How did "Lord of Light" become "Argo"?

How did "Lord of Light" become "Argo"? - Brown Wooden Blocks on White Table

The movie Argo depicts the extraction of six embassy workers who were hiding in Iran during the hostage crisis that began in 1979. To get their expert into the country and to rescue the hiding embassy workers, the CIA created a ruse that the expert was working on a science fiction movie named "Argo" and scouting locations in Iran that might be used for filming. To make their story more believable, the CIA used a script that Hollywood had rejected.

Something that has always puzzled me is how did the unmade/fake movie get the name "Argo"? The novel on which it was to be based is called "Lord of Light" by Roger Zelazny. If the space ship in it had been named "Argo", that would have made sense. However, the name was "Star of India". Furthermore, the name "Argo" references Greek mythology, while the mythology in the book is Hindu and Buddhist. Thus the name "Argo" doesn't fit. How did the name come about?



Best Answer

According to this interview:

Did Tony actually use a real Hollywood script to help create the cover story?

Yes. Tony and John Chambers (John Goodman in the movie) picked the script from a pile of manuscripts that had been previously submitted to Chambers for his consideration. Based on the award-winning 1967 Roger Zelazny sci-fi novel Lord of Light, the script was in part chosen because it was complicated and hard to follow. It also celebrated Islam to a certain degree. These two attributes, coupled with the growing popularity of science fiction films following the success of Star Wars, made it an excellent choice. -CIA.gov

Where did the title "Argo" come from?

The title "Argo" that Tony and John Chambers gave to the screenplay came from Greek mythology, specifically it is the name of Jason and the Argonauts' ship that they sailed to the sacred garden to rescue the Golden Fleece from the clutches of the many-headed dragon. "This precisely described the situation in Iran," states Tony.

So, Argo was not the name of the script submitted, it was a name given to the script by the C.I.A.




Pictures about "How did "Lord of Light" become "Argo"?"

How did "Lord of Light" become "Argo"? - Black Wooden Framed Wall Art
How did "Lord of Light" become "Argo"? - White and Red Letter Blocks
How did "Lord of Light" become "Argo"? - White and Pink I Love You Letter Blocks





Argo's real Tony Mendez and the Real Lord of Light Script




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Brett Jordan, Yudha Aprilian, DS stories, DS stories