In late May it was announced that The Robert Evans Co. has a first-look deal at Paramount with respect to the classic Gerry Anderson series UFO (1970). Evans' reputation certainly proceeds him; he brought the classics Chinatown and Marathon Man to the big screen. And while he might seem like an unorthodox choice to resurrect Anderson's first live-action television series into a feature film, he apparently seems to grasp its significance both to fans, and to the UK's ITV Global, the current property holder and Evans' partner in the project. "We know the importance of the UFO series brand to ITV Global, and we will work closely with them to build this into a franchise," Evans said.

Here at CinemaSpy we began to wonder what such a big screen version of UFO would look like. How much of it will adhere to the designs of the original and simply update them? Will it translate to our more sophisticated 21st century sensibility and aesthetic, yet still maintain the fidelity of the original? Or will it be completely re-imagined and throw out what's come before?

And that got us to thinking. Maybe we ought to have some fun and come up with a few designs of our own.

So we turned to Eric Chu. Eric is perhaps best known for his work as a production illustrator on the recent, critically acclaimed series Battlestar Galactica, where he created some of the most recognized designs for the re-imagined property, including the Galactica herself, the new Cylon Centurions, and both the Cylon Raiders and Basestar.

More recently, Eric also lent his artistic skills to the soon-to-be-released book, "The Science of Battlestar Galactica", for which he illustrated the cover.

Chu started his career in the mid-'80s in the animation business as a storyboard artist. A few years later he moved to Asia and co-founded Fisheye Films, where he served as a creative director for television commercials. Upon returning to Canada, he found work in Vancouver BC as an art director.


In 2005 he produced a short film featuring Optimus Prime, which then attracted the interest of Hasbro and Tom DeSanto, one of the producers of the 'Transformers' movies. (To watch the short film, click on the Video tab at the top of this article.)

He remains active in the industry under the banner of his own studio, Paranoid Delusions Inc., and is currently developing an animated feature with one of Asia's largest media networks, while continuing to work on other assorted art projects.

If you missed Eric's toons, which were featured as part of our Battlestar Galactica Tech Blog, you can catch up on those here. Eric is also passionate about the film world in general, with a vast repository of knowledge about it that would put many film-o-philes to shame. He wrote an article for us recently about the potential pitfalls of overhyping 3-D usage in film, despite the alleged technical improvements currently being touted by filmmakers like James Cameron. You can find that article here.

But back to UFO. We began to have some conversations about the classic property‚ and how it might look if it actually gets its planned update. That led to some brainstorming, which led to some furious drawing on Eric's part. What emerged were a few select pieces of artwork that give us a little peak into how a "new" UFO might look. You can find them further down the page.

[Note: This will be the first in a series of speculative artwork (entitled Drawing on Imagination) for other beloved properties that are soon to be remade, or otherwise translated to film. For this first in the series, we began by asking Eric a few questions about what goes into his process.]

CinemaSpy: After working on Battlestar Galactica, another classic property with its own particular set of requirements, tell us what you found most challenging about re-imagining Gerry Anderson's material...which predates the original Battlestar Galactica by about eight years?

Eric Chu: As with BSG, the trick is to take what you loved from an existing design and keep the essential feel of it without outright doing just a straight copy. Some of these shows have a very, very loyal following and rightly so—these shows were well loved for a reason. You certainly don't want to alienate those people, and yet, from an artist's point of view, you do want to put a little of yourself into the concepts.

Most of us who grew up with these shows are now adults, a little older, if not wiser, and yet we still retain a fondness for the sometimes outlandish ideas and stories of the 60's and 70s. But now, by improving on a show's ideas and concepts to make sense for today's sophisticated audience, I think we are able to vindicate ourselves and justify our obsessions to our peers. In the case of Galactica, we took the basic storyline from the original series, stripped off all the cheese, and found elements that would resonate in today's world. There are still fantastical elements, to be sure, but at least much of it makes enough sense to suspend disbelief. Who knows? Perhaps in another ten years or so, this version will seem ridiculous and outlandish, too.

CinemaSpy: Did you watch the original UFO growing up?

Eric Chu: I'll have to admit never having the chance to actually watch the original UFO as a child, but I am very familiar with the worlds of Gerry Anderson and have always been a great fan of puppetry and modelwork of any kind. The challenge in rethinking these designs was to keep the cool factor of the '70s aesthetic without being overtly retro. It's a bit of a balancing act, and one that is hard to get just right.

CinemaSpy: For UFO, it looks as though you chose to update the sensibility of the original designs, as opposed to starting with a completely blank canvas.

Eric Chu: Exactly. If I were to start with a blank canvas, you would only end up alienating your core fanbase. I like to start with the original concept, then push and pull the design so it makes (more) sense scientifically and visually. That isn't to say my designs are scientifically accurate, not by a long shot, but depending on the nature of the project, they at least hopefully give the impression of being plausible.

CinemaSpy: How do you approach a project design-wise? Where do you begin?

Eric Chu: By crawling into a dark corner and weeping quietly [laughs]. Then once I've gotten myself together and put a cool damp towel on my forehead, I start by scribbling shapes... trying to capture those elements that recall the basic original design without resorting to copying. This is the part where I am the most free and am able to explore any idea with a minimal amount of effort (and maximum amount of eraser crumbs).

CinemaSpy: Do you prefer coming up with entirely original work, or is it more fun to re-imagine stuff from someone else's sandbox?

Eric Chu: Of course it's easier to take an existing design and extrapolate from that. Even if the final design ends up completely different, at least it gives you a starting point from which to begin. However, it is always more satisfying if the design is completely your own. I compare it to the difference between being an editor, and a writer.

CinemaSpy: You're going to have a little fun with some other forthcoming genre properties. Can you give us a hint of what's next to come?

Eric Chu: I'm at an age where many of the shows I grew up with are now making a comeback, either for nostalgic reasons, or to be remade/re-imagined. And I'll just add that remaking and re-imagining are not necessarily bad as long as those in charge have a finger on the pulse of what made that show popular to begin with. If they are just trying to capitalize on a recognized title, then forget it, do your own original property and leave well enough alone.

But to answer your question, clearly the various titles in the Gerry Anderson catalog are prime candidates for making a comeback as well as being a designer's wet dream. Hopefully, you'll be seeing a little more of that. In addition, just keep watching for news of remakes in development or production. If it's design-worthy, you can be sure we'll be considering it for an upcoming Drawing on Imagination feature.

Incidentally, we fully realize that Eric is not the only produced concept designer out there, so if any of you feel an overwhelming need to shame him, or even just light a fire under his ass, feel welcome to submit your own designs. Each time we post a Drawing on Imagination feature — beginning with the next one — we'll announce the following title and a submission date. If you want to show off, here's your chance!