Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
Philip K. Dick’s Valis. Where the hell is it?
There has been a lot of talk about A Scanner Darkly being made into a film, and I must say it’s long overdue. Ever since I read the very first scene in that novel, I’ve wanted to see it on the big screen.
Moving away from the Dick, I’m still upset about the lack of a film adaptation of Paul Quarrington’s Civilization. I was surprised that his Whale Music was made into a movie, since what made the novel so good was dependant on a first-person narrative to illustrate just how confused his protagonist was. That being said, the movie turned out well enough.
Civilization seems like a much better choice for a movie to me-- funny as hell, but occassionally profound, and best of all, preoccupied with the artifice of early Hollywood. Specifically, this books screams “AWESOME COHEN BROTHERS ADAPTATION” to me.
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. I had heard, years ago, that John Candy was going to be in it & play Ignatious but obviously that isn’t going to happen.
Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels. I mean the ones with Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw… *The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun[i/] and The Robots of Dawn. I don’t think the last one is filmable, but the first two… sci-fi detective stories in a futuristic world? What’s not to like?
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
I would love to see the Dragonlance Chronicals series as a trilogy. Of course, it would have to get past the shame that is Dungeons and Dragons: The Movie.
But seriously, what with all the interest in LOTR, I think it would be very viable as a movie.
Elric of Melnibone No brainer, really.
Good news, bad news, good news, odd news, better news, head-scratchingly-strange news.
I, Robot is in preproduction.
Will Smith will probably play the lead.
The director is Alex (Dark City) Proyas.
It’s not really based on any of Asimov’s stories.
But the next ones will be.
It started out as a standalone screenplay, which the studio then merged with its back-burnered Asimov material.
Oh, screw it. Here are the gory details.
To Asimov fans who didn’t know about this, I’m very sorry.
As far as my nomination, I think G.M. Ford’s Leo Waterman stories would be great. Not as a theatrical feature, necessarily, but like the Poirot “Mystery” TV-movie series. I read them, and I see a charismatic but rumpled lead actor as Leo, someone like Philip Seymour Hoffman or Oliver Platt. I think they’d be great.
Samuel R Delany’s Nova. It’s got everything: quest plot structure, incredible scope for visual effects, interesting and disparate team of characters, strange planets, spaceships, a nasty villain with a beautiful sister, romantic sub-plot, and as explosive an ending as there can be.
I’m a bit surprised they haven’t gotten around to the Dirk Pitt books again. Sure “Raise the Titanic” did badly, but that was in 1980, and there have been plenty of other books since then. Not that they’re particularly good books, but they do seem very filmable and they fit into a popular genre.
Ian Banks’ Culture novels – any of gthem – have the potential to out Star Wars Star Wars in the eye candy department but have a depth of thoght behidn them that would make them appealing to all. Prolly something Paramount should do.
In particular, the protagonist of Use of Weapons is such a brilliantly twisted individual, hell, he’s hero and villain all rolled up in one piece, and convincingly so. Absolutely badass. It’s a bit of boggler.
Vernor Vinge’s “A Light Upon The Deep” also has great potential for space opera and some really appealing aliens in the Tines. Would make a great anime, if nothing else.
Any of Fanny Burney’s Novels.
And this one hails way back for me- O.T. Nealson’s The Girl Who Owned A City. I’m also suprised that there is no sequal, after about 30 years now. It is a kid’s book, so a movie may be a little much for a kid’s movie. It was my favorite as a young’un however.
I’d like to see Niven’s Ringworld, just for the sheer size of it. If done right, the effects would be awesome. Plus the storyline is engaging, and the characters interesting.
That and the space battle in The mote in god’s eye
Lee Child’s series of REACHER books starting with “The Killing Floor” .
Slight hijack, but the Lucasarts videogame The Dig wound up getting a novelization that did it a fair amount of justice. I heard that the game was originally conceived by Steven Spielberg as a film. I still want to see it done! The world would finally have a respectable movie with a doomsday asteroid as a central plot device.
Or maybe I’m just living in a little bubble of fond memories in which nine-year-old eyecandy-based PC games I played when I was in the fourth grade actually have what one would call a plot.
Drew Barrymore (an unlikely source) owns the film rights to this and is said to be in pre production.
Books I’m surprised there aren’t film versions of:
GENERATION X (Douglas Coupland)
THE SANDMAN (Gaiman)
GOOD OMENS (Gaiman/Pratchett- they need to do this one before all the Python gang is dead as they could do great cameos)
I’d like to see a remake of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD as the original only contained about 1/3 of what was in the book.
I wonder if THE HOBBIT will ever be a live action?
J. D. Salinger refuses to let anyone make a movie of his books. He also refuses to let any publisher put pictures on the covers of the books.
I’m kind of surprised that Caleb Carr’s The Alienist has not been made into a movie. It would seem like a natural
Also, how about Gary Jennings’ Aztec.
Well, it’s not fiction, but I’m surprised that there hasn’t been a movie made about King Henry VIII since the 40’s. Think about it: sex, murder, intrigue, revenge . . . it’s a story that has everything Hollywood loves. And with today’s beautiful costumes (thinking along the lines of * Gladiator) * it could be done wonderfully, in a visual sense.