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News

Filming - June 17, 2002 - October 2002

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Release Date: TBA 2003

Cast: Russell Crowe (Jack Aubrey), Paul Bettany (Stephen Maturin); other cast not announced yet.

Director: Peter Weir (Witness, The Truman Show, Gallipoli, Dead Poets Society, The Mosquito Coast)

Based upon: This movie will be based upon the tenth novel in the Master and Commander series by Patrick O'Brian, which started in 1969, inspiring 20 installments, all set during the early 19th century Napoleonic Wars, following the high seas adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and his ship surgeon Stephen Maturin (also a spy). If this first film is successful, it could easily become the first in a long series of adaptations. Author Patrick O'Brian died in January, 2000 at the age of 85. The adventures of Aubrey and his ship, Sophie, in Master and Commander are based upon Lord Cochrane's ship, Speedy. (3/7/02) It's been confirmed that the ship will actually be the HMS Surprise, which debuted in the 3rd novel of the same name.

Filming: Production is scheduled to start June 17th, 2002, filming at the Fox Studios Baja in northern Mexico (the water sets built for their filming of Titanic), wrapping in mid-October, 2002. (2/7/02) Michael Fleming of Variety reports that the budget is a whopping $135 million.

Genres: Action, Based on a Book, Eye Candy, Historical

Unofficial Author Fan Sites: Patrick O'Brian Character Index, Patrick O'Brian Web Resources

Official Ship Site: HMS Rose (will be used for the film)

Detailed Summary of Novel: Harbors and High Seas (This is actually the first chapter of a book about the series, but since it's online, it's yours to browse. Be aware that it gets pretty detailed, so you might consider much of it to be "spoilers.")

Unofficial Author Fan Site: Lawrence Edwards