Untitled:
The Legacy
The reach of the Untitled series extends beyond the original trilogy.
Zach, Johnny, and Dave spent much of their free time developing the Untitled
world, creating or planning Untitled comics, short stories, and even games.
Most importantly, more sequels were planned. Unfortunately, the creators
had less free time with each passing summer. The following announcements
were posted on the Untitled homepage during the 1996-97 school year.
As you can see, the plans were visionary, but reality conspired against
the filmmakers.
Untitled III: The Special Edition
"Without a doubt, Untitled III was the greatest success of the original
Untitled Trilogy. However, as times change and technology improves, III's
weaknesses become evident. Primarily, flaws in audio editing create a challenge
for any listener. The Special Edition's first goal is to improve sound
quality and clarify lines. Also, video editing hopes to fill in some gaps
where the casual viewer has been left wondering. Entirely new footage will
be shot for "establishing shots" of the various scenes. In some cases,
portions of scenes will be shot and edited again. Finally, to comply with
broadcast regulations, the familiar music will be replaced with the new
sounds of independent bands like Cove, The Droogs, and Der Heilege Karpfen.
The Untitled III is sure to be a delight for old and new viewers, and will
make its television debut sometime this fall."
Untitled V
"The summer of 1997 will witness one of the biggest Untitleds ever: the
time-travelling adventures of Untitled V. Written by journalist and Untitled
veteran Dave Baker, the script revolves around Tempros the Time Marauder,
a new villain in the Untitled pantheon. Working for the Mercurian Empire,
he attempts to rewrite history and destroy both Watermelon Man and the
beatniks of the 1950s. This massive disruption to the space-time continuum
results in a blasted alternate future where the Trailblazers are the last
freedom fighters left to fight the evil Disco clone regime. Once Watermelon
Man and Mortimer show up, however, there is a chance for history to be
restored to its natural path."
Sadly, plans for each film fell through. While some footage was
shot for the Special Edition, it never made it to the editing room, and
some of the new footage was lost. Untitled V was a more notable failure
because significant portions of the film were shot. The creators
had difficulty applying the more sophisticated "new tech" Untitled style
to a long script, and the entire production had a decidedly bigger budget
than previous Untitled movies. Most importantly, Zach and Johnny
were working at full-time jobs as they struggled to cope with special effects,
find the many extras that the script required, and maintain technical quality
during shooting. The strain proved great, and the movie-makers failed
to complete the project by the summer's end. When they tried to make
another significant movie during the summer of 1998, they encountered similar
obstacles. As Zach, Dave, and Johnny's high school careers came to
an end, it seemed like the Untitled movies were slipping into the past,
offering little more than pleasant memories.
And yet, the series' creative spirit lives on. Zach is currently
studying film at the University of Michigan, applying the lessons learned
from the Untitleds to his own films. Johnny is a Radio/Television/Film
major at Northwestern University, and hopes to find a career creating media
products for children. Dave is studying Physics at the University
of Michigan, and writes short stories and poetry in his free time; he's
also currently at work on a science fiction novel.
The creativity and the energy that made the Untitleds possible has not
died out, and the story itself lives on. Even now, you can ask Johnny
about any of the series' characters, and he'll tell you what they're doing
now. Each of the creators has more stories to tell, and the future
looks bright. Who knows? The characters of Untitled may return
someday to delight audiences in the future. Until then, we'll remember
them fondly and preserve their history here.
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