"Neo-Nazis" are now the villains in the film version of Tom Clancy's THE SUM OF ALL FEARS

Aint-it-cool-news and other websites ^ | 3/10/02 | self

[denydenydeny]

The first inkling that I can find reporting that the villains in the film version of Tom Clancy's The Sum of All Fears had been changed was on Harry Knowles's aint-it-cool-news website, on 3/14/01. The report, from an extra on the film, indicated that he'd seen the shooting script and

I glanced at the page it was opened on, and it said something about "Ukraine not producing much but being all over online". i guess that confrims that the "enemy" isn't Muslim but East European.

Most of the comments on the site at the time were negative remarks concerning the casting of Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan, replacing Harrison Ford. Only a few of the people complained about the change of villains at the time:

Well, apparently they are changing so far: 1) the enemy 2)Jack's age 3)his job 4)his marital status 5) his life experiences. Great. Just great. I guess he never was a Marine, or a stockbroker, or a teacher, or a FATHER. He's just some punk in the CIA. Oh yeah. This movie will be awesome. "pun" intended.

Later, another website reported the full summary of the script, confirming that the movie changes the villains from Muslim terrorists to neo-nazis:

A shady neo-nazi group headed by a mysterious Austrian billionaire (Alan Bates) is trying to set up World War III. To begin the onslaught, they set off an atomic bomb in Chechnya. The American government is shocked thinking the Russians did that themselves. The President (James Cromwell) issues a warning to Russia not to aggravate the situation. Investigating the situation in Russia is a lowly CIA agent, Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck), who's being mentored by a presidential advisor (Morgan Freeman). Looming in the background is the next step of the plan, setting off an atomic device on American soil.

I had not been following the progress of the film, so I was not aware of this change. The trailer for the movie was released on 2/28/02, and is linked here.

By the time the trailer was ready, of course, the events of September 11th had pushed the issue of Islamic terrorism into public consciousness. The comments on aint-it-cool-news were pretty much unanimous on the subject:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't SUM OF ALL FEARS(the book) have the villians as ARAB TERRORISTS?? If so, doesn't having them as Nazis in the movie make Paramount's sum of testicles zero? CAN WE AT LEAST BE ACCURATE AND HONEST ABOUT WHO THE TERRORISTS REALLY ARE???? I'm sorry if it offends good-meaning Arabs, and I'm not defending Nazism at all, but the fact is the WTC wasn't destroyed by the NEO-NAZI'S!!! While Neo-Nazi's are definately evil people, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE that they have the skill, the will, or the means to carry out an attack of nuclear magnitude. 9-11 proved that Islamic Fundamentalist Arabs do have the skill, the means, and the motivation to attack the U.S. and Israel with such devestation. Clancy knew that when he wrote it and Paramount sold him out.

Obviously the story here has caved in to the conventions of political correctness. But, remember the terrorists due manage to succesfully detonate the nuke during the super bowl. Can you imagine the backlash against pandering terror hysteria? Scaring people is one thing, depriving them of sleep is quite another. Even entertainment disguised as hyper-real political thrillers must have a conscience.

Talk about plot inconsistency - can anyone, anyone give me a valid explanation for why European neo-Nazis would want to quote-unquote "Rekindle the Cold War"? Deep-seeded vengeance for WWII? Come on, that's the most retarded thing I've ever heard.

DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE!!! It's PC Garbage!!! Comment: The moment it was announced that the studio changed the ISLAMIC terrorist antagonists into Neo-Nazis, this movie was destined for failure. The reson why Tom Clancy made the terrorists ISLAMIC RADICALS, is because he writes real-world political fiction! The books are semi-beieveable because the readers know these scenarios are possible! Thats what makes Tom Clancy novels good. Has anyone in the USA and UK turned on the TV and seen the middle east?? All of Assyria are murdering each other over a thousand year holy war! They are obviously insane and are bent on GENOCIDE! The last group to do this were the Germans and They are considered to be evil. Maybe Neo-nazis were the antagonists in the screenplay because they are white and we all unfortunatey know what happens when you have non-white stereotypes...outrage. The reason that middle-east people are depicted as terrorists is that 95% of them are bent on world destruction! Sorry Affleck, I want you to succed, but I refuse to see this Politically Correct propaganda...

The myriad ways they've changed SoaF around for the movie version must make it the suckiest adaptation of all damned time. And I'm not just talking about trying to avoid pissing off the whole Muslim world either. Fucking arrogant Hollywood shitheads. Clancy himself should have done the script for a mini-series on HBO.

Only white racists make realistic villains in the fantasy land that is Hollywood Comment: As far as I am concerned, Neo-Nazi fascists can burn in hell. However, I am convinced that that movement consists of about 10 inbred idiots living in a shack in rural Idaho. Meanwhile, 75 percent of people in the Arab world believe that Jews are responsible for the WTC and Pentagon attacks and that there are a lot of them who would like to see a nuke go off during the Superbowl. It is obvious that these spineless Hollywood bastards think that only white, racists make good villains. I am glad to see that my fellow geek brothers and sisters see through this crap. Semper Fi

They changed the Islamic terrorists to NEONAZIS? Why the heck would neonazis want to nuke the Super Bowl? The end of the book has the President deciding to wildly nuke the Middle East in retaliation and Jack Ryan talking him out of it. Making the terrorists neonazis totally ruins the end dynamic of the story! God, what typical Hollywood pandering. I'm right in the target demographic for this movie: young male, Tom Clancy fan, Ben Affleck fan. But because of this PC crap, I refuse to see this movie. I hope the reduced box office for this film was worth the ass kissing of the Muslim activists. PS: This is even worse than what they did with "Rising Sun," making the killer an American instead of Japanese.

I saw the trailer today before We Were Soldiers, and it makes very clear who the terrorists are, with a prominent shot of Alan Bates's swastika watch--what all the neo-Nazis are wearing this year, apparently.

[Michael2001]

If the movie is going bad when it's released maybe they can stage a protest by fake neo-Nazi's claiming hollywood is discriminating against them.

I like that idea. Me and some of my buddies should go out and protest that this movie is sure to spark attacks on innocent peace loving neo-Nazi's like myself (for those of you who love hitting the abuse button, note: I am not a neo-nazi just having some fun).

[Michael2001]

Won't benefit from my money. If it fails, it fails. The most dangerous people in the world right now are Arab or Muslim or both. To pretend otherwise is to pretend.

What are you talking about? Obviously evil white neo-Nazi's are the most dangerous people in the world, about to start WWIII (NOT!).

[liliana]

i watched that interview, taped it too,and you're correct, that is what he said.

[E Rocc]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't SUM OF ALL FEARS(the book) have the villians as ARAB TERRORISTS?? If so, doesn't having them as Nazis in the movie make Paramount's sum of testicles zero?

Apparently Paramount didn't really read the book.

I just re-read it. Clancy made it perfectly clear in the book that he had tons of respect for "mainstream" Islam, and that the terrorists were not only a fringe group but an abomination of true Islam.

Hell, he had the Saudis try and then execute the terrorists because neither Colorado nor the federal government had a death penalty (the book was written in 1991).

Sheeesh....

-Eric

[hchutch]

At the time, it's probably the best he could do. He's had run-ins before with Hollywood about the books. In fact, for Patriot Games, he had his name removed from the credits.

The fact is that there are a lot of Leftists in Hollywood, which means that conservatives will get the short end of the stick more often than not. Right now, the key is for us to make a "Long March", much the way the Left did. Work our way to the point where we can start putting out stuff that we like.

Complaining is easy. Why not try to write something of your own? Jeff Head has started on that path. I'm also working on that front as well (both screenplays and novels). But we're not going to make any gains unless we get some good stuff in front of those producers.

[Publius6961]

Do I understand this correctly: Tom Clancy wrote it, that Arabs and moslems were the bad buys in the book, but for the movie, this has been changed to "neo-Nazis"?

Correct. The "neo-nazis" were created as a red herring to divert from the activities of the "neo-commies", and the great unwashed swallowed it hook line and sinker. Personally the threat of the "neo-nazis" to my community my family and myself is off my radar screen.

Neo-commies (multiculturalism and PC-anything) is a whole other story. They are the clear and present danger.
As is Islam.
In my universe, the Saudis can spend millions, and it won't change reality.
As for the movie? *yawn*...
I already enjoyed the book and can re-read it any time I want.

[KC_Conspirator]

Are you kidding me? This is bull$hit. The whole premise of the movie is that arab terrorists stumble upon an unexploded atom bomb in the Golan Heights lost from an Isreali jet during the 73' war. This changes the whole movie as the arab terrorists try to find engineers to arm the bomb and find a way to sneak it into the USA for the Superbowl.

[Publius6961]

(Don't flame...I'm Irish Catholic.)

Then how would you know the difference?
Hmmmmmmmmmm?

[sheik yerbouty]

The villains were Arabs of the jihadist variety.

[Publius6961]

I'm currently halfway through Without Remorse" and so far it is the best of the series I have read.

In his recent long interview on CSpan, Clancy mentioned this as his "most fun" book since his protagonist could be bad mean and conscienceless, the opposite of his usual hero.
Kinda tell us where you are doesn't it.

probly a heartless mean exploiting homophobe racist imperialist ba*****!

[piasa]

The only difference between a neo nazi and a muslim terrorist is the muslim extremist says "inshalla" after virtually every sentence and thinks suicide-bombing is acceptable if you can talk someone into doing it. Ideologically speaking, they are pretty much the same: "Our problems are someone else's fault and we need violent revolution to kill the people responsible for our failure to lift ourselves from the status of losers."

That said, the movie producers probably aren't aware that the arguments and propaganda that emanates from neo nazis and muslim extremists is so similar- hollywood clearly wants to change the villains in the movie to white neonazis because white neonazis won't sue, and because hollywood thinks neo nazis are right wing extremists when in fact they are far closer to left wing extremists than they are to the mainstream right. Fascism and communism are two sides of the same coin... both are harmful to individual liberty because both are 'group rights' ideologies. Hollywood isn't bright enough to figure that out.

Movie producers should leave major parts of the plot alone, as the author wrote them, and forget about social engineering.

[grumpster-dumpster]

Then how would you know the difference?
Hmmmmmmmmmm?

I'm not an insurance agent...that's how!

[sheik yerbouty]

A site, which previously showed these links is "Radio Islam". They may have been shut down after 9/11. The jihadists and the neo nazis have had an unnatural relationship for quite awhile!

[dcwusmc]

Not on MY list of films to see... now if you talk about We Were Soldiers, that is on my BUY list, especially after seeing Mel Gibson in it!

[dts32041]

Naw they would never do Rainbow Six, that way.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

LOL I have no idea !

[Britton J Wingfield]

As much as I hate neo nazis (and still have some bootprints on my skull as souveniers), I'd rather they leave the original villians intact. Then again, they'll butcher all the other aspects of a fine novel, they might as well do that one as well.

[RabidBartender]

I believe Clancy has stated on several occasions that once he hands it off to the scriptwriters, it is out of his hands. The Executive Producer title is merely an honorary thing.

If he is unhappy about how the movie was made, he won't say anything to jeopardize ticket sales or future movie deals.

I'm not seeing the movie, and am half-heartedly considering mailing my dog-eared copy of SoaF to the moronic scriptwriter who spewed this crap.

[Tao Yin]

I'm sill confused why they changed the bad guys so as not to offend. Islamic jihadists setting off a nuclear bomb in the US would have been a huge draw for Arabs. As we've seen from 9-11, they tend to cheer and praise their god when Americans die.