Yeah, pretty much this.

 

I love the Wheel of Time, and it seems that everyone here does as well, but it would make a horrible movie series. There is just too much in the books and the writers would inevitably cut out much of it, and probably butcher it beyond recognition.

Also, I don't think Rand's character would translate to well on to the screen. Some guy you've never heard of would get the role and turn him emo.

I agree that the Trudi Canavan books would rock as movies, though. The Age of the Five in particular.

 

I've read those books! Yes, they would indeed make for a few marvelous movies.

 

Bullshit. I'm /far/ from alone in thinking that's an absolutely terrible fucking series. Robert Jordan needs to learn how to not drag the fuck on and actually say what the fuck he has to say.

 

And a 3-way between River, Inara, and Kaylee.

/I'll be in my bunk

 

It wouldn't be Serenity then. I haven't seen all that many Sci-fi/Fantasy film series but what I have (the two main ones Star Wars, LoTR) lead me to believe that character development has an unpleasant tendency to worsen the films. I watch the movies for the swords, spaceships and magic, other stuff tends to bore me. When I want the character development I'll go read the book(s).

For a more specific reference see Arwen/Aragorn stuff in the LoTR films, good in the books, but an epic waste of time in the films.

The 3 way, now that has some interesting connotations.

PS If people could reccomend good science fiction or fantasy films with excellent character development that doesn't obstruct the swords, spaceships and/or magic I'm all ears. I have 60 gigs of download limit left this month and nothing to use it on (save more porn).

 

No, it would be Firefly. And it would be better. If I'd watched Serenity without knowing Firefly, I would probably have grown bored with it.

But Gollum's subplot was more developped in the movies than in the books, and it was one of the highlights of the adaptation IMO. No sword-waving here, just a crazy thing talking to itself. But I'm a character-whore anyway, and quickly get bored with action-only flicks.
70% of the Arwen/Aragorn stuff wasn't in the books to begin with, and was only put in the movies to appeal to a greater public. There's probably more Tom Bombadil than Arwen in the books.

I lol'd.

 

Well technically Gollum is explained to a much greater extent in the books than in the films. His whole backstory is included and explained rather than skimmed over in one scene by Gandalf. It's the same scene in the books but the explanation just goes into much greater detail.

What the films do, that I both enjoyed and disliked (for I'm a fanboy of the books) is that they as you said developed Gollum as a character from when you meet him, which is perhaps not such a focus in the books.

 

Ehh...it was okay. Thora Birch was hawt though! Steve Buscemi was great as the creepy Seymour, too. It was scary how much he looked like the comix!

Val Kilmer did that one for you. Eh it was so-so. I thought he slept-walked through it myself, but my Dad liked it. There might be a new TV series coming out soon, if they can ever start the production...

--bornagainpenguin

 

NEEDED

He died.

 

Now for my picks...

Speaking of Herbert, I'd love to see his forgotten book, The White Plague done as a movie or a TV series. I think it could rock, if they managed to keep it faithful to the book.

I'd love to see Stasheff's Warlock of Gramarye as a BBC series, I think it could work in the right hands.

Also something I would love to see is the Conrad Stargard series done as a BBC series--IMHO it is one of Frankowski's best.

Hmmm speaking of time travel...what would be really epic would be seeing Poul Anderson's There Will Be Time adapted for the screen by Hollywood.

On a somewhat lighter note, I'd love to see some of Gordon Korman's comedies make their way to the big screen. No Coins, Please for instance had me in stitches when I was younger. His Macdonald Hall books were fun too and should be a cash cow for anyone who manages to cast them properly.

Returning back to SF, I've long since given up hope at seeing a decent Heinlein film, after the way directors seem to go out of their way to piss all over them and distort the stories, but I'd still love to see a good film adaption of Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Revolt in 2100 AD, and Tunnel in the Sky. I really should know better though, after the rape they did to his work in the Puppet Masters and Starship Troppers....

It'd be nice to see some of Haldeman's stuff turn up, like The Forever War or Buying Time.

Norman Spinrad's Little Heroes would be epic.

So would seeing Spider Robinson's Night of Power if adapted faithfully. NOTE: Since even the publisher managed to royally fubar this in the original book covers, somehow I just don't see that happening. Especially with how the publishers have reacted according to Robinson in his special eBook epilogue!

Moving on to comix, I'd love to see a well done CGI version of Akiko.

Also epic would be seeing Art Spiegelman's Maus done in CGI for a motion picture.

It'll never happen now that Warner Brothers bought up the rights to avoid Harry Potter Lawsuits, but I'd still love to see a Live Action adaption of Neil Gaiman's The Books of Magic.

(Yiff in Hell...yeah yeah I knoiw, but) Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo has win written all over it.

I could probably go on, (I read a lot of stuff) but this is already way too long and it is way too late for me to be surfing when I gotta get up early the next day.

--bornagainpenguin

 

For those Ender's Game'ers, they are bringing out a movie, Orson Scott Card writing the script for it himself. Just having trouble with getting a director for it.

I'm surprised no one has posted this, Diablo movie anyone? I or II, doesn't matter which.

The painted man would be awesome aswell.

 

I would like to see Lord of the God Kings the movie. Witchaloks are awesome.

 

There's two Discworld movies already out.

The Color of Magic
Hogfather

Wyrd Sisters and Soul Music have been adapted into animated cartoons, too. With Christopher Lee as Death.

 

If done right.

I would love to see Night Watch from Pratchett and Anansi Boys by Gaimen.

 

After recently reading book 1 of the Felix Castor novels by Mike Carey I'd really like to see them on the big screen.

 

Starcraft. Use that technique from the Lord of the Rings movies that let them put a few thousand Orcs onscreen at once on the Zerg, and... well, you've got yourself a battle scene. I don't know if they'd be able to compact the three story arcs into one movie, though.

The Dresden Files, if they could make each movie three-to-four hours long and find good actors for everyone.

Hellsing, but only if they used British or American actors - no Japanese guy is going to play Alucard, that's for damn sure.

A good zombie movie. 28 Days Later is fine, but it's not the shambling hordes we all know and love. World War Z is a good choice, if they can make it good.

Teen Titans. The animated series may not have been perfect, and might have people immediately thinking about all the Titans running around in chibi form, but a movie that ties in with the Justice League movie they're making would be cool. Use the original Titans, too: Dick Grayson as Robin (with pants), Kid Flash, Speedy, Wonder Girl and Aqualad - but make him like the one in the animated series (who had mental control over water, making him less... useless).

 

I at least want to see an attempt made at doing a Warhammer 40K movie in my lifetime.

 

Complete agreement there. Problem is that the company that makes the miniatures owns the movie rights and have refused on multiple occasions to give them up. Hell, it was a struggle for them to reliquish enough of the legalities for the Dawn of War games.

Personally, I'd love to see either a live-action Dragonlance movie based around the Legend of Huma storyline or a Magic: the Gathering movie based off of the Brothers' War. Both have the potential to be fucking fantastic.

EDIT: And somebody needs to remake the Dune movie. I'm usually against remakes, but that thing was awful. On the fantasy side of things... well, I'd like to see something from the Drizzt trilogy done well, but they'd fuck it up. I don't know a studio that could be faithful to canon and pull it off properly.

And when it comes to Star Wars... well, Aaron Allston's stuff was solid work, but for pure Star Wars awesomeness, I'd want to see the Heir to the Empire trilogy done right. Make the movies three hours long, don't hesitate to push the ratings (the books are sophisticated enough to be for adults), and for the sake of all that is holy keep Thrawn, C'baoth, Mara Jade, and Talon Karrde the wickedly well-written characters they were in Zahn's original work.

 

I'd like to see a nice attempt at a movie series for the Dresden Files.

Again, with good actors instead of the fail-casting we saw in the TV series (Terrence Mann excluded, but then I didn't like how they changed Bob).

Also, I saw an interview with Jim Butcher and he knew down to the day when the movie rights are released by SciFi (2 years, approximately). So we might see that happen.

Only things I'd like to see there: Elisha Cuthbert = Murphy (mostly because of the Kincaid ass comment), Nicole Kidman = Mab.