# What sci-fi story would you like to see made into a movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418 "2005-12-06T22:09:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/1 "2005-12-06T22:09:30Z")
A lot of the greatest stories have already been made into movies, but I’m sure there are lots of sci-fi that is cinema worthy. My pick is _Marooned in Realtime_ by Vernor Vinge. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/2 "2005-12-06T22:12:32Z")
_Have Spacesuit, Will Travel_ ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/3 "2005-12-06T22:17:02Z")
Odd John. Can’t remember who the author was, but a great story. ---
**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:** [December 6, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/4 "2005-12-06T22:23:27Z")
Jack Vance’s Demon Prince novels would make a great _series_ of movies. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/5 "2005-12-06T22:40:44Z")
I’d like to see _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ made as the Next Big Trilogy. If they can approach the Narnia books without trepidation now, there’s no reason to hesitate with _Leibowitz_. I’d also like to see Philip K. Dick’s _Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said_ adapted for film. Never gonna happen, but I’d like to see the classic _X Minus 1_ episode “The Man in the Moon” adapted for film. A lot of new material would have to be written to stretch it out to three acts, but this quaint story is the original source of so much that has become gospel for the looniest of conspiracy nuts that it deserves more attention. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/6 "2005-12-06T22:54:45Z")
Previous [wisdom](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=267101) on this topic. A newer one I’d enjoy seeing as a movie: **With the Lightnings** by David Drake, because it would be just a bit of fun action. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/7 "2005-12-06T23:01:53Z")
Previous [wisdom](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=267101) on this topic. A newer one I’d enjoy seeing as a movie: **With the Lightnings** by David Drake, because it would be just a bit of fun action. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/8 "2005-12-06T23:09:53Z")
Harlan Ellison’s “Jeffty is Five”. Or “Prayer for No One’s Enemy” (I think it was done as a Twilight Zone episode though.) “Repent Harlequin Said the TickTock Man” I think would be an amazing a stop motion (ala Corpse Bride) short. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/9 "2005-12-06T23:59:36Z")
_Bug Park_ by **James Hogan**. It’s not a great work of literature but it’s quite fun and I think it would adapt well to the screen. Or _The War in the Air_ by **H G Wells**. But I’m not sure the story would adapt well; it’s a little too episodic. It would look great with the right special effects, though! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/10 "2005-12-07T00:04:37Z")
I’ve always thought C.J. Cherryh’s _Finity’s End_ would make an amazing film, and a very family-friendly one, at that. I’d love to see it done as a two-part TV miniseries. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/11 "2005-12-07T00:05:00Z")
**Staroamer’s Fate**. Because they’d pay me for the rights. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/12 "2005-12-07T00:11:51Z")
_Starship Troopers_ would make a great Hollywood blockbuster. You’d have to tone down the politics a bit, but that’d still leave you powered armor, nuclear hand-grenades, and the 20-second bomb. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/13 "2005-12-07T00:25:00Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > I’d like to see _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ made as the Next Big Trilogy. If they can approach the Narnia books without trepidation now, there’s no reason to hesitate with _Leibowitz_. > > I’d also like to see Philip K. Dick’s _Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said_ adapted for film. > > Never gonna happen, but I’d like to see the classic _X Minus 1_ episode “The Man in the Moon” adapted for film. A lot of new material would have to be written to stretch it out to three acts, but this quaint story is the original source of so much that has become gospel for the looniest of conspiracy nuts that it deserves more attention. I really wonder why _Flow My Tears_… hasn’t already been optioned (maybe it has), given the popularity of Dick adaptations in recent years. Maybe the central plot element (very famous TV personality shifted to a universe where he doesn’t exist) hits a little too close to the bone for Hollywood types. From the moment I finished \*The Moon is a Harsh Mistress \* I thought it would be a great film; I even tried casting it in my head . I still would like to see it, but only if it was done right; I would really hate seeing it get the “Starship Troopers” treatment. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/14 "2005-12-07T00:26:28Z")
**Chronos** beat me to it. _Starship Troopers_, with all the politics intact. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/15 "2005-12-07T00:41:06Z")
Where the hell is **Rendezvous With Rama** already? I remember Fincher’s name being attached, and I’d just love to see his take on some hard science fiction (I refuse to count “Alien 3”, it was before Fincher really came into his own, and I heard the studio really tied his hands on that production). Also, I’m not sure if it counts as true science fiction, but Stephen King’s (Richard Bachman’s) **The Long Walk** has always been a favorite of mine. Would be a really nice vehicle for Frank Darabont. One more. **Hyperion** would make a great epic, but I think it would take very special care in order to pull it off. I’d love to see the Shrike in CGI glory. Not to mention the Tesla Trees, the Tree Ship, and the cruciform doing it’s thang. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/16 "2005-12-07T00:51:51Z")
For pure visual effects goodness, nothing could possibly top _Hyperion_. Of course it would either need to accept major omissions or be four hours long, but I’m sure a talented screenwriter could handle it. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/17 "2005-12-07T00:52:42Z")
A lot of these are great ideas, but I’ve a feeling that they would become waaay dumbed down in typical Hollywood fashion. The plot and visuals may be intact, but the _ideas_, which really make or break good science fiction, would be mostly absent. Hyperion, for example, would be utter sci-fi-melange crap in the hands of most prominent directors today. Frankly, I don’t think that there’s been a really successful serious science fiction movie since The Empire Strikes Back. (Gattaca was good but not entirely successful; The Matrix was successful but not entirely serious.) OTOH, given perfect conditions (an adaptation true to the book, and top-notch acting and visuals), I would most like to see A Canticle for Leibowitz. In fact, I’ve actually written bits of script (comprising perhaps 1/3 of the book altogether) for various English assignments over time. That last scene, with the Church starship flying from Earth, with nuclear explosions in the background…so powerful ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/18 "2005-12-07T00:53:47Z")
I’ll third the Hyperion/Endymion saga. With the right screenplay and SFX, I think they could pull it off in two trilogies. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/19 "2005-12-07T01:03:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > _Starship Troopers_ would make a great Hollywood blockbuster. You’d have to tone down the politics a bit, but that’d still leave you powered armor, nuclear hand-grenades, and the 20-second bomb. Naah. You know Hollywood; some jerk would buy the rights to the name, and use it to advance his own personal political screed at the expense of the story. Happens all the time. Good thing they never sold the rights to it! ::: flees ::: ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418/20 "2005-12-07T01:05:28Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > _Have Spacesuit, Will Travel_ John Varley has written this screenplay and has made attempts to get it produced. Good luck to him, I say. What about Niven’s ‘Inconstant Moon’. It would make a great love story with a science background. Or if you want a really good one then Beam Piper’s Fuzzy novels would translate fairly easily to the screen now with the fuzzies being CGI. The biggest problem we’d have is the inevitable comparison to Ewoks. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sci-fi-story-would-you-like-to-see-made-into-a-movie/334418.md?page=2)