The live action movie version of the popular
animated series Ben 10 premieres in SA for the first time this coming Saturday, 21 June 2008.
The flik's called Ben 10: Race Against Time and makes it's debut on the Cartoon Network at
16h50.
Based on the series, the movie's a mix of animation and live action and stars Graham Phillips as Ben, Haley Ramm as his cousin Gwen and The Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors, who plays their Grandpa Max.
The action starts at the end of the animated series: Ben's summer adventures are over, he returns to his normal life and finds himself faced with a new alien battle that calls on him to save the world.
To find out more about the ins and outs of things I've been scooping out goss surrounding it, starting with the quizzery of Lee Majors and the cast:
Cast close-up!
Lee Majors
Tashi: What is it about the Ben 10 story that attracted you to doing the film?
Lee: If you look at most of the stuff today - for example the series
Bionic Woman - to me that series isn't a great show for kids.
When we did the Six Million Dollar Man our characters were a little more endearing, they had more warmth and a lot of light - our shows weren't as heavy and sci-fi as Bionic Woman is. It's very hard to find movies that are made just for kids, especially for ages 5 to 12, so I really wanted to do it.
Tashi: Interesting that you mention Bionic Woman - I didn't enjoy it either. I thought it was so self-aware it was meant to be a classic it ended up not being one at all.
Lee: Yes it hasn't been picked up for another season.
Lee on the Ben 10 set with director Alex Winter
Tashi: Apparently you grew up with your aunt and uncle - is that true?
Lee: I was adopted when I was 16 months old so I grew up with somebody - I think they were my aunt and uncle *laughs*.
Tashi: Would you say it's resulted in Ben and you being similar with him growing up through his grandad?
Lee: Well I've actually adopted him - in real life, his parents don't know it yet - because I think Graham's going to be a great movie star and make a lot of money so I want to see it - with him as my grandson.
Ben aka Graham
Graham greenscreening an alien attack
Tashi: If you could change into any of the aliens Ben becomes - which would you most want to be?
Graham: It would have to be Wildmutt or Stinkfly - I like Wildmutt 'cos he's a dog and I like dogs - I have two of them. He also has X-ray vision, he has these sensors and I've always thought X-ray vision would be kinda cool.
Also Stinkfly, he can fly - which is one of my aspirations when I get older but he also looks terrible with his ooze so I'd need to suffer for my flight.
The aliens are animated in the flik and all the people are real
Gwen aka Haley
Tashi: To what extent did you base your intepretation of Gwen on the actual cartoon of her?
Haley: I had a great time watching the series. I think I watched every episode - watching her movements and expressions. I practised on my brother too - it's not that hard being snotty to a brother or a cousin.
The Six Million Dollar Man
Tashi: What was it like being such a huge '70's Million Dollar Man pop icon?
Lee: Let me tell you something, when I started filming this these kids had no idea who I was - it's the mom's who love me!
Graham: It's been really fun having Lee in the film - when I'm telling my parents' friends or some of the um ...
Lee: Older
crowd ...
Graham: Yes older crowd *laughs* - when you say Ben 10 it means nothing to them - other than that they see it everyday before children go to school - but once I say Lee Majors they start screaming and shouting and rolling around on the floor - they like the fact there's someone they're so familiar with.
Lee wearing a terrible tracksuit in Six Million Dollar Man.
Tashi: If they were to do Million Dollar Man again - who do you think they should cast as him - aka you?
Lee: Probably Brad Pitt.
Aliens Dude
Director Alex Winter
Tashi: Do you believe in aliens?Alex: Yes, they're everywhere! They're little, they're big - they've infultrated all levels of government!Swanky Pants SA PremiereTo launch the film for an appreciative audience Cartoon Network recently premiered it on the big screen at a shindig at Monte Casino. Some pics of the red carpet action:
Winner of the Strong Man competition
Snooping the premiere goodie bags...
In each bag:
1 x Pick 'n Pay Beef flavoured chips
1x Ben 10 notepad
1 x Cartoon Network pen
1x bag of sweets - ate them too quickly to remember the name
2 x sticker pads, with plus/minus 10 Ben 10 stickers on each
1x alien (Petrosapien Bounty Hunter) action figure
1x cooldrink - ditto sweets
1x Ben 10 mousepad- I think it was. Didn't get one but spotted others with one and got envious.
The trailer:
The trailer as it went out in the US: