# What science fiction stories could be made into good low budget movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816 "2012-05-13T23:48:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/41 "2012-05-15T05:37:15Z")
[_Wasp_ by Eric Frank Russell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp_(novel)) if you insist on novel-length source material, especially if you can reuse sets from other productions. It requires a large number of actors and locations, but none of the locations are particularly exotic and the majority of the actors can be walk-ons without lines. For short stories, Bradbury did a number of Martian stories in particular you could film very cheaply in the Desert Southwest with perhaps a couple different sets and, for maximum fidelity to his vision, some classic cars and period dress. You can also make a longer film by stringing the plots of two or three stories into a single narrative, as Bradbury himself kind of did and as at least one movie has already done (I believe). ---
**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:** [May 15, 2012, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/42 "2012-05-15T06:37:35Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > After what happened to _The Running Man,_ I’m not sure I want Hollywood going anywhere near Bachmann any more. > > Besides, they’d **never** have the guts nowadays to film _Rage._ Yeh, Rage would be a tough sell. While there’s certainly been more truly awful King stories made into films, there’s also been excellent ones: The Shawshank Redemption The Green Mile Misery Stand By Me The Shining (It diverges, but excellent film) Just gotta find the right people, and cast one-hundred 16 year olds! ---
**Author:** ![morbius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@morbius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/morbius)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/43 "2012-06-11T14:17:30Z")
I’d love to see A Trace of Memory made into a movie… Spielburg should direct. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/44 "2012-06-11T14:43:45Z")
[“Dhactwhu!–Remember?”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=555505) ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/45 "2012-06-11T15:06:44Z")
Two I’d love to see: -R. Heinlein’s “The Door Into Summer” - Asimov’s “Foundation” Both are stories heavy in human interaction-no need for expensive special effects. “Foundation” would be difficult to screenwrite-it’s a long complicated story…but I’d watch it. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/46 "2012-06-11T16:23:54Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > “The Mountains of Mourning” by Lois McMaster Bujold After the _issues_ with The Warriors Apprentice, Lois has stated categorically she will never authorize production of anything of hers. > [@Derleth](#): > > [_Wasp_ by Eric Frank Russell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp_%28novel%29) if you insist on novel-length source material, especially if you can reuse sets from other productions. It requires a large number of actors and locations, but none of the locations are particularly exotic and the majority of the actors can be walk-ons without lines. Damn, bogarted … I love that book. ---
**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:** [June 11, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/47 "2012-06-11T16:40:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **RealityChuck** : > > Because the location where he narrates is a twist. You do it as a voiceover and show the incidents, then show him finishing up his story live. Oh, I see, you mean just hiding him _as the narrator_, not hiding him as a character in the narration. Yeah, that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/48 "2012-06-11T16:44:16Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Inconstant Moon - Possibly the greatest SF story to feature just some basic science and a love story. I didn’t think much of the Outer Limits version. Not quite science fiction, not quite horror, but a wonderful small romance that would film well, I think, is King’s short, “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut”. ---
**Author:** ![Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/49 "2012-06-11T17:13:05Z")
I think Hugh Howey’s [“Wool”](http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Hugh-Howey/dp/1461057205) would make for a very good low budget sci-fi movie. There are only a few primary characters, the sets can be deliberately sparse and recycled as necessary, and the need for special effects is minimal. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/50 "2012-06-13T09:53:46Z")
What to say? I’d like to suggest _any_ of the stories from William Gibson’s **Burning Chrome** short story collection. The Gernsback Continuum could be hilarious. Unfortunately we know how _Johnny Mnemonic_ turned out ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/51 "2012-06-13T13:39:58Z")
I could make a really huge list, but I’ll just give one. I’ve wanted to see this as a film for decades, and it could be done _very_ cheaply, as there would only need to be one set, a handful of cast members, and no real special effects: _Casey Agonistes_ by Richard McKenna. If you’ve never read this amazing short story, [here it is](http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2008/03/casey-agonistes.html). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/52 "2012-06-13T13:55:42Z")
There are lots of short stories by people like Robert Sheckley, Frddric Brown, Theodore Coggswell, and lothers that could be filmed, especially now that relatively inexpensive CGI is available. **Watchbird** – they adapted this for the short-lived **Masters of Science Fiction** series a few years ago. Unfortunately, they a.) didn’t run it during the original series run in the US, so you either had to catch its unannounced much later broadcast or else see it on video, and b.) they changed the story out of recognition, especially the sort-of-twist ending, which they replaced with a pointless thing. Sheckley has become one of the most abused SF writers i terms of adaptations – they either change his stuff out of recognition, or rip it off. It would be nice to see something of his done straight, for once.This story has suddenly become relevant, since it’s essentially about UAVs thate are autonymous. **The Leech** – Another Shecvkley story, much like _The Blob_, but a bit more interesting. I think you could do a very good little film out of this. **The Proud Robot** – Henry Kuttner and Catherine L. Moore’s story about an inventor who only creates when he’s drunk, and can’t remember exactly what he did when he sobers up would require some updating (the original plot concerns what is essentially bootlegged HDTV shown in movie theaters), but the dynamics are great and the humor is bizarre. They could do the other stories in the series, as well, such as **Time Locker** , although, again, some updating would be needed. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/53 "2012-06-13T17:29:47Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/54 "2012-06-13T17:44:33Z")
The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe. The bare bones plot is actually pretty simple and that volume of the series doesn’t have anything requiring much in the way is special effects. As translated to the screen it’d make an appealing tragic love story set in a sci-fi/fantasy world. There would be a necessity to ditch most of Wolfe’s famous intricacy, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/55 "2012-06-13T18:59:58Z")
Ooh, Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/56 "2012-06-13T19:41:27Z")
“A Song for Lya” by George R. R. Martin ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/57 "2012-06-13T20:16:25Z")
Alas, Babylon Stock footage of nuclear explosions, then film the rest on location in some small town in Florida. Helicopters at the end and the classic cars would be the biggest props to budget for. Use little known actors, and pay well for a good screenwriter and an editor who knows the story. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/58 "2012-06-13T20:20:55Z")
[Alas, Babylon on Playhouse90 in 1960](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053581/) anybody see it? ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/59 "2012-06-13T21:00:34Z")
They almost managed a movie version of Clarke’s [Maelstrom II](http://www.maelstrom2themovie.com/). Wish they’d finished it. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816/60 "2012-06-14T02:14:25Z")
Just thought of another: Peaches for Mad Molly by Steven Gould. It came close to winning both the Hugo and Nebula back in 1989. It’s about homeless people who live on the outside of a giant building, like full time mountain climbers. The main character decides to venture to the upper floors, where people like him never go, to try to steal some fruit for a friend’s birthday. It’s an epic adventure that could be done fairly cheaply with some creative carpentry and stunt work. It would require one athletic actor to be the fast-climbing protagonist, and only 3 or 4 other on-screen people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-stories-could-be-made-into-good-low-budget-movies/621816.md?page=4)