War of the Worlds

H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, also known as Invasion and H. G. Wells' The Worlds in War internationally, or simply as War of the Worlds, is a direct-to-DVD science fiction horror film produced by The Asylum and directed by David Michael Latt. It is a loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel The War of the Worlds, and a mockbuster of the DreamWorks/Paramount film based on the same source. A contemporary translation of the novel set in the United States, War of the Worlds tells of a devastating invasion of Earth by technologically-advanced extraterrestrials, from the perspective of an American astronomer trying to reunite with his wife and son. It is the only adaptation besides the 1953 film in which the main character actively tries to repel the aliens. The film is loosely based on an unproduced screenplay called "Invasion", written by Carlos De Los Rios in 1997. The DVD was released on June 28, one day before DreamWorks' film, and stars C. Thomas Howell, Peter Greene, and Jake Busey. The alternate title of Invasion is likely for the film's overseas distribution since Paramount Pictures claims to own exclusive film rights of the War of the Worlds title in the European Union, but also derives from the original name of De Los Rios's screenplay. The film is The Asylum's most successful production to date, having sold over 250,000 copies from Blockbuster upon its release. A sequel, War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave, was released in 2008.