I second The Star Beast. I think that it would be perfect as a CGI animated feature.
Perhaps a series of animated movies?
Right, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is way too long to be a good movie. Bunches will have to be cut out, thus the fanboys will hate it. Same with Job: A Comedy of Justice and Door Into Summer, or Time Enough for Love (which is his worst anyway, it’s dreck imho)
I’d also suggest any of his YA works. Have Spacesuit will Travel.
Started reading it… it’s not the same story.
Maybe I should get back into screenwriting.
So let’s grab our torches and pitchforks and storm Pixar until they agree to make TSB. I can’t believe that I didn’t mention it.
Yes, that’s short enough and it’s also funny and “heartwarming”. It is a good choice.
Oh? In the days where retro is hip? Since when did orgies go out of style? You can make it all retro-styled. Maybe Oliver Stone should direct it. ;p
Harsh Mistress is the clear winner. It’s got everything: Space opera, political satire, high-tech revolution, sex, and a lovable computer mascot. Presumably the movie version would dump the off-putting patois.
I would agree with Time for the Stars, The Star Beast, or Podkayne, although the latter two would likely be kids’ movies. And you’d have to change the The Star Beast protagonist’s name to something other than “John Thomas.” I guess Heinlein probably never read D.H. Lawrence.
Regrettably, I think Stranger in a Strange Land is a bit dated. It was visionary when it was published, but now the 60s and 70s have come and gone. Besides, Hollywood would strip out most of the spiritual depth, and then you’re essentially left with Crocodile Dundee.
I came in here to suggest Citizen of the Galaxy, but as I thought about it, I remembered that nothing actually happens in that book. 
Thorby begs, then flees. He learns Finnish, then flees. He goes through basic training, then flees. In the end, the book dramatically climaxes with – a proxy fight! And then it concludes with our hero crushed behind a desk.
Come to think of it, that totally sounds like a George Lucas movie. 
On the contrary, I think it’s pretty clear that Heinlein did, and knew precisely what he was doing. Especially with that line about Lummox wanting to “continue raising John Thomases”.
I vaguely recall from another source (Maybe The Heinlein Concordance? Gerrold met Heinlein at another occasion later on and apologized again and Heinlein laughed it off saying that he (Heinlein) swiped the idea from Twain*
*I have no idea which Twain story.
I think everyone’s making a mistake focusing on the novels. Someone (Ellison?) once said that an average short story translated into (some amount–1 hr?) of film. And much of Heinlein’s best stuff is his short stories.
I’d personally kill to see “Magic, Inc” (aka “The Devil Makes The Law”) turned into a feature length film: dirty politics, a love interest, a strong supporting role for a black actor, tons and tons of eye-candy, witty dialogue. It’s perfect.
“Our Fair City” would be a fun hour-long made-for-TV movie.
If the director could refrain from party-centric finger-pointing, “Lost Legacy” would rock as a film.
Neither would ever be made, but both of Job’s prequils would be great on screen: “They” would make a killer Twilight-Zone type episode and “The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathon Hoag” would be a great movie…or it would have been if made in the late '40s/early '50s.
I agree entirely, which is why I suggested the short novel Double Star.
In theory, a good short story would make a good movie, as I’ve said many times before – it gives lots of time for development. Unfortunately, Hollywood has shown its ability to screw up this theory, too. Instead of using longer scenes, they tend to pad unmercifully, which is why Enemy Mine (based on a novella) and Mimic (based on a short story) turned out the way they did. And they’ve shown their ability to mess up Heinlein short stories when Masters of Science Fiction messed up Jerry Was a Man.
I’m not sure I’d like any of Heinlein’s short stories turned into movies. I can see them being padded too easily.
OK, you seriously owe me a new keyboard .
Also, Heinlein claimed he stole the idea behind The Rolling Stones from Ellis Parker Butler’s Pigs is Pigs.
I’d love to see The Door Into Summer made into a movie, but in today’s climate the relationship between Dan and Ricky would never fly.
Oooo, yes, The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag could be made into a very creepy, atmospheric film, with a semi-tragic love story to boot. I’d pay good money to see that.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. But you already knew I would vote for that.
Engaging characters, a sentient computer, politics, revolution, a love story, real science, a future culture… the list could go on. However, I would fear that any script would gut the story. The well thought out lunar politics and culture would undoubtedly take a hit, but more importantly, the core message of freedom and self-determination would somehow be lost in the mix, or only ascribed to loosely as “freedom” in a sense no one can disagree with, not the kind of absolute freedom espoused in the novel.
I’m afraid a Hollywood version would smack too much of Stars Wars on the Moon: Manny and Mike (with the Professor as an Obi Wan figure) fighting the evil terran empire, with little thought as to why they fight and what they fight for.
That’s why they really need to make an HBO miniseries of the book. With decent funding and 8 hours or so of screentime to work with, you could reasonably have it all.
I live not that far from Pixar, so sign me up. They’d do a great job on it.
But we’ve gone right past water brothers into disco. Can you just see Valentine Michael Smith on the dance floor doing the Martian Mash?
I’m going to barf now.
From the bottom of section 10, “Rumors and Buzz”:
*"The Star Beast has been recently optioned by Disney. Whether this will be an animated or live action/CGI adaptation is unknown
Dreamworks has recently optioned The Moon is a Harsh Mistress."*
We can only hope.