Atlas Shrugged, classic novel and conservative manifesto, has finally been successfully optioned and produced. Decades of stories about who was slated to make Atlas, starting with a screenplay from the ’50s by author Ayn Rand, have become legend. Here it finally is, at least Part 1.

Whenever I directed Atlas in my mind, the time period of the book was crucial. The trailer shows that this production decided to set the movie in modern times. I understand the choice, especially considering financial reasons. As you can see from the unrecognizable (but seemingly fine) cast, this production had little money. If I remember correctly, their option on the material was soon to expire, so they rushed to production with what they had. Perhaps our current time period, with recession and talk of economic depression, is a fortuitous match for themes in the story.

Making Atlas is no picnic. Millions of fans will judge your efforts. This fan’s opinion is that the trailer shows promise. The story deserves to be told, and I hope the movie will be successful and entertaining.

UPDATE: The chatter continues…For more discussion about the book, especially a primer on its philosophy and politics, see here. Also, the article shows that non-moviemakers understand the difficulty of Atlas:

Now the book itself is a bit of a soup sandwich and is about as subtle as the Hammer of Thor.