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

[atomheartbevo 89,674]

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/

Quote

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 April 1, 2018 by atomheartbevo

[atomheartbevo 89,674]

Did not expect this, but Amazon just dropped a series based on The Dangerous Book for Boys. Kids lose their dad, and guess what, he wrote the Dangerous Book for Boys to teach them everything he learned growing up. 

[SA_Horn 5]

On 3/28/2018 at 5:26 PM, WBT said:

Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle as a series

Just finished Cryptonomicon by Stephenson. Would make a hell of a series. 

[Digdogger 1,344]

I 

[Tom 2,959]

[Daichee Bell 2,925]

[Daichee Bell 2,925]

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fuggled 576]

I remember rumors they were gonna make The Passage into a movie. Just looked it up and apparently Fox is doing it as a series. Probably going to suck. I don't how they can do that book justice on network TV.

[washparkhorn 9,939]

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. 

[Bojack 2,081]

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.

[HiggyBaby 2,529]

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.

[HiggyBaby 2,529]

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.

[bamachine 1,231]

Also would like to see a Drizzt series, done correctly.

[Viper 12,109]

58 minutes ago, bamachine said:

Also would like to see a Drizzt series, done correctly.

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

[bamachine 1,231]

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.

[drewcifer 33]

17 hours ago, Tom said:

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

[SpiralOut 1,813]

On 3/31/2018 at 7:24 PM, SA_Horn said:

Just finished Cryptonomicon by Stephenson. Would make a hell of a series. 

Speaking of Stephenson, a series on Seveneves would be awesome as well. 

[mdleast 8,295]

Speaking of Stephenson, a series on Seveneves would be awesome as well. 

Speaking of, what’s the status of that Ron Howard version?

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5795154/

[Hornstrader 179]

I would really like season 3 of The Last Kingdom

[Continental Op 3,934]

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. 

[Parliament 14,260]

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 April 2, 2018 by Parliament

[Grandioso 2,592]

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

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.....

Edited April 2, 2018 by Grandioso

[atomheartbevo 89,674]

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).

Edited April 2, 2018 by atomheartbevo

[atomheartbevo 89,674]

I'm surprised nobody is currently doing Zane Grey adaptations since some are public domain (possibly), but maybe he's fallen too far out of the public conscious.  They made over 100+ of the things into movies/TV shows.

[SilasCoade 2,622]

Don't bother seeing Wrinkle In Time.

[Nuge 1,970]

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.

[atomheartbevo 89,674]

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.

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. 

[HiggyBaby 2,529]

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.

[ChisholmTrail 1]

[bamachine 1,231]

^Umm,

 

 

 

Dunno if it will be any good or not.

[bwub60 147]

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.

[mrlasky 28]

Red Storm Rising.  CGI would make it possible, would probably need to be a miniseries

[utee94 15,823]

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.

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.

 

[Lone Star Horn 2,016]

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.

[SpiralOut 1,813]

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.

[Stoogey 219]

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.

[atomheartbevo 89,674]

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

Quote

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."
 

 

[Scheiss Meister 8,408]

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.

[Damor 1,236]

^^^ 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.

[SilasCoade 2,622]

I think the Tellos graphic novel would make a great film.

[MillerEP 30,455]

I'm doing my periodic re-read of "Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield. I would love to see HBO to do a mini-series/limited series out of it.

[The Other White Meat 39]

It would have to be HBO or Netflix but either/both of Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire series and Glen Cook's Black Company series would be awesome.

[Apep 645]

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.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,907]

I’d like to see some of Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas books adapted into film.

[idahorn 26]

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.

[Mole 4,333]

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/salman-rushdies-midnights-children-netflix_us_5b379410e4b08c3a8f6ace5c

Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children is probably the best book I've ever read and now it's coming to Netflix. I'm excited.

[futureman 22,464]

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/

[thrillhammer 683]

just started reading The Nightingale last night, and  boy if it doesn't smack of a book that should certainly be made into a movie.  starts off in titanic mode - old lady picks up a relic and starts reminiscing, flashback to her story as a young lady.  

[Post Oak 20,213]

I loved this book.  Supposedly Kenneth Branagh is adapting a script.

 

Can't wait.

[Bash Riprock 1,695]