While he has been out promoting his latest project – the animated adventure TRON: Uprising - Lance Henriksen has stated that he believes a movie version of his cult television series Millennium could be hitting screens shortly. The show, created by Chris Carter (the man behind The X-Files) followed Frank Black (Henriksen), a member of the mysterious Millennium organization who had the skill of placing himself inside the mind of the criminal that he was tracking.
Millennium, which aired from 1996-1999, has a strong following and over the years there has been much discussion (and hope) that Henriksen’s Black would return to the screen in a movie adventure. Henriksen is of the opinion that now is the right time:
“I think it’s going to happen. I really do… There’s a big push on right now and there’s a lot of crazy people involved in it. They’ve written a book with interviews with everybody that was on the show including [Frank] Spotnitz and me… It’s crazy that you wouldn’t give it a shot. It doesn’t have to be a $30 million movie either. There’s a lot of fans out there in 65 countries. I can’t go into any other country without them wondering when the movie is going to be made.â€
The Aliens and Terminator actor went on to explain that the world has become a radically different place since Millennium ended its run thirteen years ago, and this change could be instrumental in the film’s plot:
“Ever since 9/11, the world has changed so radically. If Millennium was made today with those characters, it would be a far more interesting show than the limited palette they had with serial killers. I love the idea of a non-judgemental character like Frank Black was… He wanted to know why and how all these things happened, but he knew that judging someone for what they’ve done would just get in the way of finding out things. Imagine that kind of morality and focus, like a master chess player. There’s beads on a string and suddenly you’ve got a necklace. He knew how to do it. It would be much more interesting now than it was then.â€
It would seem like Henriksen is interested in taking a film version of Millennium in a new direction, and possibly moving it into politically charged territory on the worldwide playing field, much like 24’s Jack Bauer:
“When you trap a guy like Frank Black, who has that kind of imagination and you put him in a world like Bulgaria where everything is in Cyrillic and he can’t communicate actively with a lot of people, he has to do it in another way. I’ve thought of how it could be done. You just keep moving the pressure in on him about this kind of terrorist stuff. A terrorist plot. The pressure keeps building and building and building until you realize that that pressure gave him all the answers he needed. You would be gasping for air to wonder what is going to happen to this guy.â€
The television run for Millennium was cut short after just three seasons, and the final plot strands were tied up in an episode of its sister show The X-Files. That show went on to have two big feature films (to mixed results), and fans have always been eager to see Frank Black have the opportunity to continue his adventures on a larger canvas.
In 2009 we reported that Henriksen had been approached by private investors who wished to produce an independent film version of Millennium. At the time we spoke with Henriksen’s friend and his Bone Dry director Brett A. Hart, who told us of his interest in directing the potential film:
“As a tremendous admirer of “The Millennium Series†I’m of course very intrigued by the recent rumors that there may indeed be a full length feature on the horizon. If anyone can get “Millennium†made its Lance and it’s been a long time coming. It’s time to give the fans what they’ve been patiently waiting to see… More insight into the aberrant world of Frank Black… while further elevating and merging storylines, characterization and visuals… and finally closure for one of the finest series ever created. Let’s hope as the title sequence suggest “The Time is nearâ€â€¦ and As I’ve already publicly stated… my passion and conviction for the series is so deep that I’d direct “Millennium – The Movie†for free just to see it on the big screen.â€
There are complicated rights issues that need to be sorted if an independent producer wants to bring a Millennium film to the screen. The show is owned by 20th Century Fox, a studio that likes to maintain a firm grip on its franchise properties (rightly so, after it gave away the Star Wars sequel rights to George Lucas), but this could potentially be a risk-free way of making use of the Millennium brand, without having to stump up the cash.
This is all pure speculation, but if anyone is privy to such information then it would be Henriksen, who seems confident that a Millennium movie could be on the way.
