupid to be true, but I saw it. It looks like they may have changed things so that no boats are allowed in now, but given what I experienced I’m guessing you’re not exaggerating when you say they wanted you to make shit up.
Lighting is everything as you get older.
Congrats on the news and not only do I thank you for writing all your books I also appreciate your existence—tho I’m not sure a big silver dildo on the shelf sends the right message. I thought this was a kid safe blog.
How do you manage to look so damn good?
Vaseline, apparently. Smeared across the lens.
That’s… A roller-coaster of a post.
Do you have anyone in mind to compose the soundtrack for Blindsight? if not, Dan Romer (Maniac, Station 11) or Christobal Tapia de Veer (Annihilation) would be *choice*. I would froth that, and I suspect you would too.
As a long-time Gwent player, I love seeing my favorite game being represented by one of my favorite authors. SHUUUUUUUUUUUPE!