What fav sci-fi book(s) do you want to see on the big screen?.........

[CrownPrinceBandar]

Me:

1. Ringworld - I realize that there has been a bunch of talk about the selling of the rights for the story, but there is no word of a screenplay or director and cast. Far from a done deal.

I also realize that the story will need some serious tweaking. IMHO, the story as laid out in the original novel, would not be compelling enough to snag any but the die-hard fans. However, "Engineers" was chock-a-block with action. Maybe a melange of the two stories would be salable.

2. God Emperor of Dune - My favorite Dune novel after the original. I feel that the transformation of Leto II into the sandtrout-bodied tyrant and the landscape of the transformed Arrakis would be pure eye-candy. And, the everlasting struggle of the ghola(s) Duncan Idaho against Leto was some of the best action in the whole series.

3. Hyperion - The intergalactic "Canterbury Tales" with a big, black metallic beastie! I picked this one because it is one of my fav books of all-time and that Dan Simmons' storytelling is so compelling that I believe that it would even interest non-scifi geeks.

Probably have to be a series of movies. The story is very long, and leaving much out would severely detract from the story as a whole.


What about y'all?

[CBGLuthier]

1. All of them

My biggest gripe about SF movies is that so very, very few books have been made into movies. And then they turn them into junk when they do adapt them.


Stranger in a Strange Land.

Foundation series.

Lord of Light.

Those are the top three for me.

Along the fantasy line, I think an adaptation of Zelazny's Amber would make an excellent trilogy of movies. I know there are 5 books but they were small so could probably be done in 3.

[phantom power]

2. As long as we're thinking big...

John Varley's "Titan" trilogy would look fabulous on the Big Screen.

I always have mixed feelings about movie adaptations. Most of them fail. In fact, "Lord of the Rings" might be the only really big success.

I think a lot of the success of LotR had to do with the fact that he made it into three movies: essentially, a mini-series. That was what allowed him to actually stick to the original story.

Most book adaptations I'd like to see would need to be a mini-series, otherwise they would turn into the usual train-wreck.

[Kellanved]

3. a Hyperion movie is AFAIK in the works.

:hi:

[CrownPrinceBandar]

6. Yup.....

I did some looking around and things look good. It looks like Scorsese may be involved. Thanks, Kellanved!!
:toast:

Links:
http://www.dansimmons.com/news/movies.htm#hyperionnew

http://www.sffworld.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-6169.html



The Shrike

[Enraged_Ape]

8. Leonardo di Caprio is behind the drive to make a Hyperion movie/mini

Evidently he is a huge fan of the books.

Now for the bad news: He wants to play the Arab character.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

15. He is so NOT Kassad!.........................

That would royally blow! I'm seeing more of a Jean Reno for Fedmahn Kassad. DiCaprio would be good in the John Keats role, or maybe even the Consul, but definitely not Kassad.

[mike_c]

31. no way-- DiCaprio as the consul...?

The consul is at the end of his career, an old man, or at least "mature." I agree about the Keats role, however.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

33. How about Het Masteen?....................eom

[mike_c]

34. Het Masteen is big, IIRC-- tall at least, and I imagine him as...

...older than DeCaprio. A man of bearing. Actually, I really like the idea of DiCaprio as John Keats. God, who'd make a good Raul Endymion?

[Fleurs du Mal]

12. Neuromancer as well?

Is it true Neuromancer is in very early stages of planning too? In addition to Hyperion this could be very cool visually. Most sci-fi has the potential to be good on the screen.

[AnnieBW]

67. Pattern Recognition, Stranger in a Strange Land, Earth

"Pattern Recognition" by Gibson is currently in pre-production. It's not cyberpunk, but just as good.

I'd like to see "Earth" by David Brin made into a movie. Or "Stranger in a Strange Land".

[DrWeird]

14. I myself didn't care for the books.

The setup in the first novel was outstanding. But it never delivered.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

16. That's too bad............

I thought they delivered in spades until "The Rise of Endymion" when it got kinda cheesy.

[mike_c]

35. ahh now....

I like The Rise of Endymion best! I CRY everytime I read the ending!

[Robeson]

4. The City and the Stars - Arthur C. Clarke....

...then again, I can think of about 10 ACC books that ought to be movies. But then again, as someone mentioned, Hollywood usually mutilates Sci-Fi when it goes to the big screen.

[Streetdoc270]

5. Phules Company!

come on you know you want it! :)

[Forkboy]

7. Red Mars

Wont be on the big screen,but the Sci Fi Channel is making a four hour miniseries out of it.We'll see how it ends up.

I think Arthur C. Clarke's The Trigger Effect would make a damn great movie,especially with guns being a big issue as always (the story concerns an invention that renders weapons useless,and of course the gun nuts dont like that at all :) ).

[phantom power]

11. Oooh, yes. RGB Mars.

Hope they don't screw it up.

[mike_c]

32. RGB Mars and Antarctica....

eom

[Enraged_Ape]

9. The Stars My Destination by Alfie Bester

This would be terrific as a big-screen animé. I might even forgive Vin Diesel as Gully Foyle.

[geniph]

54. I've never understood why that one hasn't been made yet

it's a natural for a movie.

[YankeyMCC]

10. If I can wish..

Asimov's Robot (and not the hacked up "I, Robot" type of thing.) and Foundation Novels

Enemy Papers by Barry Longyear...actually one of these stories was the bases of the movie "Enemy Mine" but I'd like to see this redone more true to the novel and as trilogy like the novels.

Mote in God's eye might be interesting.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

17. MiGE would be great....................

However, this is another title that may translate better to the SciFi Channel as Moties would probably have a limited appeal. Great story with a great ending.

[Fleurs du Mal]

13. More sci-fi films period.

There aren't nearly enough anymore.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

18. Gotta add one to my original list (possible spoiler)...............

Lucifer's Hammer - One would hope that there's still room for one more movie in the "asteroid pummels planet Earth" genre. IMHO, this is the best story out there. Not only does it tell a great story about the lead-up to an asteroid collision, but a large portion of the story focuses on the aftermath of a strike. Some harrowing scenes, as well as some uplifting moments about characters picking up the pieces.

[phantom power]

20. Footfall would be another cool niven/pournelle movie

modern cgi effects would allow this to look great, even the aliens.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

22. Too true.

[Mythsaje]

59. Agreed...

Loved Footfall.

Humans are CRAZY!

[Chovexani]

19. I'd like to see more fantasy flicks.

Peter Jackson has proved once and for all that there is no excuse for a bad one.

Unfortunately the ones I would love to see more than anything will never happen, by the author's wishes: movies based on the Belgariad series, and some Elenium movies. Dave Eddings has repeatedly come down against it, and while I understand his reasoning (people are stupid and need to just fucking read), they would make some really fun movies. Every time I see Angelica Huston I mentally put that white streak in her hair...to me that woman IS Polgara and will be until the day she dies, movie or no movie. I'm weird like that. Then again, I also have a habit of calling Owen Wilson "Sparhawk" (it's all about the nose, people).

The D&D movie just about killed me with its needless stupidity. It disappointed me more than anything else, because as crappy as 95% of D&D novels are, there are some real gems they could have adapted into a D&D film. But no, they had to come up with a shitty original script. I would give anything to see Drizzt Do'Urden crossing scimitars (and lord knows what else :evilgrin:) with Artemis Entreri on the big screen. But it'll never happen because the universe hates me. :cry: Djimon Hounsou would make an awesome Drizzt, he is sexy and plays honorable very well. Colin Farrell's a big enough (and good-looking enough) asshole to play Entreri.

The current War of the Spider Queen series would also make some really damn good movies if someone decent got their hands on them. I'd love to see Peter Jackson's take on the Drow...and hell, who am I kidding, I just want to see some brothers and sisters get some work besides shit like Soul Plane. Angela Bassett as Quenthel Baenre, whee! But knowing Hollywood they'd probably just stick ears on some white people and put them in blackface. ;_; I realize that Drow have pitch-black obsidian skin, but I'd much rather them use actors who were naturally dark and apply some strategic makeup than doing the blackface thing

[Ravenseye]

21. No Belgariad???

Really? Eddings won't let them be made into movies?

That totally sucks. It makes me wish I had started my current RPG group in that world.

I commend him for sticking to his principles I guess, but I always thought it'd make a great ongoing series. There's too much stuff in there to just put into one or even a trilogy of movies.

Imagine Belgariad: The TV Series. Like the First year is Pawn of Prophecy culimnating in Cherek. Second Season the second book, etc...a five season arc for the whole thing, maybe 4...

too bad it will never happen

[Chovexani]

23. I heard some rumors about God Emperor

For a hot second after the Children of Dune miniseries came out, I heard some talk about a weekly Dune series that would take place in the time between Children of Dune and God Emperor. But then I didn't hear anything about it anymore.

It sucks, because there's a wealth of material there to work with (I mean, we're talking like 2500 years, right?). I'd almost prefer that to a God Emperor movie. Don't get me wrong, I liked God Emperor well enough, I'm just of the opinion that the series probably should have stopped after Children at the soonest...and after God Emperor at the latest. I'm a big fan of the universe but I've tried for years to get through Heretics and I just can't, he just got totally stupid with the Duncan gholas. I mean the Bene Gesserits were going through them like toilet paper, it was hard to take it seriously.

[Mythsaje]

60. Absolutely disagree

Heretics and Chapterhouse were my two favorite books of the whole series. And I've read the whole series more times than I care to count.

[Sabriel]

24. Jumper!

The whole Middle East thing would play pretty well right now, I'd imagine.

Also, the Dragonrider series, although I'm not a fan of CGI or animatonics. Ick.

[semillama]

43. I could only go for a dragonrider movie

if Michael Whelan was the artistic director. No one captured those specific dragons the way he did.

[blindpig]

25. none. aren't you tired of being disappointed?

Film people screw up nearly everything they touch. I love David Lynch's other work but Dune sent me out of the theater royally pissed, though the Scifi Chan version that I saw on tape was better. LOTR, don't get me started! I don't watch tv but would like to see Children, if only for masochism. Maybe I'm being too hard but I can think of very few books of any nature that were well treated by film. Lawrence of Arabia and Fear and Loathing come to mind. And you'd think that scifi/fantasy would be a natural...........
I fear what they'll do to Hyperion.

[phantom power]

26. I thought LotR was proof it can be done right.

but opinions can differ.

I'd say that 2001 was a good movie, although it's also true that Kubrick and Clarke co-developed the book and the movie in tandem.

What are some things you thought were wrong about LOTR? (sounds like your list is long).

[blindpig]

29. Dumb guy, I forgot 2001!

Yes, that was a good one, though as you pointed out it was sort of written as a screen play.

Where do I start on LOTR? I understood that there would be much compression and was ready for that and was able to accept leaving out the entire Old Forest/Barrow Downs section. Substituting Arwen for Glorfindel at the Ford and that elf magic BS did rub me the wrong way. And where did that bundle of weapons in Moria come from? I left Fellowship satisfied but with some trepidation.

Two Towers is where it really fell apart for me. The conception of Lorien didn't work for me. The characterization of Theoden was off the mark. The Ents were a little cheezy. The Warg attack was a gratuitous special effect event. There are other points but what sent me over the edge was Elves at Hornburg. What a load of crap! Left the theater pretty pissed.

All downhill from there. In a hurry now but but the absurd tactics at the Black Gate and the lack of any treatment of the Scourging of the Shire was about expected by then. O yes, the absurdly large oliphants reminded me of Star Wars.

Maybe I'm picky and maybe I'm just a cranky old fart who has probably read LOTR about 30 times.

[phantom power]

30. I'd have liked to see the scouring of the shire. But then, it would have

added another half hour to a movie that was already 3.5 hours long.

Jackson did fool with the story, but I felt that his editing decisions showed insight into what was really the core of the story. My philosophy is that movies aren't novels, and not everything in a novel is going to work that well as a movie.

I'm wondering what the super-duper director's cut will look like. I bet some of the missing stuff will show up one day on a collector's DVD, or something.

I do know that Jackson fought tooth and nail for getting the 3 hours per movie that he did. I'm sure he had to make some hard decisions. Imagine what a disaster it would have been if he'd caved in and settled for 2.5 hours...

[blindpig]

36. I'm afraid you've made my point

Books, particularly long ones, do not do well in the translation to the screen. This is understandable considering the cost and lack of attention span of the audience. I could have stood 6 hour movies if they are done to the tee.....

[Chovexani]

38. I'm a long time fan of the books.

Read them at least once a year, etc. Hell in school I used to pass notes in Elvish. And I loved Peter Jackson's edits. I think every last one of them improved the story.

I always thought Tom Bombadil was stupid and dragged down the pace of an already ungodly slow book. But most of all, it never sat right with me that the elves would just leave when the world was in danger. Yes, it was Man's time and they were the ones who were meant to deal with the threat and all, but as a fan of elves it just really bothered me. Like they were shirking responsibility. When Haldir showed up at Helm's Deep in the TT movie, I squealed. It wasn't just because he was cute and I loved his armor, either. The Scouring of the Shire was quite possibly one of the stupidest endings of a book I otherwise love, it was totally anticlimactic.

Don't get me wrong, I love Tolkien's work, but he had a very bad propensity for being unbearably long-winded. I think he's one of those authors like Frank Herbert who are much better at creating fantastical worlds than actually writing about them.

Whenever I hear fanboys bitching about the changes Peter Jackson made, I just have to laugh. You don't know what "ruining a book" is unless you're an Anne Rice fan. For fuck's sake, they removed a character from Queen of the Damned that was central to the plot, including the finale. The thread that held the entire book together was The Story of the Twins. And they took out one of the twins. :wtf:

Imagine if PJ took Aragorn out of the story, cast Demi Moore as Saruman, and had the elves doing kungfu. Then you'll begin to understand the horror of the Queen of the Damned movie.

[blindpig]

40. there is so much you dislike about it

that I wonder why you like it so much. Like yourself, me and my nerdish friends developed some working ability with Darean's Runes(never tried the cursive form of Feanor). Seems that we approach this literature from different perspectives: I glory in the History which both Tolkien and Herbert were masters of, you find it an encumbrance. For me, LOTR and the Silmarillion are Sacred Text, PJ is an illiterate monk producing illuminated manuscripts that he doesn't understand.
Please, let's not talk about Ann Rice, please?

[leeroysphitz]

55. "improved the story"? You must be joking.

Please be joking.

[Mythsaje]

62. Oh, don't even get me started on the Vampire Chronicles...

What a farce.

The best book of the series, in my opinion, was erased from existence for the stupid-ass movies. I loved The Vampire Lestat most of all.

I mean, how could you ever hope to understand the Brat Prince from the movies?

You couldn't.

[RevolutionaryActs]

39. I agree with you on a lot of points, I really HATE!!! how they portrayed

Theoden, I mean wtf was that?!

Also there were a lot of things, they changed for no reason where I think if they would have left it the same it would have been better.. I'm thinking of the Dunedain! And the paths of the dead, but you must admit that the cinematography was really amazing, and they did get a lot of things right, I like a lot of the casting, and I really thought the action scene's were quite amazing. They are good as movies, not as interpretations of the books.


Just goes to show, books are better then movies ;)

[blindpig]

41. like you said, books are better than movies n/t

[Mythsaje]

61. I was a bit ticked that they left out the Scouring of the Shire

but, all in all, I thought it was a pretty impressive feat.

Course, I'm not a purist. You want pure, read the books again.

I've read them so many times I can't even stand the thought, starting in 3rd Grade and god only knows how many times since then.

I shudder to think.

[hyphenate]

27. There are a few

Connie Willis's Doomsday Book (even though ultimately it's a downer, it's an excellent story)

Hal Clement's The Nitrogen Fix

Tad Williams's Dragonbone Chair trilogy

almost any of Andre Norton's books

Shirley Rousseau Murphy's Catswold Portal

I know it was done in the early 70s, but I would love to see Zenna Henderson's The People stories produced again.

[hyphenate]

28. I thought of a few more

I think the Xanth series by Anthony might be great if made properly, but I think, seeing how many books there are, that it might make a better SF channel mini-series than a movie.

Of course, Spider Robinson's Callahan series would make a series of GREAT movies. It would certainly have all the elements that should work.

Another author's series would be fun, and that's Christopher Stasheff's Warlock series. It's extensive, but the first 4 or 5 books in the series would be great.

[Mythsaje]

63. As much as I love the Callahan books

I can't see them as movies at all.

A TV series, maybe. Maybe.

[robbedvoter]

37. Asimov's Foundation trilogy - best sci-fi. Ever.

[BigMcLargehuge]

42. When Heaven Fell by William Barton

Neuromancer by William Gibson
Dreams of Flesh and Sand, and Dreams of Gods and Men by W.T. Quick

[Tikki]

44. As much as I love this book...and...

it would make for a truly campy Sci-fi adventure...it is probably too dated..with it's 60's drug references and aberrations of big blue lobsters. I wouldn't want to see it go the way the movie HAIR did.

It is a great read, though.

[Downtown Hound]

45. Snow Crash

I think this would make a good computer animation movie in the Final Fantasy tradition.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

46. A proper and well made Riverworld and Stranger in a Strange Land.

And now that graphics are what they are... Dhalgren.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

47. I've always wanted to read that................

Never have been able to lay my hands on a copy. I know very little about the story, other than its watershed reputation in modern sci-fi.}(

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

50. Teo years late with a reply... but which Book are you speaking of?

[CrownPrinceBandar]

65. Four months later......

I would like to read Dhalgren. And two years later, I STILL havent read it.

[Walt Starr]

48. The Wild Cards books

Love those stories!

[BulletproofLandshark]

49. Ender's Game

Orson Scott Card's classic about the little boy who saves the world is what got me interested in reading sci-fi in the first place,so I guess it's near and dear to my heart. When Ender's Game finally hits theaters (which at the current rate of development should be around 2011), I just hope Wolfgang Petersen does it justice.

[ContraBass Black]

51. I don't think so.

I hear they're increasing everyone's age because they can't have little children beating each other to death on screen.

[Reader Rabbit]

52. After the way SciFi butchered LeGuin's Earthsea books? None!

Although I will say that I enjoyed LoTR, but most studios wouldn't put in the time and effort that PJ and his crew did on that series. And I do hate the way they made Eowyn such a wimpy, weepy character. That was truly disappointing.

[geniph]

53. Heinlein's Glory Road

and while you're at it, redo Starship Troopers with a director and screenwriter who have actually read the goddam book and have some idea what Heinlein was SAYING.

Maybe they should just forget Starship Troopers and make a movie of Haldeman's Forever War instead...Haldeman understood what RAH was saying and just took it a couple steps further. Anyone who actually calls Starship Troopers "fascist" or "glorifying war" totally did not understand the book.

[krispos42]

56. If alternative history is a kind of sci-fi, then I have a few

"The Great War" series and the "Worldwar" series, both by Harry Turtledove. "A Different Flesh" might be a pretty good movie as well.

If not, then how about some of the longer stories in "The Man-Kzin Wars" series' of books? There were some in the volumes that actually were pretty long and pretty interesting? Might be enough to make a hundred minutes of good sci-fi.

[FogerRox]

57. I like MAn Kzin, as well as Webers Honor Harrington

I think Honor Harrington would transfer to the big screen very well


Cards "Earth" series.slow moving.. Annes "Pern" series as well CJ Cherah (SP), she has 2 good series.. Defender & I forget, the one from the 90's.

I think the 1632 series could be fun on the big screen.

JOhn Ringos "Gust Front", the rest of the series doesnt hold up though.

[Mythsaje]

64. If you're going to delve into alternate history

I like 1632 and the rest of the Ring of Fire novels.

But that's just me.

[Bridget Burke]

58. Fritz Leiber's "The Big Time".....

This short novel is part of his Time War series.

Leiber's theatrical background shines here. The story does not really need fancy effects. It could work as a high-quality TV production or on stage, as well.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

66. Samuel R. Delany's Nova

I really like the character Delany created in the swashbuckling Lorq von Ray and the idea of a quest to fly through the core of a recently imploded star would make a visually spectacular film as well.