Books to Movies --> what should be next?

[Harpo]

I would like to see one director making a series of films from the books of Tom Robbins. They are quite odd and bizarre, and share a similar feel collectively.

 

[AlexH]

The Reckoners by Brandon Sanderson might make a good blockbuster type movie series. It would be pretty difficult to screw it up too badly, it's one of those series that is screaming to be put on the big screen.

Steelheart - IMDb Fingers crossed!

 

[MaxiPower]

Anyone know of any projects to keep an eye out for? LIke the Witcher series getting love soon.

 

[TGStigmata]

Well I'd kill for Eragon to get a real chance. And I'm still waiting on Artemis Fowl. It's been way too long for that series to get a film adaptation. I still have low hopes for it sadly.
After seeing the warcraft movie, I'd love to see the Forgotten Realms or other DnD worlds get some movie love. The Icewind Dale Trilogy could make a cool movie series. Doubt it would ever happen, but I think this would be the time for it.

 

[Caledfwlch]

I would love to see an adaption if Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles - a King Arthur tale based strongly on the original Welsh legends and set in a realistic Dark Ages / early 6th/late 5th century Ynys Prydain/Island of britain/brittania.

Arthur is no King but the illigitimate son of King Uther of Dumnonia a Welsh/Briton kingdom in what is now south west England (Avon, Somerset etc} Arthur returns from fighting in Armorica {one of the briton founded kingdoms that became the modern Brittany) where he is helping to defend the lands ruled by Ynys Trebes (modern Isle of Mont Saint Michel) from invasion by the German barbarian Frank's. On his deathbed Uther makes Arthur oath swear to protect his half brother Medraut (Mordred) and see him safely onto the throne when of age (Medraut is a new born)
And it kicks off from there no Christian Kings searching out holy grails, just a pagan warlord fighting to defend Britain from the hordes of. Barbarians iwho one day would become the English, nvading the island of the mighty. In his historical notes Bernard apologises for including a character called lancelot as he was not in the original Welsh legends, but Bernard's lancelot is a. Vile coward and a seriously bad person.

 

[BAYLOR]

I would love to see an adaption if Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles - a King Arthur tale based strongly on the original Welsh legends and set in a realistic Dark Ages / early 6th/late 5th century Ynys Prydain/Island of britain/brittania.

Arthur is no King but the illigitimate son of King Uther of Dumnonia a Welsh/Briton kingdom in what is now south west England (Avon, Somerset etc} Arthur returns from fighting in Armorica {one of the briton founded kingdoms that became the modern Brittany) where he is helping to defend the lands ruled by Ynys Trebes (modern Isle of Mont Saint Michel) from invasion by the German barbarian Frank's. On his deathbed Uther makes Arthur oath swear to protect his half brother Medraut (Mordred) and see him safely onto the throne when of age (Medraut is a new born)
And it kicks off from there no Christian Kings searching out holy grails, just a pagan warlord fighting to defend Britain from the hordes of. Barbarians iwho one day would become the English, nvading the island of the mighty. In his historical notes Bernard apologises for including a character called lancelot as he was not in the original Welsh legends, but Bernard's lancelot is a. Vile coward and a seriously bad person.

tv series for 3 seasosn each season for one the books. That would work nicely. Perhaps the BBC might give it a try.

 

[Vince W]

tv series for 3 seasosn each season for one the books. That would work nicely. Perhaps the BBC might give it a try.

ITV did a good job with Sharpe so I think they should be the ones to attempt it.

 

[Caledfwlch]

Vince I am going to agree and disagree with you here!!
Sean bean despite having the wrong physique, accent and hair colour was awesome as we're the rest of the chosen men - the acting and casting was always great and omg Pete Postlethwaite as Hakeswill was just inspired.

Where itv messed up was budget and extras despite filming abroad in cheap locations. I mean they fought the battle of Waterloo with about 30 extras for deities sake!!
By the time of filming Waterloo, Sharpe was a massive hit success and I imagine sold Al around the world - they could have splashed out a bit. In fact I'm not too keen on the Indian stories they did set after the peninsular wars, much of that is because I am very annoyed they didn't do sharples devil which is possibly my fave novel!!

Come on Colonel Sharpe (albeit a Dutch rank) teamed with Admiral, His Lordship Thomas Cochrane fighting the wicked Spanish Empire in the cause of Chilean Freedom!!! The taking of the 5 forts would look amazing on screen.

I suspect that warlord chronicles will be either a CBS/BBC Co production or a sky 1 one - bad wolf productions the company set up by 2 senior BBC managers who helped bring Dr who back in 2005 {Jane tranter) is one has some sort of deal set up with CBS (think it's them) for I think funding and bad wolf has already done a couple of very successful sff/horror style shows for sky (to our cousins across the pond Sky is a satellite television company)

Bad Wolf have also it seems managed to get off Bernard Cornwell the licence to film Warlord Chronicles but there's no data on whether they plan a TV show or films.

Baylor has the right idea methinks a short series of 3 seasons with each season covering a book.
A lot of English and American viewers will get quite a shock seeing Arthur not as an English king protecting England. Ut as a Welsh hero and warlord fighting to protect Britain from the English lol

 

[Foxbat]

I'd like to see Julian May's Saga Of The Exiles. Of course, it would have to be a series of films or maybe even a miniseries. With CGI nowadays, it should be pretty straightforward to show the creation of the Mediterranean, all those flying knights, hominids and plesiosaurs, as well as all the telepathy, creativity etc

 

[CupofJoe]

If I had a wish list and about $2billion, then...

The Peshawar Lancers by SM Stirling
Loved the setting and the story. It would look BEAUTIFUL!

Tiffany Aching stories by Terry Pratchett; The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, I Shall Wear Midnight, The Shepherd's Crown.
These are probably the most adaptable of the Discworld stories. Any or all of them as mini-series or a five film arc. I could see it as family friendly or something more grown up.

Legend by David Gemmell
I can't believe that this hasn't been made in to a film already, maybe the world has become too cynical to accept a hero like Druss. But the ending could be so poignant if done right.

and last but not least...
Surfing Samurai Robots by Mel Gilden
"Meet Zoot, an alien in a trenchcoat, searching for truth in a city of sex, violence and good rays." - What's not to love...

 

[Vince W]

Vince I am going to agree and disagree with you here!!
Sean bean despite having the wrong physique, accent and hair colour was awesome as we're the rest of the chosen men - the acting and casting was always great and omg Pete Postlethwaite as Hakeswill was just inspired.

It's one of those situations where the actor had the character down so perfectly you don't notice the differences physically.

 

[Caledfwlch]

I'm not sure I agree that the tiffany pratchett stories are the most adaptable - the mac nag feegles are going to require serious cgi.

I really enjoyed sky ones adaptions of going postal and Hogfather - colour of magic was OK too. With digital backdrops and a sharp location spotting team, ank morpork isn't an impossible place to create on screen.

I'd love to see some of the Sam Vines novels onscreen. One thing that always baffled me is that under vimes, the city watch are basically analogous to 1850s London met police yet they still wear armour and stuff. I love the whole thing with imp powered speed cameras and horse and carts and even the odd surprised troll being clamped.

It's a subtle thing in discworld but it's lovely seeing how the city and its tech and culture develop over the novels. Random fact - the later discworld novels date wise are effectively iirc the late 1990s - I believe Vetinari went to the assassins guild to study in the teippy 1960s..

 

[CupofJoe]

I'm not sure I agree that the tiffany pratchett stories are the most adaptable - the mac nag feegles are going to require serious cgi.

I really enjoyed sky ones adaptions of going postal and Hogfather - colour of magic was OK too. With digital backdrops and a sharp location spotting team, ank morpork isn't an impossible place to create on screen.

I'd love to see some of the Sam Vines novels onscreen. One thing that always baffled me is that under vimes, the city watch are basically analogous to 1850s London met police yet they still wear armour and stuff. I love the whole thing with imp powered speed cameras and horse and carts and even the odd surprised troll being clamped.

It's a subtle thing in discworld but it's lovely seeing how the city and its tech and culture develop over the novels. Random fact - the later discworld novels date wise are effectively iirc the late 1990s - I believe Vetinari went to the assassins guild to study in the teippy 1960s..

I'd love to see a decent adaptation of the City Watch and Sam Vimes but I think the tone of them would be harder to get right for most people to enjoy. I'd love to see them as really dark comedies, others would want to play them more for laughs. And the casting of Vimes would have to be nailed tight. Bob Peck could have done it, I think. But alas, not to be.
That is why I think the Tiffany Aching stories would work better. They are more even in tone and a fresh-faced new actor could make the role fit them.
And as for CGI, so much is done in CGI now that I can't see the mac nag feegles being much of a problem. Just look at the CGI and motion capture that has been in recent Planet of the Apes films, let alone the Avengers or Avatar films. Even some of the New York street scenes in Infinity War were CGI with the actors on a green screen set... not the special effect, the street itself...
And on a personal note, I thought the Sky adaptation I saw [Hogfather?] was deadly slow and dull. They seemed to go out of their way to rob any light and humour out of it.

 

[Caledfwlch]

I quite liked the lass who played Susan Sto-Helit in hogdsther she seemed to do a pretty decent job but the budget was clearly low from what I recall the sets and scenery were really cheap and tatty esp the tooth fairy Palace. And Marc Warren was really chewing up the scenery as Mr teatime though at same time wonderfully freaky.

 

[Vince W]

I think the time is ripe for films about 'Slippery Jim' DiGriz and Jame Reteif. Both would offer action, humour, and compelling stories without relying on vast amounts of gratuitous CGI.

 

[logan_run]

Forever war

 

[Vince W]

Forever war

Tough one. I'd love to see it, but I think it would be quite difficult to adapt into a film your average film-goer would enjoy or understand.

 

[logan_run]

Give it to Taratino

 

[Galactic Bus Driver]

I would love to see an adaption if Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles - a King Arthur tale based strongly on the original Welsh legends and set in a realistic Dark Ages / early 6th/late 5th century Ynys Prydain/Island of britain/brittania.

Arthur is no King but the illigitimate son of King Uther of Dumnonia a Welsh/Briton kingdom in what is now south west England (Avon, Somerset etc} Arthur returns from fighting in Armorica {one of the briton founded kingdoms that became the modern Brittany) where he is helping to defend the lands ruled by Ynys Trebes (modern Isle of Mont Saint Michel) from invasion by the German barbarian Frank's. On his deathbed Uther makes Arthur oath swear to protect his half brother Medraut (Mordred) and see him safely onto the throne when of age (Medraut is a new born)
And it kicks off from there no Christian Kings searching out holy grails, just a pagan warlord fighting to defend Britain from the hordes of. Barbarians iwho one day would become the English, nvading the island of the mighty. In his historical notes Bernard apologises for including a character called lancelot as he was not in the original Welsh legends, but Bernard's lancelot is a. Vile coward and a seriously bad person.

I would pay the extortionate entry fees at the theater, something I rarely do, to see this.

 

[Vince W]

Give it to Taratino

No. An anti-war film would not be Tarantino's thing.