Books You'd Like To See Made Into Film

[tentoze]

Apocalyptic? Then why not Walker Percy's Love In The Ruins? For that matter, it's hard to believe that NONE of Percy's works have received movie treatment.

[Scorpion8]

Dhalgren ~ Samuel R. Delany. First read that as a teenager and it was probably as mind expanding as psychodelic drugs. I doubt they could do it justice in a film's time limitations, and it'd be even worse if they cut it down for TV.

[shrinkboy]

oh, my goodness, scorpion!! cannot believe you mentioned Dhalgren, the only other book i've ever read that comes close to The Road in recreating a mysterious post apocalypse that is at once utterly surreal and horrifying and totally familiar and believable at the same time. it has always seemed to me that you could go out and mention the book to a thousand people and never come across another sould who's read it. am always kinda stunned when i come across another reader. i think i've met about 3 or 4 people in the 30 years or so since i read it first who have also read it. now another. have you read other Delany stuff? i used to be absolutely crazy about the guy, and read everything i could find, but its been a while now. somewhere around age 30, i lost the sci fi thing.

[electronjohn]

It's interesting to note the definite lean towards SF in this thread. I have no idea what it means...but it's still interesting.
To toss a couple more in the hopper:
It would take a most talented screenwriter to effectively translate "Stand on Zanzibar" by John Brunner to the screen. Gotta dig that one oout and re-read it for the umpteenth time.
My wife isn't particularly a big SF fan, but one night, she was searching for something to read herself to sleep by. I handed her "The World Inside" by Robert Silverberg. Needless to say, she didn't get a heckuva lot of sleep that night.
The CGI crew would have a field day with "Cities in Flight" by James Blish. The island of Manhattan as an interstellar craft, anyone?
There's a LOT of C.J. Cherryh's work that would look good on the big screen, too.

[Sandy G]

"Dhalgren" !! I thought I'd made that one up...I read something about that book 25 yrs ago & decided I'd just dreamed it up-NOTHING could be THAT "off-the-wall"...I may have to get that book & try to read it...Sounds like sort of a REAL "Mind-Pheck"...

[Reel 2 Reel]

Originally Posted by electronjohn

Ringworld--Larry Niven. Who would you cast as Louis Wu?

I have to second that one. great story ...sometimes hard to follow ...but that could be made up with graffix.

Using a lot of CGI...it could be made into a story much like star wars...but there would have to be more action scenes...and some kind of romance...if not all out... er...stuff!

As for the roles ...Christopher Ecclelston(sp)..as Louis Wu...some unknown blond as Prill...dont ask me to try to spell her full name ... its six sylibles ...

Some of the best shots and effects would be of the Ringworld itself... Trying to imagine it while reading it 25 years ago left a wild image in my minds eye.. and I would love it on the big screen. Just think ...The Fist Of God...a mountain bigger than the earth itself!...

[soundmotor]

Have not read Dhalgren yet. I've got it and it taunts me. Maybe on my next long plane ride. I've still got the PB I bought in the late 70's and never cracked.

Stand On Zanzibar, oh man what a book. Brunner was brilliant. SoZ is amazing in how contemporary it is. Check out Total Eclipse by Brunner too. Warning, you may be compelled to slash your wrists.

I've never come across Walker Percy before. After reading some of the reviews I am really surprised. Oh well, another one for the to do list.

[tentoze]

Walker Percy was a genius. Period.

[Strangeband]

Originally Posted by tentoze

Walker Percy was a genius. Period.

Totally concur.

He has to be my favorite modern novelist. I reread his novels about every 10 years.

[Strangeband]

The Takeshi Kovacs novels by Richard K. Morgan seem made for movies. I've read Altered Carbon and Broken Angels.

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester would be a visual feast.

And to see Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness as a movie could spawn plently of nightmares.

If any of Jorge Luis Borges' tales have been made into movies, I have failed to notice, but several have the potential, perhaps as a group of related short reels.

[tentoze]

Originally Posted by Strangeband

Totally concur.

He has to be my favorite modern novelist. I reread his novels about every 10 years.

Good on you, sir.

Originally Posted by soundmotor

Diamond Age too. I was not real enamored with it the first time through but decided to read it again and could not put it down. Amazing how frame of mind affects your inital take.

I don't know -- I loved the book, but I think I would be disappointed with any film that was made out of it, I just don't picture it translating to the screen well. Ditto Neuromancer.

And to keep on the Niven/Pournelle theme -- how about my personal favourite, The Legacy of Heorot (w/Steve Barnes)? I love the fact that some of these people used to be the smartest ever, and got stupid as a result of suspended animation. They better not leave it out of the movie. (Or was that Beowulf's Children?)

[Scorpion8]

If you could find a modern day young Harrison Ford type of actor, Mike Resnick's "Widowmaker"-series would make an outstanding future adventure series along the lines of Indiana Jones. Rollicking space opera with gunfights and mystery.

As far as S.R Delany's "Dhalgren" is concerned, I had to read that one twice and still doubt I completely "get it". I'm not sure anyone could without the benefit of some military-grade psycho-enhancing-expanding "help in a pill/caplet form". I've been meaning to read that one again, but still doubt that any justice could be done to it in the span of a single feature-length film.

[piece-it pete]

Originally Posted by electronjohn

It's interesting to note the definite lean towards SF in this thread. I have no idea what it means...but it's still interesting.

It means (pick one):

A) We are smart, thoughtful people.

B) We are dreamers of dreams.

C) We are complete sci-fi geeks playing with stories and stereo equipment.





When I saw this thread title I thought Foundation. But they'd have to do it as well as the Lord of the Rings, or it would stink as bad as "Enemy Mine".

Pete

[Sandy G]

Pete, I think it's a combination of all three...