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Books you'd like to see adapted to film (or limited series)


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On 3/29/2018 at 8:44 AM, Viper said:

Old Man's War would be great.

It’s been picked up again. Scalzi says Netflix now has it, and it’s being written/in pre-production. 

https://www.tor.com/2017/12/07/john-scalzi-old-mans-war-adaptation-movie-netflix/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2017/12/07/old-mans-war-in-development-at-netflix/

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So here’s some lively holiday news: An Old Man’s War movie is currently in development at Netflix. Surprise! Here are the details over at Deadline.com. I’m pretty happy about this.

And now, your questions:

Are you excited?

Hell, yes. One, because I would love to see an OMW movie. But also, two, Netflix is a place where a lot of fantastic entertainment is happening these days. It’s trying a lot of things and taking a lot of chances, and most people I know who are working with Netflix are thrilled about being there right now. It really seems like it could be a great place for the OMW universe.

So is this a movie or TV series?

It’s a movie. On your television!

(Or computer or phone or monitor or wherever you choose to watch Netflix, I don’t judge.)

But can a two to three hour movie truly hold the vastness and complexity of Old Man’s War?

I mean, yeah. It’s a pretty speedy story in that first book. And as to the rest of the universe of the series, if the first OMW movie works and people watch it and like it (hint, hint), we can have sequels. There are six books! We have lots to work with.

Who is going to be in the film? You should get [insert favorite filmmaker/actor here]!

Whoa, there. This is the development announcement, where we announce the studio (Netflix) and the producers (Jon Shestack Productions and Madhouse Entertainment). Now that we’re all on board with making the movie, we’ll start putting all the puzzle pieces together. Don’t worry; when we pick folks, we’ll probably do follow-up announcements.

Hey, wasn’t Old Man’s War in development as a movie, and a TV series, before?

Indeed it was. It was in development at Paramount for a while as a movie, and then at Syfy as a TV series.

What happened?

It just didn’t work out. Both times, really smart folks did a really excellent job and tried to make it happen, but the entertainment industry is what it is, and the stars didn’t align.

But this time will be different!

Well, yes, I hope so. It would be nice. I think we have the studio and producers to make it happen.

How long has this been percolating?

I got the rights to OMW back in the summer. We fielded pitches and offers and then in October, while I was out in California, I had a meeting with the producers. After that it was just waiting on contracts.

Man, lawyers, am I right?

In this case, I’m a big fan of lawyers. Mine (Matt Sugarman) has done very well by me. As has my film/TV agent, Joel Gotler, and my book agent Ethan Ellenberg has been part of this particular brain trust, too. It takes a village to make a good deal.

How involved will you be in the production?

As the article linked above notes, I’m an executive producer on the movie, so I’m pretty substantially involved. Which is nice! I have opinions, you know. I’m going to share them.

Edited by atomheartbevo
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On 3/29/2018 at 6:50 PM, Billy Pilgrim said:

I'd like to see Blood Meridian made into a movie. I liked the story, not a huge fan of McCarthy's style (I know I'm about to get ridiculed for that) 

I love the book. Terrific visual imagery. (It takes a while to get the rhythm of Cormac’s writing).

I doubt a film could capture the book, but it would a remarkable feat if someone does. Great book. 

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Moby Dick, as a series for as long as it takes.  Tom Hardy as Ahab. Cillian Murphy as Starbuck. 

 

Left Hand of Darkness

I second the earlier suggestion of House of Leaves. 

I'd love to see ElfQuest done right but I'm afraid if it ever happens, it'll be a heartbreaking disappointment.

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Louis L'amour's Comstock Lode is one of my favorite fun reads and would make a great movie in the right hands.


Seconded. Pretty much all his books would make for great flicks, surprised more haven’t been adopted to movies that weren’t straight to video.
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1 minute ago, Viper said:

Do you think it should start off with a Drizzt movie or have his movie be a spin-off of a forgotten realms movie?

I would like to see a series based off the Dark Elf series. That predates, chronologically,  his appearance as a side character in the Icewind series.

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9 hours ago, drewcifer said:

Haven't read that one but would like to see Survivor.

 An adaptation was in the works in the early 2000s but whoever had the film rights decided they didn't want to do a film involving a plane hijacking after 9/11.  The guy who wrote the Fight Club screenplay was working on a TV series at some point but I haven't heard anything about it in a few years. 

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12 hours ago, HiggyBaby said:

I’d like to see Jack Reacher rebooted with a worthy (read: physically huge) actor, either as a movie or a Netflix series. Probably the latter.

Jack Reacher on Netflix would be awesome. Make it episodic, with the length of each episode adapted for the need of that particular story.

Who would play him?

Edited by Parliament
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On 3/31/2018 at 8:27 PM, Tom said:

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This could be done. Shit, get Fincher to do 2 more Palahniuk books and you've got a trilogy. "Survivor" would be badass as a movie too.

Edit: Just saw drewcifer's post. Great minds and all.....

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On 3/29/2018 at 7:44 AM, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Louis L'amour's Comstock Lode is one of my favorite fun reads and would make a great movie in the right hands.

21 hours ago, HiggyBaby said:

Seconded. Pretty much all his books would make for great flicks, surprised more haven’t been adopted to movies that weren’t straight to video.

Having watched some of the Hell on Wheels TV series on AMC, and currently watching The Terror on AMC, I've always thought AMC would have been a good place for them.

My dream series would be to follow the Sackett novels, maybe even the early novels when they were still in England and headed to the US, but end it with The Sackett Brand (my favorite of the L'Amour books).  That may seem odd, but ending it with The Sackett Brand would allow you to bring together many of the Sacketts in the other novels to close things out.

Unfortunately (and I think this picture is from The Shadow Riders), the perfect actors for Orrin And Tell Sackett are too old these days.  Would have loved it if they had continued past the original Sacketts film with Selleck and Elliott.  Sam Elliott was born to play Tell Sackett, and both he and Tom Selleck liked Louis L'Amour's books (and both acted in multiple L'Amour films).

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1 hour ago, Nuge said:

I always wanted to see "On a Pale Horse" and the rest of the Incarnation of Immortality series made into movies.  A series on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or HBO would work out even better.

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Not quite the same, but watch ‘Dead Like Me’.  Maybe the closest we get, at least as far as On a Pale Horse. 

That and American Gods. 

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Jack Reacher on Netflix would be awesome. Make it episodic, with the length of each episode adapted for the need of that particular story.
Who would play him?


A few years ago I would have said Ray Stevenson but I think he’s about 10 years too old now.
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On 4/2/2018 at 12:30 PM, Nuge said:

I always wanted to see "On a Pale Horse" and the rest of the Incarnation of Immortality series made into movies.  A series on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or HBO would work out even better.

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Yeah, as much as I love Xanth, I feel like the Incarnations of Immortality would probably adapt better than the Xanth novels would.

Also could be interesting to see the dual magical/SciFi worlds of the Apprentice Adept series adapted to a long format series.

 

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The Red Rising trilogy (Red Rising, Golden Son, Morning Star) by Pierce Brown

The Nantucket Series (Island in the Sea of Time, Against the Tide of Years, On the Oceans of Eternity) by SM Stirling

The Emberverse (Nantucket series spin off) first 3, (Dies the Fire, The Protector's War, and A Meeting at Corvallis) by SM Stirling 

Each as a series, even though that NBC series Revolution had the same general concept as the Emberverse series. However in the Emberverse universe, "The Change", is a mysterious worldwide event that suddenly alters physical laws so that electricity, gunpowder and most other forms of high-energy-density technology no longer work. Making it more difficult to survive.

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On 4/3/2018 at 2:07 PM, bwub60 said:

Malazan book of the fallen by Steve Erickson. Would have to be a series 

I second the Dark Elf Trilogy. The underdark is the best part of all the Drizzt books.

Talking about unfilmable shows.  BotF would be amazing, but how would you ever put that on the screen? 

Maybe one day when AI takes over all this will be possible on the cheap.

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On 3/28/2018 at 11:38 PM, HornOnTheBayou said:

 I teach AP World History and AP European History and every year around this time I go on a rant about how there are no good WWI movies. 

Two of the greatest films of all time: The Big Parade, All Quiet On The Western Front.

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Not sure how the hell you approach the scale of this. 

https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/10/apple-picks-up-tv-adaptation-of-isaac-asimovs-foundation-sci-fi-novels

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Apple has reportedly picked up an anticipated TV version of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" books, often seen as one of the archetypes on which modern science fiction is based.

The series is being worked on by Skydance Television, with David Goyer and Josh Friedman as executive producers and showrunners, Deadline said on Tuesday. David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross from Skydance will also have executive producer roles.

Goyer's credits include projects like "The Dark Knight," "Ghost Rider," and the "Blade" movies, while Friedman is best known for Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" remake and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." The latter is also working on James Cameron's sequel to "Avatar."
 

 

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I'm a long time H. Rider Haggard fan, so I would like to see She, King Soloman's Mines, and Hunter Quatermain done following the books much more closely than has been done in the past.  They will never be done because some of the social attitudes considered the norm at the time that these were written are now too racist and sexist too keep in a movie or series.  Those are three great adventure plots, but I see no way to keep the story lines intact and have them palatable for modern audiences.

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^^^ In a similar vein, some of the Flashman books could make quite the extended HBO series.  There's no way anyone would take that risk these days, though.  Even the incredibly not-subtle satire and explicit statements in the books that Flashman is a horrible, horrible person would fly over a modern audience's ability to recognize.  It'd be like someone proposing to reboot Blazing Saddles.

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Vernor Vinge’s Peace War series would make a good television show. The Ungoverned could be a six-episode Season 1. The Peace War would make a great (and longer) Season 2. Then have Marooned in Real Time as the final season. All the serious CGI costs occur in season 3, so production would only continue if it is a hit.

Speaking of Vinge, A Fire Upon the Deep would make a great anime. The Peddler’s Apprentice would be a great one-season, live-action show.

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  • 1 month later...

Three books on Ulysses S. Grant: Captain Sam Grant, Grant Moves South, and, Grant Takes Command.  The first was by Lloyd Lewis, the last two by Bruce Catton.  Published from 1950 to 1969; the last two were after Lewis died and Catton took over the project.  Christian Slater should play Grant.  CGI could, only now, do the battles--particularly Chattanooga.  If it is decided to use some narration, Grant's Memoirs (the best in American letters) would be the best source.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 6/3/2018 at 8:33 AM, idahorn said:

Three books on Ulysses S. Grant: Captain Sam Grant, Grant Moves South, and, Grant Takes Command.  The first was by Lloyd Lewis, the last two by Bruce Catton.  Published from 1950 to 1969; the last two were after Lewis died and Catton took over the project.  Christian Slater should play Grant.  CGI could, only now, do the battles--particularly Chattanooga.  If it is decided to use some narration, Grant's Memoirs (the best in American letters) would be the best source.

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/steven-spielberg-leonardo-dicaprio-ulysses-s-grant-biopic-1202814227/

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