{"product_id":"the-future-was-now-madmen-mavericks-and-the-epic-sci-fi-summer-of-1982-9781250827050","title":"The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Hollywood boldly went where it hadn't gone before and Nashawaty chronicles the journeys.\" \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Los Angeles Times \u003c\/i\u003e(\"Books You Need To Read This Summer\")\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Written with a fan's enthusiasm . . . An important inflection point in Hollywood filmmaking.\"\u003cb\u003e --\u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003e(\"Nonfiction Books to Read This Summer\")\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the summer of 1982, eight science fiction films were released within six weeks of one another. \u003ci\u003eE.T., Tron, Star Trek: Wrath of Khan, Conan the Barbarian, Blade Runner, Poltergeist, The Thing\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eMad Max: The Road Warrior c\u003c\/i\u003ehanged the careers of some of Hollywood's now biggest names--altering the art of movie-making to this day. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Future Was Now\u003c\/i\u003e, Chris Nashawaty recounts the riotous genesis of these films, featuring an all-star cast of Hollywood luminaries and gadflies alike: Steven Spielberg, at the height of his powers, conceives \u003ci\u003eE.T.\u003c\/i\u003e as an unlikely family tale, and quietly takes over the troubled production of \u003ci\u003ePoltergeist\u003c\/i\u003e, a horror film he had been nurturing for years. Ridley Scott, fresh off the success of \u003ci\u003eAlien\u003c\/i\u003e, tries his hand at an odd Philip K. Dick story that becomes \u003ci\u003eBlade Runner\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e--\u003c\/i\u003ea box office failure turned cult classic. Similar stories arise for films like \u003ci\u003eTron, Conan the Barbarian, \u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e The Thing.\u003c\/i\u003e Taken as a whole, these films show a precarious turning-point in Hollywood history, when baffled film executives finally began to understand the potential of high-concept films with a rabid fanbase, merchandising potential, and endless possible sequels. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eExpertly researched, energetically told, and written with an unabashed love for the cinema, \u003ci\u003eThe Future Was Now \u003c\/i\u003eis a chronicle of how the revolution sparked in a galaxy far, far away finally took root and changed Hollywood forever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChris Nashawaty\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer, editor, and former \u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e film critic. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eCaddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story \u003c\/i\u003eand his work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eEsquire, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eVanity Fair.\u003c\/i\u003e He currently lives in Los Angeles with his family.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Flatiron Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50874653180178,"sku":"9781250827050","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d15a27e8-10c3-43e3-b246-9b798ee73378.jpg?v=1753185909","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-future-was-now-madmen-mavericks-and-the-epic-sci-fi-summer-of-1982-9781250827050","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}