# Books You're Surprised There Aren't Movies Of **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798 "2003-01-10T19:09:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![HeatMiser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecd19e/32.png) [@HeatMiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeatMiser)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/41 "2003-01-11T05:42:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Larry Mudd \* > **Philip K. Dick’s _Valis_. Where the hell is it?** > > - snip! - To see this done well would be really, really great but I have a hard time imagining how it would work. IMHO one of the most powerful aspects of the book is that Horselover Fat’s theories encompass such a wide range of religious and philosophical thought, and to a great extent are, if not always coherent, at least throughly researched and _consistent_. And it’s awfully dense material to present well in a film; even its presentation in the book presumes a kind of “early 70s Berkeley liberal arts obsessive intellectual curiosity + paranoia” (apologies for the unnatractive stereotype, but I think it’s an important aspect of the context of this novel, and the audience for which it was perhaps originally intended). As a simpler tale of sanity questioned and regained, it might work but it probably wouldn’t be anything special. As pure SF involving rays from space satellites, secret societies of possibly-dangerous people playing with dangerous technologies, it might work too. But the key to Dick’s genius in this one has always seemed to me to lie in ambiguity and open questions, and for that to work the reader/audience _must_ be presented with Fat’s complex theories and understand them enough to see how they explain his situation equally well as insanity, drugs, or more literal-minded technological explanations like microwave beams and satellites. Or some combination of the above. Or something completely different. I have a theory (well, that’s a bit pretentious; call it a _theoryette_) about P. K. Dick adaptations: he was first and foremost an idea man who tended, especially early on and especially in his short stories, to kind of blurt out his ideas onto paper without a whole lot of refinement. This is the perfect formula for screenplay adaptations: great ideas without a lot of stylistic writing or character development getting in the way of the rewrites. Something more fully developed and realized like _Valis_, even if it were composed of the same simple-yet-compelling ideas as much of Dick’s short fiction, would be quite a bit more challenging to bring to screen successfully. Sorry that got so long. I’m new here, I’m sure my enthusiasm will wind down after a bit. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/42 "2003-01-11T05:53:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Legomancer \* > \*\*It occurred to me the other day that we never got a movie of **Neuromancer** , which I found suprising, given the pervasiveness of the “cyberpunk” fad in the early 90s. Now, I fear, it might be too late for such a thing, since that whole concept seems a little dated to many people. I thoguht I read somewhere that the awful ‘Johnny Mnemonic,’ had it done better, would have led to a Neuromancer movie, but apparently not enough people were willing to buy that Keanu Reeves had _too much_ information in his head. \*\* I read the reason why Gibson replaced Molly in the screenplay with another character was that they knew they were going to get a no-name actress for ‘Johnny Mnemonic’, and they planned on getting someone more famous to play her in ‘Neuromancer’. I’m not sure if this is true or not, though, I don’t think it’s a big deal to have the same character played by two different actresses, especially when it’s not in a true sequel. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/43 "2003-01-11T06:07:33Z")
I’d love to see a Discworld movie or twenty. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/44 "2003-01-11T06:21:49Z")
Gate to Womens’ Country by Sherri S. Tepper. A futuristic tale of a re-ordered society. Excellent. I think it would be incredibly easy to make into a movie, too. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/45 "2003-01-11T06:37:29Z")
I started to write a post about _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_, but then checked the IMDB and found it had already been done. Twice. The 1982 version even had Sean Connery as the Green Knight, but apparently it didn’t go over very well and sank like a stone. So maybe I could semi-hijack this thread to include books that haven’t been made into movies that we could have a chance of actually _seeing_. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/46 "2003-01-11T08:43:34Z")
\*\* Memoirs of a Geisha \*\* Spielberg was supposed to direct, but something must have happened, because the movie was never made. I really liked this book, a simple love story with intriguing details of geisha culture that, I think, would translate well into a film. ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/47 "2003-01-11T08:44:43Z")
After LOTR (and hopefully with more people willing to watch fantasy-type movies) the **Dragon Lance** series might work into a 3, 4 or 5 part movie. I second Stephen King’s **Dark Tower** series. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/48 "2003-01-11T09:06:50Z")
I would like to see an attempt at the FLASHMAN novels be George Macdonald Fraser. (yes i know ROYAL FLASH was filmed. )I might do it for TV like the recent Hornblower series. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/49 "2003-01-11T10:52:54Z")
HeatMiser writes: \> I have a theory (well, that’s a bit pretentious; call it a \> theoryette) about P. K. Dick adaptations: he was first and \> foremost an idea man who tended, especially early on and \> especially in his short stories, to kind of blurt out his ideas onto \> paper without a whole lot of refinement. In fact, the reason that his novels and stories frequently had lots of ideas jammed together rather randomly is that he was using speed much of the time so that he could stay up at night in order to write as quickly as possible. This was particularly true in the early '60’s when he had to support a wife, a daughter, and three step-daughters. Even with his writing and his wife’s jewelry business, he was barely scraping by (partly because he and his wife weren’t very good at living frugally). _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?_ is typical of the novels of that period, full of brilliant ideas but not well edited by Dick or by his editors. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/50 "2003-01-11T14:04:35Z")
When I was reading \*\* Rose Madder \*\*, I kept seeing a movie with Bruce & Demi. That would be great. King’s short story “Do The Dead Sing” should have been a movie by now. It’s perfect. Andrew Vachss’s Burke mysteries and Kinky Friedman’s Kinky mysteries would be good movies. Has Mary Higgins Clark’s \*\* Silent Night, Holy Night \*\* been filmed? A short story by Conrad Hill called “The Grief Connection” would be a great Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror episode, except the censors would never allow it. If you want to read it, find a copy of Julian Lloyd Webber’s complilation \*\* Short Sharp Shocks \*\*. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/51 "2003-01-11T14:41:46Z")
> [@](#): > > The Talisman by King/Straub You know, when I was reading this book the first time, I even had the movie cast (mentally, of course), but all the actors are now too old (Henry Thomas as Jack) or dead (Scatman Carrothers as Speedy Parker). Upon a second reading, just before release of Black House, I re-read it, and realized why it hasn’t been done: the movie would have to be, like, 10 hours long. However, as I was reading it the second time, I was giving my adolescent/teenage daughters updates on the plot, and it occurred to me that it could be adapted into a (possibly animated) movie aimed at older kids. > [@](#): > > When I was reading Rose Madder , I kept seeing a movie with Bruce & Demi. That would be great. I agree completely. Stallone would make a better Norman, if only he could act. > [@](#): > > The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King. I guess they want to wait until the series is finished, but they should film at least one movie before Clint Eastwood dies/gets too old. Eastwood? Ya think? I think he’s already too old, and not dark enough. > [@](#): > > King’s short story “Do The Dead Sing” should have been a movie by now. It’s perfect. Yes, with Frances Sternhagen in the lead role. Now for my own two: Stephen King’s short story **The House On Maple Street**. Also, with comp. animation getting so good, **Watership Down** would be a natural. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/52 "2003-01-11T14:55:10Z")
_Prince Ombra_ (sorry, forget the author’s name), very similar to King/Straub’s _The Talisman_, but published either before _The Talisman_, or at the same time, so it’s not a rip-off. _The Ivanhoe Gambit_ (also forget the author’s name), time travel novel which has the heroes wielding tommy guns in the Age of Chivalry! _Footfall_ by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, baby elephants from outer space invade the Earth! ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/53 "2003-01-11T15:11:14Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Diogenes the Cynic \* \*\*I’m kind of surprised that Caleb Carr’s _The Alienist_ has not been made into a movie. It would seem like a natural Actually I’ve seen a preview for this movie at one time about 1-2 years ago but It never came out … It wasnt much more like the the description that waso n the paperback version and a seeir shot of the pic on the front with ominious music … I’ve thought about looking it up to see if the idmb had anything on it … ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/54 "2003-01-11T19:52:10Z")
Heinlein’s **The Moon is a Harsh Mistress**. Pioneered the holoprojected, self-aware computer, and I loved the portrayal of line marriage and other aspects of life in a lunar colony. I just hope “Pluto Nash” hasn’t killed the idea. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/55 "2003-01-11T19:56:04Z")
Oh, and Fred Saberhagen’s **Berserker** series. Killer machines programmed to wipe out all life in the Universe - what’s there for Hollywood not to like? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/56 "2003-01-11T23:07:25Z")
Didn’t Fred Saberhagen sue because the Terminator movies were essentially his Berserker story, stolen and slightly altered? 'Cause when I saw Terminator I sure thought “That’s a Berserker!” ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/57 "2003-01-12T01:14:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Captor \* > \*\*Didn’t Fred Saberhagen sue because the Terminator movies were essentially his Berserker story, stolen and slightly altered? 'Cause when I saw Terminator I sure thought “That’s a Berserker!” \*\* Nope, Harlan Ellison _did_, though. Since the plot was essentially the same as an episode of _The Outer Limits_ that he wrote. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/58 "2003-01-12T04:50:15Z")
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars series. A combination space opera/ barbarian swordsman story? It’s a natural. They’ve done (bad versions of) Pellucidor and The Land that Time Forgot, not to even mention Tarzan, so why not Barsoom? Gor might be too kinky for mainstream release, but maybe as a Cinimax (or Playboy Channel) project? ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/59 "2003-01-12T05:43:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lumpy \* > \*\*Gor might be too kinky for mainstream release, but maybe as a Cinimax (or Playboy Channel) project? \*\* Well there was [this](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0095241). I haven’t seen it, but it’s supposed to be quite bad. Its [sequel](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0098048) was used in an award-winning episode of MST3K. Personally I’m dreading an _Ender’s Game_ movie. I don’t think it’s possible to film without ruining it. Even using older children, combining characters, and eliminating subplots, a director wouldn’t be able to convey the key parts of the story in two hours without making it intolerably stupid. I am interested in the (somewhat stale) rumors that another Orson Scott Card story, _Dogwalker_, is being prepared for the big screen. I think its appealing characters and concise plotline make it a good candidate. It’s certainly less daunting than _Neuromancer_. Card wrote it as a challenge to see whether he could fill a story with all the usual cyberpunk clichés and still make it good fiction. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798/60 "2003-01-12T05:48:13Z")
I’m surprised they haven’t made a movie version of Michel Chrighton’s **Timeline**. Simply because they make movies of all his books, not because the “Hey lets go back in time to the midevil days of knights” genre hasn’t been done to death. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youre-surprised-there-arent-movies-of/147798.md?page=4)