"Lock the doors and close the blinds -- we're going for a ride..."

Douglas Adams is speaking from the dead! But I'm getting ahead of myself here...

I'm feeling a little better. Today was mostly a hibernation day. Hibernation and a movie...

I love Slashdot. A few days ago I discovered an interesting news blurb about Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, one of the classier blends of saga which combine great science-fiction and great comedy. Not until Futurama came about have I been so excited about the Hitchhikers radio series, books and TV series.

I had heard for a while that they were going to do a Hitchhikers movie. And especially after Douglas Adams had died, I didn't think that it was actually going to happen. But it has begun!  Production has already started on it -- they even have a great cast in place which includes Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Zooey Deschannel and John Malkovich! The main movie site can be found at http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com and contains a blog of the movie's progress. There's even an interview with the director -- a man who wisely decided not to watch the BBC television show in order to have his image of the story completely untainted by what's been done (and what hadn't been done so well).  For example -- Marvin the "Paranoid Android" is now going to be two feet tall. And Ford Prefect is being played by Mos Def.  Exciting stuff... Can't wait for the release in 2005...

But what is even more exciting is that news blurb I linked above. Per BBC News, production has begun on a new Hitchhikers Radio series -- one which leaves off at the end of the original series which started it all back in 1978. Yes, even before the books had been written. For those of you who have not heard the radio series, I suggest you get ahold of it for something quite exquisite. The sequel is set to debut in September of this year, and it includes some of the original cast.

But wait -- there's more. There's a cast addition -- the part of Agrajag will be played by Douglas Adams himself! he had already recorded the part before his untimely death in 2001.  How incredible is that?

If all my enthusiasm about this makes me a bona fide geek, strap a pocket protector to me, wrap some masking tape around my glasses and call me Poindexter. I'm excited!

Oh -- interested in hearing a preview of the upcoming radio series? Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/index_new.shtml.

Share and enjoy :-)