This page chronicles the events during pre-production and filming.

The Most recent news is at the top

June 22, 2001

Filming is finished and Wrap Party was held that night at Jillian's at the Universal City Walk from 8p.m. till Midnight.

The following was sent to me by one of the crew who attended:
Wrap party was terrific! You would have been in Time Machine heaven. The George Pal original was playing on TV monitors throughout the establishment. These cute little glossy repros of all of the posters and pictures from original were scattered all over the tables and bar etc.

June 11, 2001

Orlando Jones has been signed to play The Compendium of All Human Knowledge see below for more and a link to an interview with Orlando. Orlando is most known currently for his "make 7-up yours" commercials.

The production is approximately one month behind and is expected to finish principal photograpghy on or about June 22, 2001. Release date has been moved closer to Christmas.

Looks like Hans Zimmer may not be doing the film score after all, no indication as to who will be doing it.

May 26, 2001

The following two reports were posted on Dark Horizon's web site:

'Joe S.' has a follow up scoop to yesterday's story: "Just to follow up on today's story. I JUST returned from the TIME MACHINE set myself. YES, the A.D. staff has been let go. YES, they are reshooting crucial parts of the story. Jeremy Irons (billed on the Call Sheet as the "Uber-Morlock") was brought in to shoot his intro scene with Guy Pearce. There are also two full units shooting to hurry and finish the troubled production".

"Although Gore Verbinski stepping in was news a week or so ago, there's a little more happening that hasn't turned up yet. Gore's first AD was brought on as a 'technical consultant'. Shortly thereafter, she took the reigns after the original first was fired and the rest of the AD staff quit in a silent protest or something. This is just a number of strange dealings with only two weeks of shooting left and from what I understand, they don't even know how they're going to approach the futuristic NYC world, have been rewriting key points of the story, and are reshooting the ending with the "new and improved" director".

Samantha Mumba's brother Omero joined the cast and will be playing Kalen, Mara's brother in the film (Photo below)

Yancey Arias has been signed on to play Toren.

I got to work two weeks on prototype costume parts for the Morlocks.
(More on that once Dreamworks lifts their veil of secrecy)

Bob Ringwood was brought in around mid March as costume designer and made changes to both the Eloi costumes and Morlocks as well.

Also reported is that Spielberg has made changes to the script requiring reshooting of scenes involving Samantha Mumba.

Rumor is that Hans Zimmer may be doing the film score.

Also rumored is an animated series based on the new film.

Publicity should start around June.

Corrections:
Philip Bosco was the Dean of Columbia College not Jeremy Irons.
Jeremy will be playing the Morlock leader.

Friday May 11 02:17 AM EDT

Fatigue puts Wells out of 'Time' By Marla Matzer Rose

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Only 18 days before wrapping principal photography for his live-action feature directorial debut on DreamWorks/Warner Bros.' "The Time Machine," director Simon Wells has abruptly dropped out of the project.

Gore Verbinski has stepped in to complete the movie on schedule.
DreamWorks announced the move Thursday afternoon, saying that Wells had to step down after being diagnosed as "suffering from extreme exhaustion" and ordered by doctors to rest for a minimum of two weeks.

Verbinski, who directed DreamWorks' "The Mexican" and "Mouse Hunt," is expected to hand the reins back to Wells after the completion of filming. Wells plans to return to oversee all postproduction duties. "Our first concern is for Simon's health, so we are very pleased that Gore was able to come in and pinch hit," said DreamWorks Pictures co-head Walter Parkes, who added that Wells plans to resume his duties overseeing postproduction on the film in several weeks. "We look forward to Simon Wells' return to the production ... and wish him the best during this time," Parkes said. When asked for further details, a DreamWorks spokeswoman said, "We're not going into detail ... he's just wiped."

Wells is the great-grandson of H.G. Wells, the science fiction author on whose work "Time Machine" is based. Although the project was his first live-action feature, Wells has directed several animated features, including DreamWorks' "The Prince of Egypt." "Time," which stars Guy Pearce, Mark Addy, Philip Rosco and Jeremy Irons, has been shooting in New York and Los Angeles since February.

Wells and Verbinski are repped by Endeavor.

Set pieces for the Time Machine are going up in Albany NY about four stories up. A facade supported by 5 telephone poles has been erected on an empty lot. The lot is on a street of existing Victorian style houses. The facade is for the exterior of the house of Alex the main character in the movie. Across the street a house will be decorated to look like a dress shop. Cameras are slated to roll February 9th for this set.

A dress shop across the street? hmmm... this sounds familiar.

The facade of a building is being built on an empty lot on Lower Lancaster Street in Albany NY. Filming is tentatively scheduled for February 9th in this area.

Dreamworks Productions will be filming in the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs areas.

There will be an extras casting call for men and women ages 21-100 to appear in the 1899 era movie, The Time Machine starring Guy Pierce (L.A. Confidential) and Jeremy Irons. Filming will take place at night throughout the month of February.

Open casting call - January 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 from 10am-3pm (Closed 12pm-1pm)
Location: The Hilton Center for the Performing Arts Mini Mall Theater
40 Russell Road (off Central Ave.) Albany, New York —Off Central Ave. (Route 5) across from the Armory Garage, next to Westgate Shopping Center. Located in the same building as New Music.
Please bring a pen
No phone calls please

The Record Sunday Edition published an article which highlights the production schedule which begins this February at numerous locations.

Time Machine" filming comes to the Area. The Saratoga Spa State Park will be one of the locations for the filming of H.G.Wells' "The Time Machine. "The Dreamworks, Time Warner production will be directed by Simon Wells, the great grandson of H.G. Wells. The Roosevelt Bathhouse has been chosen for both interior and exterior scenes, and the area of the Geyser and Hayes Spring in the lower end of the Park will be used for a nighttime scene. Crews from "Time Machine" have already begun "dressing the set" in the interior of the Roosevelt Bathhouse.

The scene being filmed near the Island Spouter in the lower end of the park, scheduled for February, will require snowplowing some of the lower roads and parking lots of! the park, which are not normally plowed except for a single lane for emergency vehicle access. Only vehicles belonging to "The Time Machine" cast and crew will be allowed entry to the plowed area. Acting Park Manager John Nolan indictated that the Spa Park crews will hold of plowing the area as long as possible to minimize the disruption for the cross-country skiers and snow shoers. Andrew Ullman, location manager for "The Time Machine", said that it has been a pleasure working with the staff of the park. "The Saratoga Spa State Park has some extraordinary resources. The interior and exterior of the Roosevelt Bathhouse are perfect for our hospital morgue scene and for the courtyard outside of the Dean's Office," he said. "And we appreciate the Park's willingness to open the Geyser/Hayes area in February.

This is one of the key reasons that "The Time Machine" is being filmed in the Capital District rather than in another location. Linda Toohey, executive vice president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and head of the County Film Commission, said there are two chief reasons that Saratoga, and particularly the State Park, are sites for films. "First, the myriad of facilities and locations make the area suitable for virtually any type of movie production", she said. "Second, the adaptability of Saratoga's residents in accepting minor inconveniences, such as road closures, for the sake of film making. Saratogian's appreciate the short -and long-term economic benefits that major motion pictures bring to the area". According to "The Time Machine" Project Home Page, the movie will star Jeremy Irons and Guy Pearce ("LA Confidential"). Scenes for the movie have been filmed at Vassar Collage in Poughkeepsie and future locations will include Schenectady's Central Park, and the city of Troy. Filming in Troy reportedly will take place two nights during the month of February in the Broadway and Congress Street Area.

Notice Posted at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York

Monday December 18 11am-3pm Villard Room Main Building
The Time Machine, a remake of HG Wells' classic, directed by his grandson Simon Wells.
Produced by DreamWorks
Starring Jeremy Irons and Guy Pearce

Opening scene to be filmed at Vassar on February 5 & 6.
Call is for 18,19, & 20-year-old male and female college students for a classroom scene set in 1899. They are looking for approximately 60 students to be a part of a science class. Shooting will take up two days.

Female actors will be required to wear corsets and male actors will be wearing itchy wool suits. More information will be provided Monday by the DreamWorks' casting person who will be on site.

If you think your are interested and would like more information come to the Villard Room. Please bring headshot and resume IF you have one. If you do not they will take photos on Monday.

Hope you can make it and I will see you there.

Beth Fargis-Lancaster
Executive Producer
Powerhouse Summer Theater

Guy Pearce (The Count of Monte Cristo, L.A. Confidential) is in negotiations for the lead of the Time Traveler.

Born in Cambridgeshire England, in 1967. Immigrated to Australia to live in Geelong, Victoria, with his family when he was three years old.

According to the imdb he is a vegetarian, should fit in well with the Eloi!

Victorian locations have been scouted in Troy, New York. Locations selected are rumored to be the same ones used for the movies 'The Age of Innocence' and 'Ironweed'.

The duck pond in Schenectady's Central Park has been chosen by DreamWorks as the setting for two scenes in their 'Time Machine' movie. According to a news website, a Victorian-style gazebo will be constructed in the pond, connected to the land by a walkway that leads over the water. Mayor Al Jurczynski has requested to DreamWorks that the gazebo be left behind when filming is complete.

New Hampshire is also being scouted for locations for 'TIME MACHINE', the Dreamworks production is trying to recreate a New York intersection from the turn of the 19th century.

The Time Machine definately has plans to shoot in Troy, NY, for two nights in February. A notice was posted which asks residents with windows facing 2nd Street and Broadway to contact the 'location manager' to have them put up late 1800's style drapes. The request is for the three blocks from Broadway to Congress Street.