"If only" Hollywood would do this...
- Thread starter Warped9
- Start date
Aggressively seconded! His When HARLIE Was One might make an interesting mini-series, I think.
My other "wish-list" items:
A movie adaptations of Heinlein's "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" and/or "Stranger in A Strange Land". The latter with Richard Dreyfus as Jubal Harshaw.
A weekly series adapted from James White's Sector General stories.
An update/continuation of Filmation's Space Academy and Jason of Star Command series from the '70s. (If anyone associated with Filmation (or whoever has the rights to these) is lurking here, I have a great idea to do a new version of both shows and maintain continuity to the orginals.
Actually, fairy tales were never intended for kids. They were, horror stories of mutilation, suicide, murder.
Fact is, "Red Riding Hood" is going back to its roots.
Even the most faithful couldn't be too faithful - the book is incredibly racist.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress would make a great movie. But I'm rereading Stranger in a Strange Land and I'm not so sure it would translate to screen all that well without some major reworking. Heinlein is so weird, on the one hand he could be quite progressive, on the other hand it's like watching an episode of Mad Men in the way the male and female characters relate.
As for my general "If only Hollywood would do this..." it'd be more about basic choices than particular material. If only they'd use FX more judiciously and give us some smaller, smarter stories and expend the giant FX pictures on better, epic stories rather than tales aimed at the 14 year old male demographic. I want David Lean and they keep giving me Michael Bay.
The Dark Knight Returns made into a movie.
Piper's Little Fuzzy.
1632 would be a lot of fun, I think, if the heavy historical fill was "dumbed down" a bit.
I wouldn't mind seeing a BOLO story adapted to the big screen.
Heinlein's Moon... and Rama would seem to be heavy favorites but has anyone considered Foster's Spellsinger? It would be cool enough to get to non-fans and visual enough to grab viewers that way, while still drawing in the fantasy fanatics...
You'd have to get some interesting music licenses, though, to make it work....
Also, The Wizardry series by Cook. I think it could be played with a light hand and garner support-possibly as a non-Network tv series.
I'm personally sick of Hollywood treating PKD like he's the only scifi author out there with any ideas. Put him on the shelf and get Jack Williamson out....
Whoever suggested Zenna Henderson's The People-great idea that would appeal to network execs due to it's "soft" approach.
Michael Z Williamson has a couple of novels that would make rousing films...but he's still alive and so will probably be overlooked.
God knows, there's a lot of good stories begging for a visual take. Can we get Hollywood to realize this, though? First they have to rise above the BEM mentality...which still hasn't really happened yet overall.
1632 would be a lot of fun, I think, if the heavy historical fill was "dumbed down" a bit.
I wouldn't mind seeing a BOLO story adapted to the big screen.
Heinlein's Moon... and Rama would seem to be heavy favorites but has anyone considered Foster's Spellsinger? It would be cool enough to get to non-fans and visual enough to grab viewers that way, while still drawing in the fantasy fanatics...
You'd have to get some interesting music licenses, though, to make it work....
Also, The Wizardry series by Cook. I think it could be played with a light hand and garner support-possibly as a non-Network tv series.
I'm personally sick of Hollywood treating PKD like he's the only scifi author out there with any ideas. Put him on the shelf and get Jack Williamson out....
Whoever suggested Zenna Henderson's The People-great idea that would appeal to network execs due to it's "soft" approach.
Michael Z Williamson has a couple of novels that would make rousing films...but he's still alive and so will probably be overlooked.
God knows, there's a lot of good stories begging for a visual take. Can we get Hollywood to realize this, though? First they have to rise above the BEM mentality...which still hasn't really happened yet overall.
Ringworld. If a movie, it may have to be a trilogy. A TV miniseries might be a better venue for this vast tale. The technology has been available to make Puppeteers and Kzinti for years now, and nobody's doing this? Come on!
An Honor Harrington series. Hopefully with less emphasis on political babbling than the books, and more on the travails and adventures of Honor herself.
Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy - though, again, only a miniseries would allow the grandeur of this epic to be told.
I read a few of the Pern books, and though they didn't really grab me as prose, I think I'd like them on the big screen.
An Honor Harrington series. Hopefully with less emphasis on political babbling than the books, and more on the travails and adventures of Honor herself.
Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy - though, again, only a miniseries would allow the grandeur of this epic to be told.
I read a few of the Pern books, and though they didn't really grab me as prose, I think I'd like them on the big screen.
Ringworld!
The Puppeteers! The Hindmost!
Thanks, now I have to re-read the book.
The Puppeteers! The Hindmost!
Thanks, now I have to re-read the book.
You may be right about Stanger. It might just be too much a product of its time.
On the other hand, recently re-read Heinlein's The Rolling Stones. About half way thorugh, it struck me that it'd make a great movie starring Tom Hanks as the father of the family (Roger Stone, IIRC).
There was a tv pilot with William Shatner a few decades ago, but we're overdue for her to be rediscovered by Hollywood.
Maybe some Silverberg, too. Up The Line or The Book of Skulls, perhaps.
(Can't see Dying Inside, except as maybe a moody, introspective indie film.)
Oh, Up The Line would rock as a movie. Dying Inside would be a perfect movie for someone like Paul Giamatti to star in.
I'd also like to see a movie made of Poul Anderson's books. I really enjoy his stories and especially would like to see "Harvest of Stars" and "The Stars are Also Fire". Hollywood could also make 'Bond'-type franchises out of Manse Everard's and Dominic Flandry's adventures.
Up the Line would be great! Also, someone mentioned David Gerrold; The Man Who Folded Himself! Except the one scene might be a bit much...
Actually, now that you mention it, almost all of Henlien's "juvies" would make good family movies. Have Space Suit, Will Travel; Tunnel in The Sky; Farmer in The Sky; Space Cadet...all good stories, all family/kid friendly without being "dumbed-down for their intended audiences.
True, Esmeralda is a "Mammy" type character and the African tribe he encounters ( one of whom kills his "mother", Kala) are stereotypes. But they aren't important parts of the story. Skimming the chapters with the African tribe I think its still workable up to point.
Speaking of Burroughs, I wonder how the John Carter of Mars movie being made is going to turn out. I'm cautiously optimistic.
[QUOTE
The original Ian Fleming James Bond novels [/QUOTE]
Yes! My thought exactly. Filming these books which take place in the mid-late '50s shouldn't be terribly extravagant compared to similar BBC productions of today. The actor would have to be just right.
I also agree with some kind of mini to adapt 2010, 2061 and 3001.
The original Ian Fleming James Bond novels [/QUOTE]
Yes! My thought exactly. Filming these books which take place in the mid-late '50s shouldn't be terribly extravagant compared to similar BBC productions of today. The actor would have to be just right.
I also agree with some kind of mini to adapt 2010, 2061 and 3001.