Roadside Picnic: The best sci-fi show never made? 

Aliens visited Left their trash And humans started picking through this alien trash

The Zone - Let's explore it! The Getto - Let's go around!

I’d really enjoy if roadside picnic didn’t become a soulless pile of shit to sell merchandise like the walking dead did (it was never good to begin with tbqh)

God, the end of the book was heartwrenching

"get out of here, stalker!"

"in truth there is no single rational answer. we have no reason to be here, but we're drawn to it, fascinated by it, and afraid of it. but no matter what, we can't resist its siren call"

HBO should make this series, it's the only producer that could make a high quality series to make justice to the novel and the stalker games.

Oh shit! I didn't know that was cancelled. I was expecting that show to be released any moment now... I am really dreaming about the show which would transfer the book to the screen without distorting original intricate philosophy of the book. There are many movie adaptations (in russian) of Stugatsky,s books and none of them are good on my taste. Thus, very sad news for me. PS: Your show is awesome, thanks!

It probably gor cancelled because they cast Monkey as a Mixed raced girl, which is hilarious imo but they would for sure get in trouble.

AMC adapting the Roadside Picnic? Close call... I hope a proper studio will do it.

I played all the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games and loved them

It pains me to see such great content in the dark after almost three years. Underrated channel. Great video brother.

More than about series being cancelled I am sorry about the fact that Strugatsky brothers had to struggle for eight years with several Soviet institutions in order to get their book published at all. Think about it, if they wrote this today and had such a success at hands, there would probably be many parts to come. I love SF genre and don't get me wrong, there are many good books written even nowadays and by western authors too, but Roadside Picnic was exceptional and Redrick Schuhart will stay with me forever.

The book is superior to the movie but the movie is legendary(fun fact it was shot twice). Anyway, the scene where the husband comes home I think to myself hmm why is this so familiar and roadside picnic comes to my mind, since I already knew the premise of the movie. Underrated book.

the concept developed by arkady and boris strugatsky in their novel implicitly hints at 'simultaneous multiple integration' of the human race by a series of alien species types via a method which is similar to 'hereditary parasitism' and 'morphic resonance' - rupert sheldrakes theory of species communication.... the novel was smuggled out of russia during the cold war and dissed by many jealous westerners... its very rewarding to see so many graphics students here and now getting interested in this enigmatic and prophetically possible narrative.... yeah yeah im old.... no lousy comments please... there is another russian novel which urgently needs readapting to the current high standard of cgi cinema and that is 'the master and margharita' by mikhail bulgakov a visionary whose brilliance suffered under the erratic vacillations of Stalin... so cmon someone do the right thing please.... thank you to the uploaders of this fine segment above

I can safely say it is a good thing that I don't mind if adaptations are faithful or not. Stalker is my favorite Tarkovksky film and my second favorite film of all time but let's be honest it is a piss poor adaptation of the book. Proof that a bad adaptation can still equal a great film or films. Great video by the way.

I work at the company that made the hazmat suits that the stalkers wore for the pilot, everyone was hopeful this series would get picked up as a lot of the plans they had for the series going forward were fantastic! since the hold on the suits is over it's assumed this show will never get picked up. Funny enough you can actually rent out those suits to use them in movies from my shop

Annihilation is a kind of adaption of the Roadside picnic

The making of adaptations of Roadside Picnic seems to cursed or something. The movie Stalker by Tarkovsky that was released is actually second version of that movie, as the first one was shot, but the film on which it was shot wasnt properly developed(or maybe spoiled purposefully?), so after loss of pretty much whole movie MOSFILM wanted to shutdown its development, but Tarkovsky persuaded them to make it as two-parts movie, to push deadlines and get some new funds to shoot the new movie. As for the differences, the first version had obviously larger budget and even involvement of soviet army, supplying many more tanks for the enviroments, also story-wise it seems to have been much closer to the book, than the final movie (you can hear some more info in a really good "Interview with Rashit Safiullin" you can find here on youtube.) STALKER game also wasnt concieved without issues, the final game seems to be also quite far from the original goal of STALKER Oblivion lost. And after success of the games, GSC even announced STALKER Tv-series, which unfortunately died shortly after with the end of GSC. Fate of Stalker 2 game also doesnt seem to be getting conclusion anytime soon. There was even Czech TV-movie adaptation of Roadside picnic called "Návštěva z Vesmíru" (Visit from space) in 1977 so even before the Stalker by Tarkovsky, but it just once aired in Czech TV, there is couple of accounts of people who saw it, and even people who were part of the shooting, by which it seems it was the closest thing to book so far. But when people asked the TV to air it again, it came to light that the Czech communist leadership at the time, didnt like the philosophical themes of the movie, and it was silently destroyed shortly after it was aired. Also there some other stalker-like projects that did get finished, like finnish movie Vyöhyke (Zone), which you can find and see here on youtube. Or also some movies by Konstantin Lopushanskiy (guy who was already in production crew of Tarkovsky s Stalker) like Dead Man's Letters (1986), Visitor of a Museum(1989), and The Ugly Swans(2006), although they dont reach the qualities of the Stalker by Tarkovsky, they quite nicely replicate/expand upon its atmosphere, with quite differently pointed stories. Plus there s a movie Третья планета (The Third Planet) from 1991 by Aleksandr Rogozhkin, telling another story of the zone from a completely different angle. And also there s a russian TV-series called Zona, which is still in-development, but similarly to Roadside picnic TV-series it seems to have problems with funding.

It would have been terrible. For a start, in the book his daughter, "Monkey", is a mutated child covered in hair due to her Father being exposed to the Zone so much. In this trailer she's a cute adorable kid you see every day in soap operas. This looks like watered down sci-fi full of beautiful people and their family drama. It's a relief this was never fully developed.

''Some traveling cooking show'' *stalker dies*

I read that Tarkovsky and a few others who worked on the film died of cancer related to the toxic environment in which the film Stalker was filmed - it was the *SAME TYPE* of cancer. This isn’t necessarily fact, but it is a suspicion that is pretty frequently repeated by numerous sources. So, it’s bleak in reality as well as in fiction.

Roadside Picnic is that is amazing book. The problem is that Roadside Picnic has a mystery box plot with an ambiguous ending and that has been done to death.

The movie Annihilation was a movie that's better than the book it's based on. It reminds me of Roadside Picnic.

I saw the movie back then. its just awesome, and like cube a real treasure for people who like philosophical thoughts. when i get the chance I will watch the pilot. as always a very intresting light episode. cant wait to hear your opinion on the soldier.

I skipped school to go and read roadside picnic. It is also the first book I pick up when Im flying somewhere. Its probably my favorite book.

Man I'd love to see that series. And I'd convince 10 people to watch as well.

i was hyped for the show but was really upset when it was cancelled

Hi! I played all the games (still playing. ;) ) read the book (and many others from A&B Strugatzkij) and saw the terkowskij film... I'm waiting for a film/series for this topic for a long time, cause it's really a great sujet, ich really hope they will make it!

I have a few props from the pilots, too bad it wasn

Awesome video, thank you very much. Edit: I've seen the movie Stalker would loved to see more about this world - movies or series pref.

SyFy's The Lost Room is kinda sorta a Roadside Picnic knockoff.

I just got this recommend, and didn't even know the show existed. Marked One, what the hell!?

The book itself spawned almost a whole new genre in Russian/East European literature. Book series Survarium was very much inspired by Roadside Picnic, there is also Survarium the game, but it never got past being a generic pay to win shooter sadly. There is also the book Metro 2033 with a bunch of sequels, and a game series in the same universe, both are very much inspired by, you guessed it, Roadside Picnic. It's a shame that it's not very known in the west.

If that Zone ever comes to this earth, BOOK ME THERE! Ill be taking first damn flight ASAP!

the book and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R games where great!

4:42 Ahhhhh they aint Technical Issues, They are Features lmao

Underrated video

I'd love an ANIME series as a variant

Classic Book and More Classic Film. One of the best from the old Soviet Union. Ironically (if you know what the story is about), "Stalker" was filmed in a Soviet toxic waste site and is believed to have led to the early demise of the director and several of the actors and film crew.

after last years Tencent adaptation of The Three Body Problem I really hope maybe Tencent will pick it up in the future. we can only hope

Given the teaser, the worst part is it's so clear that they picked the wrong actors and made the wrong creative decisions in order to try to distill the show down to a modern audience. If Red isn't an barely likable asshole, his entire character arc makes no sense, and him being a janitor rather than a lab-aid? Also makes no sense. The concept art and everything outside of that seems amazing, but everything including Guta and Red's now normal looking daughter just feels weird and out of place. How would red known that anything shot into an empty is reflected back? How? IN what scenario would he have learned that? I'm happy it was never made but I really wish it could have had better actors and a less overbearing producer. Roadside Picnic was a truly special book and easily my favorite. WHY ISN'T RED GINGER?

Have you heard that they started production on a STALKER kickstarter film? It’s called Shadow of the Zone, you should look into it

Good fucking thing is that we will probably get another stalker game in 2021

It requires too much thinking, for most people, I as a retired teacher am thinking? But, I think I think too much, or too little? Zone, thinking, maybe? LoL 🤔 ✌️

You know, I'm kinda glad it failed, because it would have probably turned out to be the first bad thing to come out of Roadside Picnic. (the book) Because there's the book, which is hailed as one of the best science fiction books of all time, even after not being printed in America until about 30 years after it was written. Then there's the movie, which at least in my opinion and many other Roadside Picnic fans was a great film. And then there's the most well known thing to come from Roadside Picnic, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video games, which are all absolutely amazing. Clear Sky is kinda iffy, but not a bad game, just a little broken in my opinion. So one book, a movie, and 3 games (hopefully a 4th someday) and not a bad example in site. And we all know a TV show like this would turn out like The Walking Dead, the same thing over and over. Maybe as a mini series or something, you know, one season and end it there, and it could have been good. But more than one season and I would imagine it would go downhill fast. So, in my opinion, the failure of this show is going to be beneficial in the long run to the Roadside Picnic and the Stalker name.

THey cancelled a Roadside Picnic tv show? This information just blew my whole day

“A roadside picnic probably doesn’t ring any bells” nah bro they’re ringing like kings landing surrendering to a dragon lol my whole life I’ve waited and guess I always will

Great episode! Keep it up

You should watch Annihilation, you will see why.

honestly if u wanna make a Roadside picnic/ Stalker Tv series dont place it in the USA!! It has an r eastern/ Slavic/russian charme. It needs it in it's adaptation too. Also I think what they did in the Stalker Games was pretty smart, putting the Zone into Chernobyl. It could also actually work as a TV show in Chernobyle. have ur characters struggle agains the wildlife, the anomalies, the mutants and competitors. For the run on Artefacts and espeshially the Wish Granter.

I think roadside picnic is one of the most underrated sci-fi worlds. It just came up too late, nowadays, much less people up for reading books or comics. So the movie companies stick to old franchises that had been promoted for a long time (since I guess 50?), like characters from Marvel or DC

THank you. You get it.

loved the book and loved the games.

Dangerous mutants!

Dammit! Never heard about this potential Roadside Picnic series. And another thing - it is the second time someone wants to make a Roadside Picnic series and it stops on a pilot episode. Such a shame.

Great video! I've played all the games multiple times as well as seen the movie and read the book, all of which I love. I recall that they left the 'alien' thing fairly open in the book too, only theorizing about it.

My dream adaptation would be like the Black Mirror. Different stories different people for each episode in the same setting.

Matthew goode has been let down so many times LOL this could be so awesomeee shame :(

I played STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl when it first came out. To this day, that is still my favorite game EVER made. Stalker is my favorite movie and Roadside Picnic is my favorite book!! If you haven't, read the Metro 2033 books. Super good!!

There are several recent quasi adaptations. Made in abyss and otherside picnic are manga/anime that run with the other dimension with strange rules of physics and terrible dangers, but potentially great riches. Metro 2033 is a shooter that captures a lot of the feel of strange things happening and decay of the normal laws of the world.

i didnt know it was going to be a series, nor it got cancelled. now im sad :(

Fortunately we got anime adaptation

Also, if i want someone doing this movie, it's Neil Bloomkamp

Yes, yes, and yes... Several times. I'm already a stalker, the Zone have me. XD. I also, writinga role playing game, (adapted myself), call STALKER Zone Picnic. But also you can find some other fanmade rpg call STALKAN and Staklker, in the web. Most in finland language. (Mine is spanish).

I highly recommend listen to Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails while reading Roadside Picnic. Incredible read.

if they release a S.T.A.L.K.E.R mmorpg it would be insane

Imagine if David Lynch had made the series

have you seen the Anime Urasekai Picnic?

I advice to watch Dark Planet (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Planet_(film)), great adoption of the first book of the dawn series, from the original writers of the Roadside picknik. Also, if you can get it, read the Damned City, also from the Strugackij brothers.

It will be picked one day for production, again, I promise you that. The impact the book had on Russian sci-fi culture is still seen today, in books and games like Metro 2033/34/35. And I think it's probably a good thing AMC dropped it, as they WOULD have fucked it up, this just means more time for the wine to age, and eventually a better story and show/movie will emerge. The damn story was too good, it won't continue to go unnoticed.

Maybe A24 can do this book justice? I love the Stalker 1979 film but its different from the book.

Nice!

Technical issues in the games?? I think we call them anomalies

it should be entirely in russian, directed by a russian tho, to add to realism, immersion and atmosphere

I took the meaning primarily as a treatise on mankind leaving junk and litter wherever he goes, of operating as though there is no life besides his own that he need care about. Aliens come by, have a picnic and leave without any regard of the wildlife in the area. They may not even know that any exists. Reminiscent of a group of humans deciding to camp out in the forest, pitching tents, having a camp fire, spraying the area with pesticides, spending the night and leaving batteries, kerosene, maybe gunpowder and God knows what else in the morning.

*this show allowed the spiders to become a 'zone' for filmic novels to film their literacy before a Monkey*

Have you ever read the novels based off the Stalker games? They are huge in Russia and there are a lot. There are around 15 official ones written by fans of the games and other writers and they are approved by the devs over at GSC and are official but not cannon. Although they are huge all but 2 are only in Russian and German. There are 2 in English and were done by fans and even had physical release they were taken down for sale by GSC and became public domain. Now if you want to talk about unofficial stalker novels but still up for sale you have around 80 books.

From what clips you showed it looked like it would be a usa version, i feel like the zone isnt the zone without the soviet post apocalyptic enviroment

that is one of the best books

This show could have been amazing! Why do they cancel everything I love?

Приятно знать, что вам, американцам, нравится наша современная культура)

Where can I see the pilot?

Why have i never heard of this channel

Book is great

*stalker fans joined The chat*

SO MANY BOOKS WAS WRITING IN RUSSIA ABOUT STALKER'S ZONA. SO MANY GOOD BOOKS. MOST OF IT IS SERIAL BOOKS. Sometimes, in 90s, stage-directors think up promoion's videos for business. It was realy small films. In 2000s the books about Stalker was one the first book's promoion about games in Russia. Talanted autors wrote the books ((

The Metro 2033 novel and game do a great job of recreating that atmosphere that Stalker had. It feels like the reincarnation of that world.

hey you, Stalker...

I think Stalker is about Human's relationship with techology. Its all this stuff we find in the zone. Some of it is horrible, some of it is too good and messes up society. An advanced civilization considers this their trash, but to us it is wonderous. Just like a simple metal knife would be a huge deal to a stone age tribesman.

Oh no I am glad this didn't work. Current cultural goals in media entertainment and their values would've mutated the story into some washed out, generic flick with no real depth to it. No, as it goes right now, its better left for some future time, when trends start to shift from the boring pattern they are atm, and both the technology and production costs are way better.

Darn shame Edit: They are working on stalker 2 so its ok elelelelel

Annihilation

There was going to be a SHOW!? Why can't we have nice things...?

I actually don't think that a creation of series for this franchise is a good idea (atleast, by an American standard). The soul of the franchise will be replaced by your typical hbo / amc dramatisation and its gonna be The Walking Dead but with mutants instead of zombies

But the pilot episode didn't really look Slav enough for me. Thats one part I love about stalker . Slav Lifestyle

It's so weird. I can't watch this video, it stops 10 seconds in...

The funny thing is that it wasn't even the first "stalker" tv show that was cancelled. About a decade ago (i think) the developers of the game wanted to make their own tv show based on the games and even shot the pilot starring pretty famous at the time russian actor who apparently was a big fan of the games. I tried looking for the trailer but i couldn't find it(.

STALKER 2

Urasekai Picnic anime brought me here