The Tail Section

If you remember, there was a murmer last season concerning an alleged big-screen series finale for "LOST".  The rumor was quickly squashed and the LOST fan community went back to business as usual.  Sheesh,  for a second there it looked like the talking heads at ABC might be asking us to reach into our wallets to buy the answers to the island mysteries.  Kind of a crappy way to finish a friendship if you ask me.  Well,  the rumor is not only back,  but also reinforced with some quotes from within the creative catacombs of Bad Robot.

    This could be an obvious case of the media running with a comment and taking it completely out of context;  so I caution you to wait for official reaction to the controversy that is bound to ensue before flipping your lid over this…

    Damon Lindelof was quoted as saying "We’d love to end the show after four year, five years tops and do a movie."

    If Damon’s musings grew legs, walked into Disney’s board of directors, and made a solid pitch,  that could mean that "LOST" the series would end, (assuming he is talking from the beginning of the series), around 2008 or 2009 with the movie coming about six-nine months afterwards.

    Here is what is wrong with plan:  when you have two or three seasons to go before a planned big screen finale the real "powers that be", the shadow government of Disney, begin to evaluate what you can do for the show and what must be held out for the movie.  Even when they are not interferring,  that idea is always in the back of your mind.    Yes, I realize there is this rumor of a "road map" for the series,  if you believe that then you probably believe they really did know what was in the hatch around the middle of season one, who the others were, etc. etc.   I do believe there is a high degree of planning, but why would they remove the spontanaity from the writing when that is part of what put the show on the map? I certainly don’t mind if in fact they are "making it up as they go along".  But I digress…

    Aside from new pressures and expectations driving the show instead of the creative impulse, there is the fact that taking "LOST" to the big screen is going to be viewed, enmasse, as a money grab on the die hard fans.  No doubt, some uber exec is sipping a latte and recovering from his power-nap with the dollar signs swimming around in his imagination right now.  Think about it.  Fifteen-million die hard fans have to go to the cinema to get the answers, at about $8.00 a pop that equals one HELL of an opening weekend.  How does that compare to ad sales last season?

    Look, business is business, but the decision to end "LOST" with a feature film is a slap in the face to the fans and as far removed from the creative integrity of the show as you can possibly get.  Now on the other hand, end the show on TV and do a big screen continuation… I’m all for that;  and MAN what a challenge that would be to the writers.  How could you satisfyingly end the series, and restart a new arc on the big screen? Hmmmm