# What books would you like to see made into movies- and who would you cast? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934 "2004-04-25T17:51:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/21 "2004-04-27T06:03:41Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > _Killer Angels_ - top notch tale of Gettysburg I believe the movie _Gettysburg_ was based on _Killer Angels_ and I really enjoyed the movie. Unless you’re doing the “the movie doesn’t exist” thing, which I totally understand. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/22 "2004-04-27T09:55:13Z")
None. Actually, good films have been made out of novels but it has been a long long time since I have seen one that I liked. Off late all books that have been filmed have ruined the books for me whenever I wasn’t smart enough to just not watch them. ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/23 "2004-04-27T10:18:31Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > \ Pratchett & Gaiman’s _Good Omens_- Stephen Frye as Azirophale, Rowan Atkinson as Crowley, Billy Connelly as the Witchfinder Shadwell, and cameos from Monty Python as various other characters. Nooooo! I love Rowan Atkinson to death, but I must object: Rufus Sewell gets my vote for sufficient Crowley-ness. Then again, I think I’d rather have it not made into a movie as it would be hard not to be disappointed by something or other. ---
**Author:** ![jimdigritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@jimdigritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimdigritz)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/24 "2004-04-27T11:46:18Z")
A few of mine: **American Gods, Neil Gaiman.** I see Vin Diesel as Shadow. My GF disagrees and thinks that it should be Forest Whittaker **The Stainless Steel Rat (Is Born), Harry Harrison.** Would be a FANTASTIC film. Strong action with some tongue in cheek comedy. I see a charsimatic actor (maybe ‘unknown’) something like a young Mel Gibson. Ed Norton springs to mind… as does Hugh Jackman. \*\*The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon. \*\* Excellent novel about Autism. I see Philip Seymour Hoffman as the high functioning autistic Lou Arrendale. \*\*Altered Carbon, Richard Morgan. \*\* Sci-Fi Noir detective . The twist with casting this is that the main characters are all re-sleeved into new bodies throughout the book, which means that there may be several lead characters playing Takeshi Kovacs. Maybe Vin Diesel again could get a shot at a more serious role? \*\*The Forever War, Joe Haldeman. \*\* The classic sci-fi book essentially commentating on issues that the author faced in the Vietnam war. William Mandella sould be played by… Joaquim Pheonix?? I heartily agree that the Dark Tower has some great cinematic potential, though the sheer size of the series makes it a huge challenge. Most good short stories make excellent screenplays, and boy have I read some cracking short stories… will have to dredge my menory for the best… I actually read most books as a screenplay in my mind… great topic for discussion this! ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/25 "2004-04-27T12:17:41Z")
> [@Einmon](#): > > Nooooo! I love Rowan Atkinson to death, but I must object: Rufus Sewell gets my vote for sufficient Crowley-ness. > > Then again, I think I’d rather have it not made into a movie as it would be hard not to be disappointed by something or other. _Good Omens_ appears to have been indefinitely shelved, if you follow the link on the imdb to Pratchett’s website. Apparently, Robin Williams was slated to play Crowley, and frankly, I think that would be awful. And if Rowan Atkinson has a role in it, _I_ could see him as the Witchfinder. If it wasn’t so veddy veddy English, I’d love to see Julianne Moore as War (she usually plays such sweet women - I wanna see her kick some butt.) Tim Roth as Pollution/Pestilence. John Cleese as Famine. When I read the book, I always pictured one actor playing both Aziraphale and Crowley (even though having one actor play two roles in a movie rarely works well.) I don’t know who, though. OR - howsabout Eddie Izzard as Crowley and Rupert Everett as Aziraphale? I’ve also wanted to see Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series made into a film or series. With Kim Delaney as Stephanie, Dylan McDermott (with brown contact lenses) as Joe Morelli, and somebody really HOT as Ranger. **ivylass** - I wanna see Outlander done, too, but I think the entire cast would have to be unknowns. A younger Emma Thompson type as Claire, a younger (and obviously better-looking) Rutger Hauer type as Jamie. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2004, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/26 "2004-04-27T12:19:12Z")
When I was reading Stephen King’s “Rose Madder,” I could see a movie with Bruce & Demi. Of course, at the time, they were _Bruce&Demi_. Ashton & Demi wouldn’t work. However, Ashton&Demi in a remake of “Sunset Boulevard”… ---
**Author:** ![Stonebow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Stonebow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stonebow)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/27 "2004-04-27T14:22:32Z")
I know it’s silly, but I’d like to see some of David Eddings’ stuff come to the big screen. Either his Belgariad or Elenium would be cool- with the success of LOTR and Harry Potter, I think that a faithful adaptation would be possible. Mostly, I’d like to see them to satisfy my need to hear Bruce Campbell as then ‘dry voice’ inside Garion’s head that’s always being snarky. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/28 "2004-04-27T14:22:59Z")
> [@RealTronic](#): > > A few years ago (or, maybe 10 years ago…time flies) there were rumours floating around that they were making Donna Tartt’s **The Secret History** into a movie! Can’t say who I’d cast though - it’s been a while since I read the book. You might larf, but I always pictured several _Breakfast Club_-ers in those roles. Anthony Michael Hall as Bunny, Judd Nelson as the main killer guy, etc. (That’d be a pre-_Dead Zone_ AMH, obviously.) Being a fan of espionage thrillers, I tend to “cast” them as I read them. Two that stand out for me at the moment are _The Backup Men,_ from the novel by Ross Thomas. Denzel Washington and George Clooney as McCorkle and Padillo. Any or all of these classic English thrillers with Kenneth Branagh in the lead- _The Great Impersonation_ by E. Phillips Oppenheim _The 39 Steps_ by John Buchan (remake, obviously) _The Naked Runner_ by Francis Clifford (also a remake, not that anyone would know it) Branagh _is_ the pre-WW I, British semi-to-full-on-imperialist establishment hero. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/29 "2004-04-27T14:41:28Z")
> [@GMRyujin](#): > > I believe the movie _Gettysburg_ was based on _Killer Angels_ and I really enjoyed the movie. > > Unless you’re doing the “the movie doesn’t exist” thing, which I totally understand. You are correct. Here’s the summary from netflix: > [@](#): > > The fiercest battle fought on American soil comes to the screen in a stunning production that painstakingly re-creates the events of three fateful days in July 1863. Tom Berenger, Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen and Richard Jordan play key roles in this magnificent epic (based on Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Killer Angels), which was filmed at actual battle locations and rigorously authenticated – right down to the boots. I’ll have to check it out, just read the book a couple of years ago and never made the connection. Thanks for the tip. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/30 "2004-04-27T14:49:01Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > O Henry’s _The Gift Of The Magi_, black and white, silent, with no intertitles. > > Starring Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor. That gave me chills. Personally, I think \*\*The Dark Tower \*\* would make a \*horrendous \* movie. It would be terribly boring. It can’t be told chronologically - W&G gives too much away about Roland et al. You can’t tell it in order - W&G would be too jarring. Actually, if you just left W&G out (by far the worst of the bunch), it could be decent. But could you actually sit through a movie where people sit and stare at a damned rose for 10 minutes? It would be completely disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/31 "2004-04-27T20:04:30Z")
> [@jimdigritz](#): > > **American Gods, Neil Gaiman.** I see Vin Diesel as Shadow. My GF disagrees and thinks that it should be Forest Whittaker Vin Diesel I could see, but Forrest Whittaker? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/32 "2004-04-27T20:22:31Z")
I think most of the books I want to see made into a movie are in pre-production: **Ender’s Game** - I hear Card approves of a script and they are moving forward **The Watchmen** - part of me never ever wants to see this made, but I hope against hope that if Peter Jackson could get LOTR right, someone might be able to do this. I have heard it is being considered as a mini-series and John Cusack is being considered for the younger Night Owl. There was a thread about this a few weeks ago with everyone offering thoughts on who to cast. What I would _really_ love to see would be to have Pixar come out with an adults-only imprint (not porn or anything - just more mature animated films rated PG-13 or higher) and do the Watchmen that way. Wow would that be cool. **Confederacy of Dunces** - I’d prefer to see Philip Seymour Hoffman, but I hear that Will Ferrell is up for Ignatious Reilly’s role… ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/33 "2004-04-27T21:04:43Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > But could you actually sit through a movie where people sit and stare at a damned rose for 10 minutes? It would be completely disappointing. Any movie would be adapted for the screen, of course. I think a director with the right style could pull it off. Lots of flashbacks would work to fill in Roland’s backstory and they could be inserted when they’re walking or staring at stuff or whatever. Peter Jackson managed to make 3 pretty good movies out of Frodo wandering around Middle Earth being tired and miserable. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/34 "2004-04-27T22:27:31Z")
_Anno Dracula_. That baby just _screams_ “ensamble cast,” doesn’t it? Though I’m drawing a blank on who to cast…maybe Guy Pierce as Beauregard. Don’t know about Genevieve. Any thoughts? And all the in-jokes have to stay in, of course. And for the director…Burton, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/35 "2004-04-27T22:42:50Z")
I can honestly say that the only Stephen King book-\>movie I have ever enjoyed was Misery. The rest, while good to read, were butchered in the movie process. I can only imagine the death that would accompany a filming of the Dark Tower series, as much as I enjoyed reading it. Personally, I think the best candidates of SK’s for filming are (in no order): Eyes of the Dragon Rage\* The Long Walk\* (\*) short stories as Richard Bachman. No clue who to cast in any of the roles, I’m not that imaginative. ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/36 "2004-04-27T22:50:43Z")
In the category of “I’d just like to see them even try to pull this one off”: House of Leaves. In the category of “I want a good movie version of this”: Breakfast of Champions. ---
**Author:** ![helieo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@helieo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/helieo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/37 "2004-04-28T00:00:15Z")
**A Year In Provence** with Michael Caine in the lead. The wife is virtually non-existent so it doesn’t really matter, but I’d like to see Emma Thompson. ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/38 "2004-04-28T00:31:42Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > _Outlander_ by Diana Gabaldon. Alex Kingston as Claire, don’t know yet who can play Jamie. He’d have to be tall, with deep red hair, and a Scottish accent. I would be more than happy to help, uh—screen test— the applicants. Oh yes, yes, YES! I love those books. Way more than a person should love books. I have forgone food to read them straight through…and then almost expired from hunger and thirst. So I tried to eat and read at the same time. Gabaldon’s books are the first books in which I accidentally smeared spaghetti. You can still smell the garlic and thyme in Voyager. Casting? Hmm. I think Stuart Townsend would make a very good Black Jack Randall. He just looks…oily, full of himself, and totally dissolute. FB ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/39 "2004-04-28T00:45:45Z")
**The Falco Series** by Lindsey Davis, I’ve always pictured **Russell Crowe** as Marcus Didius Falco and I have not quite figured out who plays Helen, yet. ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934/40 "2004-04-28T01:05:43Z")
I’ve been reading Alexander McCall Smith’s _Kalahari Typing School for Men_ . I’ve read all the books in the series. I think I’d like to see Queen Latifah as Precious Ramotswe and maybe Danny Glover as J.L.B. Maketoni. Another book I’d like to see made into a film is _The Thief Lord_ by Cornelia Funke. In Funke’s dedication, she says that Victor Getz, the detective looks just like Bob Hoskins, so that’s who I would choose for that role. The Thief Lord, Scipio, to me, should be played by Jeremy Sumpter (the most recent Peter Pan). I picture Ida Spavento as Lena Olin. This is a kids book, but my fifth graders and I are really enjoying it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-movies-and-who-would-you-cast/241934.md?page=3)