 The two met when Gordon was hired to film a four-part adaptation of Haldeman's novel "The Forever War", but when funding for the project was cut, Gordon instead directed a stage adaptation of the book, which Haldeman also wrote.Two years later, Gordon asked Haldeman to work on a science fiction adaptation of the "Iliad"; the idea would form the basis for what eventually became "Robot Jox".Haldeman claimed his and Gordon's visions for the film clashed