Byron Williams (fictional Character)
Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and written by Jonathan Gems. Based on the cult trading card series of the same name, the film uses elements of black comedy and political satire, and is a parody of science fiction B movies. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, and Danny DeVito, with Sarah Jessica Parker, Martin Short, Natalie Portman, Michael J. Fox, and Christina Applegate in supporting roles.
Burton and Gems began development for Mars Attacks! in 1993, and Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to the trading card series on Burton's behalf. When Gems turned in his first draft in 1994, Warner Bros. commissioned rewrites from Gems, Burton, Martin Amis, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski in an attempt to lower the budget to $60 million. The final production budget came to $80 million, while Warner Bros. spent another $20 million on the Mars Attacks! marketing campaign. Filming lasted from February to November 1996. It was made famous for the quirky alien laugh, which was created by reversing the sound ducks make when they quack.
The filmmakers hired Industrial Light & Magic to create the Martians using computer animation after their previous plan to use stop motion, supervised by Barry Purves, fell through because of budget limitations. Mars Attacks! was released on December 13, 1996 to mixed reviews from critics. The film grossed approximately $101 million in box office totals, which was seen as a disappointment. Mars Attacks! was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and earned multiple nominations at the Saturn Awards.
Read more about Byron Williams (fictional Character): Plot, Cast
Famous quotes containing the words byron and/or williams:
“A Republic! Look in the history of the Earth ... To be the first man—not the Dictator, not the Sylla, but the Washington or the Aristides, the leader in talent and truth—is next to the Divinity!”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“What breaks capitalism, all that will ever break capitalism, is capitalists. The faster they run the more strain on their heart.”
—Raymond Williams (1921–1988)