Spoke: “Retreat, Hell” is about the Chosin reservoir in Korea. Pretty decent film.
Oh, and I heartily second CalMeacham’s suggestion of “The Stars My Destination.” Jeez, what a great book!
Baker wrote:
I’ll second that. And for a good set of story boards, they need look no further than Joe Kubert’s faithful comic book adaptation of the novel which was published in the DC Comics Tarzan series back in the 70’s. Very true to the book, plus Kubert had a lot of good visual ideas for any directors/cinematographers to steal.
The only problem would be conveying to viewers the conversations between Tarzan and the great apes (in ape-ese). What do you do? Use subtitles?
Oh yeah, and thanks for the tip Rocketeer. I’ll have to check that one out.
I just asked the playright (who has gotten the author’s permission to make it into a play…next step: Hollywood!), and she said that Reader’s Theatre, or Theatre of the Mind is when the characters all sit in a row, do their lines, and don’t move–well, one step or so, but no actual action. Sounds pretty cool.
I want to second this…and amend it a little?
I wish “insert any great book title here” had been true to the book. What a disappointment it was. What bozo decided it needed to be changed??? <big sigh>
I just finished “Pillars Of The Earth” by Ken Follet.
It would make an incredible movie, but only if it follows the book faithfully.
I’d dearly love to see David Gerrold’s war of the cthorr books as a mini or other series. Claudia Cristen (sp?) from B5 as Lizard!
SK’s Eyes of the Dragon. And the Dark Tower set.
Heinlein’s Double Star and Have Spacesuit, Will Travel.
A decent adaptation of a Lawrence Block Scudder or bernie book.
Steven Brust’s Jhereg.
A Samurai Pizza Cats movie. (anyone know if and where I can get the Cats’ TV run on video?)
–Ginzu Sword cat slash!
OUTSTANDING choice! One of my favorite books. It could be done, but it would need to be a long movie. A fantastic story. I mercilessly offer the book to friends to read, and they all have loved it.
Check out the Final Fantasy trailer here: http://www.finalfantasy.com Looks like Pixar could be in trouble.
So many good choices already…
Before I go into mine, I’ll second the adaptation of “Murder Mysteries.” I will say, however, that I love Brian Dennehey’s performance on the Sci-Fi channel audio adaptation.
As for my choice, I would love to see a great film made about the life of Satchel Paige, baseball’s greatest pitcher. So many odd stories about the man, against the backdrop of the Negro leagues. Could have won two or three Cy Young awards, easy. Would also work as a great baseball movie, since he encountered Ruth, Gherig, Bell, …damn. What was the name of the great player for the Kansas City Monarchs who was on the Baseball mini-series? Buck O’Neill?
Another vote here for the Wild Cards series. But you’d have to break it up some way, it’s just WAY too much for one movie. I’d just love to see how they would do Chrysalis, Father Squid, The Sleeper, etc.
I would also love to see the book Gospel by Wilton Barnhardt made into a movie. It’s kind of a Raiders of the Lost Ark, but they’re searching a lost book of the Bible. Very cool.
AT LAST! Somebody else who’s read this book!! I loved it!
The Truth Machine and The First Immortal, one of which is a sequel (of sorts) of the other, are both superlative books. They give you hope for the future, in a way.
I think a movie based on the life of Ranald MacDonald would be absolutely fascinating.
(No, he doesn’t have any connection to the Golden Arches.)
He was the son of a Hudson’s Bay Company official and an American Indian princess. He heard about Japan and reached the conclusion that the Japanese and the Native Americans were related, and decided that he wanted to go there. At that time, Japan was closed to outsiders and often those who entered the country would be killed.
He worked his way across the Pacific on a whaling ship, and once they reached the coast of Japan, he persuaded them to let him borrow a dingy, which he would row close to the shore and then capsize, so that he could pretend to be shipwrecked. He was so liked by the crew that they begged him not to go, and reportedly cried as he rowed off.
Everything went according to plan, and instead of being killed, he was placed in prison by the local Daimyo. As time went on, he gradually gained some level of acceptance, and even wrote the first known Japanese-English dictionary. Eventually he left Japan and travelled to Europe where he gave lectures on his experiences in Japan.
Unfortunately, by the time he returned to the US, Commodore Perry had already forced Japan to open to the outside world, and suddenly his knowledge was no longer so valuable. He sank into obscurity, but somewhere in Oregon (I think), there is a monument to him. I can’t think of a more fascinating life to make into a movie.
Both Orson Wells and Terry Gilliam were working on their own versions, and niether have been completed. It’s too late for Wells, but maybe Gilliam will suceed.
Another vote for a Period War of the Worlds.
Though there was a version of Charles Dexter Ward made fairly recently called "The Resurrected". Pretty good actually.
After reading a book about the Roman Emperors, I’ve thought that Hollywood could make a great movie about 69 AD, the Year of the 4 Emperors.
Start with Nero being forced to commit suicide. Galba takes command, reigns for a little less then a year, is deposed by Otho, who is then deposed by Vitelluis. Show a battle or two from the civil wars, and then end with Vespasian becoming emporer.
Plenty of violence and I’m sure they could throw some sex in there as well.
Whoah. This was some piece of thread necromancy.
How about Return Of The Living Dead Thread? If you want to start a new thread in Cafe Society, go right ahead. I’m just going to rebury this zombie.