Peter Berg Fires ‘Battleship’ Details at the Web

Published by Jeff Leins on: December 2nd, 2009

A few weeks ago Latino Review posted details about the movie Battleship, an upcoming Universal title based on the pegged board game under the direction of Peter Berg.  The website heard (correctly) the Naval fleet would be battling aliens on the high seas.

CHUD confirmed the rumor shortly thereafter, explaining the big reveal was a spoiler of sorts.  Rather than pout that their secret was online, Universal rewarded those reporters that sent the Internet into a (laughing) frenzy.

I’ll try not to let my jealousy of their awesome trip show itself, but they were flown in a private jet to tour a Naval destroyer, check out concept art, and interview Berg.  Unbelievable.  That’ll show me for calling the alien idea ridiculous (it still is) and making fun of the adaptation.

In the interview, Berg clarified a few details and expanded on what we know so far about the 2011 movie.  I’ve compiled the most intriguing bits of information from the reports by LatinoReview and CHUD:

The aliens are called “The Regents” and will be created using a combination of costumed actors and CGI, a style that Berg compared to Davey Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean, only not as complex.  He said one of the alien vessels is damaged on arrival, which halfway explains why they don’t just take off again.  The alien race isn’t here to conquer or destroy humanity (then why all the battling?), but to build something.  From the description, the structure sounds like a portal to transport more of their kind to Earth, but that’s my own guess.  Either way, the military gets mixed up with them.

The fleet will be an international team of five ships, which makes sense because its all about global appeal for these expensive blockbusters.  For example, G.I. Joe is no longer the real American hero.  The plot will focus on the destroyer and five members of its crew.  Casting of the seaman is already underway, Berg told them.

It won’t just borrow the board game’s title either, he stressed.  The aliens knock out Naval technology, which means they have to rely on trial and error (hit or miss).  Plus a character will utter the cringe-worthy line, “You sunk my battleship!”  I just got douche chills.

LR and CHUD have pictures from the trip, plus transcripts of the interview if you’re interested in more about Peter Berg’s Battleship.