Ask Me Help Desk - Movie based on Michael Crichton's novel "Prey".

Movie based on Michael Crichton's novel "Prey".

I'm reading the book now.

I KNOW that I've seen a movie based on it, but there's nothing at imdb.com or wikipedia.org about it.

I do, though, see that Fox got the movie rights for it back in 2002 (source) but nowhere can I find what the name of the movie was.

Can any of you tell me what the movie title was?

If it helps, here are some things that you might remember:

1. It's about nanotechnology "cameras" that worked in a "swarm".

2. The wife of the main character was "infected" by the nano-cameras.

3. The nano-cameras were able to take human form.

4. Much of the book (movie) took place in the desert, where the main characters were hunting for where the "swarm" of nano-cameras hid out at night.

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

One blog reports that no, there never was a movie made from Prey -- "In fact, said my extra-super-double-secret Hollywood insider source, Crichton is quite a cranky character who was not at all pleased with the film treatment of Timeline."

Wikipedia says, "Elements of [Prey] were utilized in the 2008 film The Day the Earth Stood Still [citation needed], in which a swarm of nanobots escape from a secure military facility."

Yep, I saw those links.

My frustration is that in reading the book, I'm reminded that I KNOW that I saw the movie!

Yes, I know that there is a small chance that my memory is of reading the book years ago, but I don't think so... I KNOW that I've seen the movie.

Call your local library's reference desk. They have resources I don't have here at home.

I just checked WorldCat (OCLC--the definitive world catalog) and couldn't find a film version of Prey. My conclusion is that one was never made.

I'm picturing it so well that I'm 99.9% sure that I'm not just remembering a previous reading of the book.

My guess is that it was done as a movie but under a different name.

... but then again, there is that small chance that I am only recalling memories of reading the book in the past... but if that's the case, it's really weird that it's so vivid to me. I'm SURE I've seen the movie!

I read 2 books per week, and have lots of favorites that stand out. "Prey" is not one of them, so why this one would stand out in my memory like it is, is beyond me.

I can't help but think that I've seen the movie for sure.

Maybe: What's the name of the movie about nanobots that filmed on the Sci-Fi channel? - Yahoo! Answers

Please call the library. Many movies have a different title from the book they were taken from, and the reference desk should have a list or database of them.

WG - the interweb has ALL the info you need! Without getting up on one's chair.

:)

Well, RickJ didn't believe me or trust my Internet searches, so let the library search for him.

I already know what the librarians will tell me, because they'll use the same sources that I have.

I'll keep searching, and hopefully find the name of the movie that I know I saw... and then a) update the Wikipedia page for Michael Crichton, and b) email imdb to tell them to add it to their database.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickJ

I already know what the librarians will tell me, because they'll use the same sources that I have.

That is absolutely not true!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wondergirl

That is absolutely not true!

Really? Tell me. What do they have that I don't?

Paper files and WorldCat for two examples.

WorldCat.org: The World's Largest Library Catalog

But he wouldn't have known about it had I not mentioned it. And searching in it is a bit of an art.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wondergirl

And searching in it is a bit of an art.

Same with searching the web and that's my forté.

And what did you find out about a movie based on Prey?

There is no movie based on the book but fans would like there to be. I posted a link to what Rick may have seen.

Whatcha got WG?

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeedKarma

There is no movie based on the book but fans would like there to be. I posted a link to what Rick may have seen.

Whatcha got WG?

I've learned the same thing. I have a call out to my home library's reference department librarians who are working on a similar question about Black Swan.

We are deadlocked. :)

My guess, based on the info here, is that the movie was made, but with a different title.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickJ

My guess, based on the info here, is that the movie was made, but with a different title.

Actually I read that item to say that they bought the rights but never made the movie. In fact that's the reason why there is no movie: Fox is squatting on the rights it bought.

I'm going nuts over this. If it is true that they never made a movie, then the only answer to my "memories" is that I must have read the book in the past but a) do not remember doing so, and b) the memories of the past reading are incredibly vivid.

This is so strange that I have such vivid visual memories. The pictures in my mind, of so many things in the book, are incredible.

I picture it all so clearly. It's crazy!

So definetely not this?
YouTube - outer limits new breed

Definitely not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeedKarma

Actually I read that item to say that they bought the rights but never made the movie. In fact that's the reason why there is no movie: Fox is squatting on the rights it bought.

That's the answer I finally got from Libraryland last night. There has been no movie made from Crichton's book, either with the same title or a different one.

Should I track down Crichton's estate lawyer or someone at Fox who would know?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wondergirl

Should I track down Crichton's estate lawyer or someone at Fox who would know?

No, but thank you. I'll do that myself. I want to hear it straight from the horses mouth. I'll contact Fox and/or the Crichton people and let y'all know what I learn from it.

RickJ, I would have given you someone's name and number once I verified this was the person who knew. I know how you dearly love horses and their mouths.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wondergirl

I know how you dearly love horses and their mouths.

Took me a few seconds but I got it. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wondergirl

RickJ, I would have given you someone's name and number once I verified this was the person who knew. I know how you dearly love horses and their mouths.

That would be awesome! I'm sure it would be better than my trying to use a basic "contact us" link.

The Fox contact seems to be Hutch Parker, former President of TCF, now 20th Century Fox Film Group's vice chairman. He has raved that Fox bought the rights for a movie based on Prey. No phone number yet for him.

Twentieth Century Fox has purchased the motion picture rights to Michael Crichton's upcoming novel, Twentieth Century Fox has purchased the motion picture rights to Michael Crichton's upcoming novel, Prey, it was announced by Hutch Parker, President of TCF. Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group.

Fox purchased the rights to Prey, shortly after Crichton submitted the book to Parker. The novel's plot is a tightly guarded secret, but brings together specific themes from two previous blockbuster works from Crichton: The Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park. Harper Collins will publish the novel in November.

Hutch Parker said, "Michael Crichton is one of the master storytellers of our generation, and Prey is Crichton at his absolute best. We jumped at the chance to enter into preemptive negotiations to obtain this remarkable novel, and we are very excited to have the opportunity to turn it into a major motion picture event." , it was announced by Hutch Parker, President of TCF. Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group.

Fox purchased the rights to [bbcode][/bbcode], shortly after Crichton submitted the book to Parker. The novel's plot is a tightly guarded secret, but brings together specific themes from two previous blockbuster works from Crichton: The Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park. Harper Collins will publish the novel in November.

Hutch Parker said, "Michael Crichton is one of the master storytellers of our generation, and [bbcode][/bbcode] is Crichton at his absolute best. We jumped at the chance to enter into preemptive negotiations to obtain this remarkable novel, and we are very excited to have the opportunity to turn it into a major motion picture event."

I am in the same predicament; am reading the book now, never read it before and DEFINITELY watched a movie with this content.
It's not an answer, but at least RickJ should know he's not alone in this!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology_in_fiction#Film_and_Television

When I read Prey, I pictured Carrie Anne Moss as Julia. I think what happened was that Michael Crichton so skillfully described his characters, that it was easy to picture an actor in the particular role. Or maybe he had some in mind already. Giving the illusion that a movie had been made. But looks like there hasn't been a movie with "nanobot cameras" yet, scifi-channel, or otherwise. Stargate's nanobots did have a "camera view", like when Six (I think was his name) had kidnapped Samantha Carter.

I think you're thinking of The Andromeda Strain movie. Check it out