# Why haven't these books been made into movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [July 22, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036 "2020-07-22T17:23:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/122 "2020-07-29T22:58:19Z")
Apparently, there were plans to make a film. [http://www.conceptualfiction.com/lord\_of\_light.html](http://www.conceptualfiction.com/lord_of_light.html) > There is a strange historical epilogue to this story. In 1979, a $50 > million film version of _Lord of Light_ was announced. The plan to make a movie collapsed due to various legal issues, but the CIA acquired some set designs and parts of the script, and used them to set up a cover for a team sent to Tehran—ostensibly scouting shooting locations, but really to help rescue six members of the US embassy staff who had narrowly missed being held prisoner during the Iranian hostage crisis because they had been out of the building at the time. These half-dozen people were in hiding in the Canadian embassy, and the _Lord of Light_ pretext contributed to the CIA bring them safely out of the country. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/123 "2020-07-29T23:00:20Z")
There is a British sort-of mystery series with tinges of the supernatural, where the lead actors are two old men, one a snappy dresser with his feet on the ground, the other wears whatever is available, smells of tobacco, carries little bags of sweets in his pockets, and has many friends in the occult world. They work in what is called the Peculiar Crimes Unit, and throughout the series are many sly digs at the current state of British life and bureaucracy. The series is by Christopher Fowler and the two characters are Bryant and May. I think a movie of this pair and the work they do would be perfect for Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. McKellen could play the rumpled but deep and intuitive one, while Stewart could play the more conventional snappy dresser. Or they could make it even more interesting by playing against type and switching roles. Either way, I’d surely pay to see that, and if I had any connections in show biz I’d be pitching the idea all over the place. It would have to be a British production, though, because US producers wouldn’t come anywhere near getting the point or the appeal of these guys. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/124 "2020-07-29T23:11:07Z")
The Dresden Files needs a decent, fairly faithful adaptation. There are so many scenes I’d love to see on the big-screen. Magic, swords, guns, monsters, epic vampire army fights, shape-changing fights and a certain scene in Dead Beat I try not to spoil. Combine that with an interesting protagonist, likable side-characters and sometimes charismatic, sometimes monstrous villains and these are movies I want to see. A Game of Thrones sort of series, with a decent budget and each season relating one or two books would also be welcome. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/125 "2020-07-29T23:17:10Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > A Game of Thrones sort of series, with a decent budget and each season relating one or two books would also be welcome. This. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/126 "2020-07-30T00:40:28Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > and the two characters are Bryant and May. I got that reference. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/127 "2020-07-30T04:08:22Z")
The Sandman Slim books by Richard Kadrey. My wife would say a series based on the Anita Blake books by Laurell K Hamiliton. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/128 "2020-07-30T11:55:17Z")
> [@Galactus](#): > > My wife would say a series based on the Anita Blake books by Laurell K Hamiliton. The first few books at least, I would _love_ to see adapted. I think that cultural moment has passed, unfortunately. Also, it would probably wind up as a low-budget Canadian TV series, like “Blood Ties”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/129 "2020-07-30T19:07:21Z")
Yeah, the first few when Anita was a vampire _killer_ were pretty good, later when she became a vampire _fucker_ it became standard romance. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/130 "2020-08-01T03:07:46Z")
Personally I’ve always wanted SM Stirling’s [Nantucket trilogy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nantucket_series) to be made into a series (or trio of miniseries). > [@dalej42](#): > > Tom Clancy’s The Cardinal of the Kremlin could be an excellent film and cutting a bit of the backstory would be fine. But, can a Cold War film make it in 2020? Seriously? We’re basically in another Cold War with Russia now. It doesn’t seem like it would be hard to adapt (or just set in during the ''80s.) ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/131 "2020-08-01T15:43:07Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Seriously? We’re basically in another Cold War with Russia now. It doesn’t seem like it would be hard to adapt (or just set in during the ''80s.) I’d want it set in the 1980s. That’s what made it a great book. Updating it to Putin’s Russia wouldn’t be the same ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/132 "2020-08-03T08:09:11Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > It would have to be a British production, though, because US producers wouldn’t come anywhere near getting the point or the appeal of these guys. Christopher Fowler would agree with you: [Why haven’t Bryant & May made it to TV?](https://www.christopherfowler.co.uk/blog/2016/03/10/why-havent-bryant-may-made-it-to-tv/). > It’s not through lack of trying. The rights are almost continually under option, and the books sell well in the UK and America. But they don’t appear in translation anywhere, which reduces their desirability as a television series for international sales, and I suspect there’s another problem; they contain a comedic element that makes them specifically English. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/133 "2020-08-03T14:09:37Z")
In that Christopher Fowler article you link to, it says, “TV cops are never funny.” Really? What about _Barney Miller_? That’s a comedy program that’s set in a police station. I think there are also some more recent examples of this. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/134 "2020-08-03T14:18:45Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > In that Christopher Fowler article you link to, it says, “TV cops are never funny.” Really? What about _Barney Miller_ ? That’s a comedy program that’s set in a police station. I think there are also some more recent examples of this. _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_ being a recent obvious example. In the UK (and off the top of my head) there was also _The Detectives_ and _The Thin Blue Line_, both in the '90s. Arguably _Code 404_ as well. Cops can be funny depending on the quality of the writing and one’s sense of humour. ---
**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:** [August 3, 2020, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/135 "2020-08-03T14:31:59Z")
Don’t forget _Wellington Paranormal_ from New Zealand, eh. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/136 "2020-08-03T15:31:00Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > In that Christopher Fowler article you link to, it says, “TV cops are never funny.” Really? What about _Barney Miller_? That’s a comedy program that’s set in a police station. I think there are also some more recent examples of this. _Reno 911!_ comes to mind. Funny thing is, like _Scrubs_ for the medical community, I’ve been told by cops then and now that the most realistic shows about their profession were _Barney Miller_, and for the newer guys, _Reno 911!_ Real life can be surprisingly bizarre a lot of the time. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/137 "2020-08-04T18:49:03Z")
My cop buddies used to say that Barney Miller was the most realistic cop show on TV. ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/138 "2020-08-04T19:47:39Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > The Dresden Files needs a decent, fairly faithful adaptation. There are so many scenes I’d love to see on the big-screen. Magic, swords, guns, monsters, epic vampire army fights, shape-changing fights and a certain scene in Dead Beat I try not to spoil. Combine that with an interesting protagonist, likable side-characters and sometimes charismatic, sometimes monstrous villains and these are movies I want to see. Yes to this. In fact, in the genre of Urban Fantasy, _Elemental Assassin_ series, _The Iron Druid_ series, _October Daye_ series, _Alex Verus_ series, _Black City Saint_ series, _The Adept_ series, and I could keep going. I’m also surprised that there has been no DND series. I don’t think the dark elf would play well now. There is still plenty of material to use. What I don’t know is if original creators would get too much and that’s why they don’t? I can’t see why a series couldn’t last as long as Hercules or Xena did. I keep hearing about a movie or series so maybe it’s in development heck. Along the same lines, I’m surprised we haven’t had another attempt at _Kindred_ or something like that. I do know Wheel of Time is due next year on Amazon. I’m picking more modern books because the further back a series is, imo, the more they have to change it for a modern audience, and then fans don’t like it. (Yes to what happened with Anita Blake. Further yes to Blood Ties. I liked those books but the TV show felt dated even then.) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/139 "2020-08-04T19:54:47Z")
> [@vislor](#): > > In fact, in the genre of Urban Fantasy, _Elemental Assassin_ series, _The Iron Druid_ series, _October Daye_ series, _Alex Verus_ series, _Black City Saint_ series, _The Adept_ series, and I could keep going. Diana Tregarde. > [@vislor](#): > > I’m picking more modern books because the further back a series is, imo, the more they have to change it for a modern audience, and then fans don’t like it. Misty Lackey has added Holmes and the Watsons into her Elemental Masters series (four books thus far, plus an earlier book with the main characters) – those would be interesting as a mini-series. Two girls, Holmes, Robin Goodfellow, a parrot and a raven, the spirit world… ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/140 "2020-08-04T20:23:46Z")
And of course, I think of more. _Libriomancer_ would be fun but probably not possible due to other IPs. _Connor Grey_ series. My wife wants the _Mindspace_ series I wouldn’t mind a Neuromancer / Shadowrun / Cyberpunk style show. There are books on these but except for Gibson’s, the ones I’m thinking of are from RPGs. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036/141 "2020-08-04T20:31:16Z")
Why hasn’t anybody made Silverberg’s **Majipoor Cycle** into a HBO/GoT spectacular is beyond me. 25 short stories/novellettes/novelas/novels gives your a plethora of material, enough to last for decades. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-these-books-been-made-into-movies/916036.md?page=8)