MovieChat Forums > The Time Machine (2002) Discussion > Why the name change from the original?

Why the name change from the original?

posted 13 years ago by kcdee
3 replies | jump to latest

All the other characters had the same names as in the original, so why is the main character called Alexander Hartdegen when in the original he is George (H.G. Wells)?

[–] hafabee 13 years ago

It's been a while since I read The Time Machine but I don't recall the main character having a name.

[–] alan118552 12 years ago

He was George in the original movie but in the book he was only refered to as "the time traveler"

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[–] mcdemuth 9 years ago

All the other characters had the same names as in the original, so why is the main character called Alexander Hartdegen when in the original he is George (H.G. Wells)?

A couple of simple reasons.

As I recall, H.G. Wells was from London, England. Alexander Hartdegen was an American.

But, as you should recall from watching the movie, in the scene where Alexander asks VOX, about Time Travel... VOX tells him about some science stuff concerning the "Time Machine" by American Scientist Alexander Hartdegen. Alexander then asks VOX to tell him about "The Time Machine", VOX tells him it was a novel written by "H.G. Wells", then became the George Pal Movie, then a Musical.

Alexander Hartdegen was an American Scientist and school teacher, not an English Novelist. TWO entirely different people (characters.)