Erwin Stoff, Scott Dickinson and Jeffrey Okun reveal the secrets that went into making a modern-day version of the 1951 sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves.

Since its release in 1951, the original black-and-white version of sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still has become something of a classic.

But by today’s standards the visual effects are primitive.

Finding a way to preserve the film and yet modernise it was one of the challenges facing the team behind the remake.

The latest version remains true to the director Robert Wise’s movie, which tells the story of an alien Klaatu – played by Keanu Reeves - who comes to Earth to warn mankind that they must live peacefully or be destroyed because humans are a potential threat to the rest of the universe.

This, however, was not enough.

"You'd better have a good reason to remake a classic film," director Scott Derrickson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose") says. "But there's value in telling this story to people who won't have seen the original and won't know that story."

Keanu Reeves stars as Klaatu in this remake of the sci-fi classic about a cold and seemingly emotionless alien who comes to Earth to sit in judgment of mankind. (On Blu-Ray/BD and DVD.)

In many ways, The Day The Earth Stood Still is about saving the Earth. What are you doing in your personal lives to help save the planet? What do you do for the environment?

“All I can. I recycle, a couple of solar panels, and some rainforest conservation.”

Wasn’t The Day The Earth Stood Still done as a “green” production?

“Yeah, and I made this movie, too.”

It’s such an important message—the idea that it’s not our Earth but the Earth—that’s within this film. To that end, do you have a Green New Year’s resolution? Is there one you would like to see people start to implement?