H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (Timothy Hines film)

H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds
Proposed theatrical release poster
Directed by	Timothy Hines
Produced by	Susan Goforth
Written by	Timothy Hines Susan Goforth
Based on	The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
Starring	Anthony Piana
Music by	Jamie Hall
Edited by	Timothy Hines
Distributed by	Pendragon Pictures
Release date	June 14, 2005
Running time	180 min.
Language	English
Budget	$25 million (est.)

War of the Worlds – The True Story
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Timothy Hines
Produced by	Susan Goforth
Based on	The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells 1898
Starring	Floyd Reichman Jim Cissell Jack Clay
Narrated by	Jim Cissell
Music by	Jamie Hall
Production company	Pendragon Pictures
Release date	June 14, 2012
Language	English

H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds (a.k.a. The Classic War of the Worlds or just War of the Worlds) is the first of three reworked direct-to-video film versions, first appearing in 2005, that adapts H. G. Wells' novel of the same name about a Martian invasion of southern England. This version, noted for its faithfulness to Wells's novel, was produced by the independent film company Pendragon Pictures. Unlike the adaptations set in the current day United States, this was the first film set in the novel's original 1898 Victorian England.

The early part of the film follows the experience of a late 19th-century journalist from Woking, known as "the writer", involved with the landing of a Martian invasion spacecraft. When the crashed cylinder opens, the Martians start killing anything that moves with a "heat ray" weapon. The writer discovers his house is in range of their heat ray and decides to rush his wife and servant to her cousins' home in Leatherhead; once there, he returns in order to return the borrowed cart to its owner, unaware that the invading Martians are now on the move.

The Martians have built tall tripod "fighting machines" and begun a destructive rampage across southern England. The film also details the adventures of his brother, a student in London, who accompanies two ladies to the east coast of England in order to escape from the slaughter and destruction wrought by the Martians.

When the writer tries to get back to his wife in Leatherhead, he is confounded and beset by many problems as a result of the chaos brought by the Martian invasion.

The film's development dates back to 2000, when Pendragon Pictures approached Paramount with plans for a remake, but nothing came of it. Director Timothy Hines had long desired to make his own version of Well's novel since first reading the original at age eight. He had always wanted to set the tale in-period, but he eventually settled on a modern retelling, much like the original 1953 film and the 2005 Spielberg adaptation. Hines' version was to be set in Seattle, with a Martian attack preceded by neutralizing electromagnetic power; from there the tale's events would unfold and be as similar as possible to Wells' novel.

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