Space Odyssey

Lore & Background

The Space Odyssey franchise began with the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick, and the novel of the same name by Arthur C. Clarke, developed concurrently with the film and including elements not in the film. The screenplay was written jointly by Clarke and Kubrick, based on the seed idea in Clarke's short story 'The Sentinel' and elements from 'Encounter in the Dawn' and 'Transience'. The second novel, 2010: Odyssey Two (1982), was made into a feature film directed by Peter Hyams and released in 1984. Clarke was not directly involved in the production of the second film, though he communicated with Hyams via e-mail and made a non-speaking cameo appearance. Kubrick had no involvement in the 2010 novel or film, or any later projects.

The series includes two more novels: 2061: Odyssey Three (1987) and 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997). A nonfiction book, The Lost Worlds of 2001 (1972), contains material that did not make it into the book or film. Marvel Comics published a ten-issue comic series based on the 1968 film from 1976 to 1977, and a comic adaptation of the 1984 film in 1984. Cancelled sequel projects include discussions in 2000 between Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Tom Hanks to adapt 2061 and 3001, with Hanks involved as a producer and potential star without a specific character confirmed, and a 2014 announcement that Syfy had ordered a miniseries adaptation of 3001, executive-produced by Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, and Stuart Beattie, but no further announcements were made after February 2016.

Reader's Guide

The Space Odyssey series is significant for its integration of philosophical themes with hard science fiction, exploring humanity's place in the universe and the potential of artificial intelligence. The franchise's narrative continuity is deliberately ambiguous; Clarke suggested that the stories and settings in the books and films represent happenings in parallel universes, with notable divergences such as the destination being Saturn in the 2001 novel but Jupiter in the film due to special effects costs. The second book retcons the storyline to match the film. Clarke coined the term 'orthoquel' for the Time Odyssey novels, indicating a perpendicular relationship to the Space Odyssey series. The franchise's legacy includes iconic characters like the sentient computer HAL 9000, voiced by Douglas Rain in both films, and Dr. David Bowman, played by Keir Dullea. The series has influenced subsequent science fiction in its depiction of space travel, alien monoliths, and the evolution of consciousness.

Did You Know?

• The first novel was developed concurrently with Kubrick's film and includes elements not in the film.
• In the 2001 novel, the voyage was to Saturn; in the film, it was changed to Jupiter due to a combination of narrative, visual, and budgetary reasons, not solely because Saturn's rings were too expensive to render.
• Tom Hanks was in discussions to produce and potentially star in a film adaptation of 3001, but no specific character was confirmed.