Movies that never were... Or things you wish were movies.

[Gaith]

I've mentioned this before, but I want to see a good new version of The Lost World. Not the Jurassic Park sequel, but the original Doyle story. There have been other adaptations, but most of them have been bad and the last theatrically released one was an Irwin Allen cheesefest. It's overdue for a well-cast, big-budget movie that treats it like a huge spectacle.

Agreed!

I'm that same vein, I'd like to see 'The Land That Time Forgot' and 'The People That Time Forgot' by Edgar Rice Burroughs brought back to the big screen with some updated effects.

Those would be fun, too, though the archetypal, stock heroes would be tricky to adapt to modern flicks.

In general, I'd love to see a return to these old kinds of adventure movies. No one seems to make them anymore unless it's part of a franchise like Jumanji.

I also appreciate adventure films. To me, the core differences that set adventure flicks apart from action flicks are A) an element of travel/discovery, and B) not too many gun vs. gun battles (guns vs. monsters is more acceptable). By these criteria, many superhero movies, from Infinity War to Spider Man: Far from Home, could be considered quasi-adventure flicks, though I know that could be a controversial view...

One movie that was never made but absolutely should be is Del Toro's adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness. I'm not one for horror movies, but I could see that as being brilliant.

Eh, just have a few drinks, make a double feature of The Thing and Prometheus, and you've pretty much got that.

 

[captainkirk]

I also appreciate adventure films. To me, the core differences that set adventure flicks apart from action flicks are A) an element of travel/discovery, and B) not too many gun vs. gun battles (guns vs. monsters is more acceptable). By these criteria, many superhero movies, from Infinity War to Spider Man: Far from Home, could be considered quasi-adventure flicks, though I know that could be a controversial view...

I think what also sets them apart is that the heroes set out to discover something. They might end up fighting bad guys and saving the world, but their original goal is just to explore and uncover mysteries. In that regard, The Original Series fits better.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Music_(novel)|Blood Music[/url would make an AWESOME film.

 

[JD]

One movie that was never made but absolutely should be is Del Toro's adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness. I'm not one for horror movies, but I could see that as being brilliant.

This not coming out is a big disappointment for me. I haven't read the source, but from I do know about it, this seems to me like it was an absolutely perfect matching of director and source material.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Greg Bear's "Blood Music" would make an AWESOME film.

Also there was a rumor awhile back about a Trek film which would tell the story of the Earth-Romulan War. I'd have loved to see that as well...

 

[captainkirk]

This not coming out is a big disappointment for me. I haven't read the source, but from I do know about it, this seems to me like it was an absolutely perfect matching of director and source material.

I've only read a couple of Lovecraft stories so I don't know if they all follow the same style, but the original novella is told as a sequence of reports rather than a lot of dialogue. So the movie could have improved it by taking the great atmosphere and lore and giving it actual characters to care about. Sadly, I suspect it will never be.

 

[Soong-type Android]

What about Permutation City by Greg Egan?

 

[Velocity]

My preference would be TV, but I would love to see a more direct adaptation of The Dresden Files books that includes more plot points and supporting characters from the books.

I have always wanted to see Tyrannosaur Sue striding down the Dan Ryan Expressway with Butters!

 

[Gaith]

I've only read a couple of Lovecraft stories so I don't know if they all follow the same style, but the original novella is told as a sequence of reports rather than a lot of dialogue. So the movie could have improved it by taking the great atmosphere and lore and giving it actual characters to care about. Sadly, I suspect it will never be.

I haven't ready the novella either, but I've read a comic adaptation of it, as well as SF Debris' summary:

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Seems to me the main problem is the explorers don't really do much apart from poke around, deduce the history of the place, and run away from a few beasties. There's no philosophical dilemma about seeking to controlling nature, as in Jurassic Park, nor are there the personal stakes, power plays, and infighting of Prometheus. Indeed, Del Toro has said that Prometheus might be too heavily inspired by Mountains for to avoid the general public considering it a rehash, source publication chronology notwithstanding.

 

[bigdaddy]

I wish we still got the sequel to Buckaroo Bonanza or the TV series they were talking about years ago.

 

[JD]

Were they actually planning on making Buckaroo Banzai Against The World Crime League, or was that just included at the end as a joke?

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Robert J. Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax would make for a great series full of parallel-universe fun.

I've read them through a second time and this would make for amazing movies if they did all 3 books, but it's not mainstream enough for stupid Hollywood to notice. Maybe take it outside of the USA.


BTW I just realized the short film I posted at the start. How do these "giants" get everyone to ban electricity, doesn't look like they talk and have humans forgotten guns and stuff? Guns and stuff are good against monsters.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Maybe take it outside of the USA.

Ironically, it was actually set in my town. Robert J. Sawyer got a wonderful feel for the city and the hospital that was featured in it was our real former hospital. It's actually a large mural now. And the underground laboratory where they did the testing that led to the parallel travels is based on the real SNOLab, where they later made the discovery that neutrinos have weight.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Ironically, it was actually set in my town. Robert J. Sawyer got a wonderful feel for the city and the hospital that was featured in it was our real former hospital. It's actually a large mural now. And the underground laboratory where they did the testing that led to the parallel travels is based on the real SNOLab.

That is amazing to learn... Wow but still books like these deserve movie treatment.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Yeah, agreed. The books are philosophical sci-fi epics. There aren't many of these observatories, so if they were to make the movie, they'd likely have to at least film some parts of it there. In terms of them being set underground (there are other types such as underwater), there's one in Japan, Italy, and Russia, and one in Minnesota.

 

[Colonel Midnight]

Ringworld... if done well.

Cheers,
-CM-

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Ringworld... if done well.

Cheers,
-CM-

Yes this 1000 times but I'm sure Hollywood would find a way to fuck it up

 

[captainkirk]

Ringworld... if done well.

Cheers,
-CM-

Wasn't a miniseries of that announced and then never heard from again?

 

[DarrenTR1970]

There was a trilogy of books in the early-mid 80s called the 'Cineverse Cycle' by Craig Shaw Gardner where an average Joe discovers that pretty much every TV Trope you see on the big screen exists in some form or another.

There's a 'Mad Scientist ' world, a 'Film Noir' world that's back and white complete with a Sam Spade character and voiceover, narration, a 'Talking Animals ' world, a 'cartoon world', etc.

I really don't remember much about them, but two things stand out - the creature from the swamp that the hero and damsel in distress encounters looks like a cheep gorilla suit with a zipper up the back and the 'swamp' looks like a studio set with plastic plants and trees; and 'singing western world', where the hero gets on his horse and tries to ride off into the sunset only to discover that the backdrop keeps moving but he's not making any progress (like the horse is stuck on a treadmill) because he has to sing 'the story so far' in order for the horse to move.

A trilogy of movies like that where they explore every cliche would be fun to watch.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

There was a trilogy of books in the early-mid 80s called the 'Cineverse Cycle' by Craig Shaw Gardner where an average Joe discovers that pretty much every TV Trope you see on the big screen exists in some form or another.

There's a 'Mad Scientist ' world, a 'Film Noir' world that's back and white complete with a Sam Spade character and voiceover, narration, a 'Talking Animals ' world, a 'cartoon world', etc.

I really don't remember much about them, but two things stand out - the creature from the swamp that the hero and damsel in distress encounters looks like a cheep gorilla suit with a zipper up the back and the 'swamp' looks like a studio set with plastic plants and trees; and 'singing western world', where the hero gets on his horse and tries to ride off into the sunset only to discover that the backdrop keeps moving but he's not making any progress (like the horse is stuck on a treadmill) because he has to sing 'the story so far' in order for the horse to move.

A trilogy of movies like that where they explore every cliche would be fun to watch.

That sounds like a ton of fun.. I'd watch that