# You were excited that they announced an adaptation of \[insert book title\] but... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 1, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994 "2011-08-01T01:45:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/1 "2011-08-01T01:45:57Z")
…that adaptation never materialized. ☹ I’m sure it’s happen to all readers more than once. Which adaptations were you really looking forward to after hearing that they were being made, only to never see the movie/tv show ever happen? Are there ones you still hold out faint hope for? Me: **The Taking** by Dean Koontz. This creepy end-of-the-world story is my favorite DK book, so I was very pleased when [in 2007](http://www.deankoontz.com/2007/08/?cat=9) his website mentioned it being made into a mini-series. It doesn’t look like it’ll ever happen. **Bag of Bones** by Stephen King. I used to be a big SK fan, but I think Bag of Bones was the last decent novel he’s written. And it’s such a good ghost story…there’s an IMDB page for it, but that doesn’t mean a lot when there’s only one cast member listed. **The Gemma Doyle Triology** by Libba Bray. This YA series, which is a charming blend of historical fiction and horror-fantasy was supposed to have been adapted by now. IMDB seems to have taken the page down. You? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/2 "2011-08-01T01:51:35Z")
Good Omens and American Gods. Yes, both have fairly recent announcements of adaptations, but I will believe it when I see a trailer at least. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/3 "2011-08-01T02:04:35Z")
[Mark Frost](http://bymarkfrost.com/) helped David Lynch create _Twin Peaks_. Then he wrote _The List of Seven_, in which young physician A Conan Doyle investigates a seance that turns very wrong. Soon, he’s caught up in investigating an evil conspiracy at the side of mysterious, brilliant Jack. After the thundering adventure ends, Doyle begins writing stories about a detective inspired by his late friend. (Darn waterfall!) The book is the rippingest of ripping yarns & highly recommended. \* The Six Messiahs\* followed; while not as excellent, it’s still darn good. Alas, Frost has turned to writing golf books… There were definitely plans to make a movie from\* The List of Seven\*. Which apparently fell through. And Peter Jackson bought rights to the\* Temeraire\* story. I still have hope, but he’s pretty busy right now. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/4 "2011-08-01T02:06:24Z")
**Geek Love** - there was a lot of talk several years ago about Tim Burton planning an adaptation. There don’t appear to be plans presently for anyone to do it. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/5 "2011-08-01T02:13:25Z")
Starship Troopers. I heard a rumor several years ago that the guy who made RoboCop was going to make an adaptation of it, but sadly it never came out… ---
**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:** [August 1, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/6 "2011-08-01T02:28:26Z")
Judge Dee. I heard that Paul Verhoeven was working on an adaptation of a Judge Dee story, back before he ruined _Starship Troopers_, but it never happened. He might not have messed _that_ up. I loved the Nicholas Meyer TV movie (and I’d love to see the British TV version, if copies exist), and I’d love to see more. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/7 "2011-08-01T02:37:40Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Starship Troopers. I heard a rumor several years ago that the guy who made RoboCop was going to make an adaptation of it, but sadly it never came out… I’m assuming you’re kidding, but do we really hate the adaptation so much that we’re retconning it out of existence now? My own addition would be Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books. When it was first announced (with Sam Raimi attached), I was excited. Of all the Discworld books, they’re the most adaptable. They’re well-paced, charming, and don’t locate the humor in the footnotes. Moreover, they’re sellable – somewhere between LotR and Harry Potter, with hooks to appeal to all ages. Then all news froze for a while, with Terry eventually stating that it fell through and was all the better for it, since the drafts were unrecognizable and abysmal. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/8 "2011-08-01T02:48:05Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > My own addition would be Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books. > [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > And Peter Jackson bought rights to the\* Temeraire\* story. I still have hope, but he’s pretty busy right now. Both of these for me. Even though I don’t like the later Temeraire books, the first was fun, and a movie would distil it down to a great adventure. Incidentally, did everyone know that the _Dark Tower_ adaptations had been [cancelled](http://screenrant.com/the-dark-tower-canceled-universal-robf-124257/)? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/9 "2011-08-01T03:09:31Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Incidentally, did everyone know that the _Dark Tower_ adaptations had been [cancelled](http://screenrant.com/the-dark-tower-canceled-universal-robf-124257/)? Good. I was a little worried when I heard that they’d hired Ron Howard to do it. He’s a fine director and I like his movies, he just doesn’t seem quite right for this series. Holding out hope that they’ll get made someday, though. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/10 "2011-08-01T03:18:04Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > I’m assuming you’re kidding, but do we really hate the adaptation so much that we’re retconning it out of existence now? Oh yes, we do…right up there with Highlander 2. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/11 "2011-08-01T03:45:16Z")
Airframe, by Michael Crichton. It was in IMDB for ages with possible cast members, but it never happened. I think it could have made a really good movie. ---
**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/12 "2011-08-01T05:55:04Z")
William Gibson’s **Neuromancer.** Back in 1988, when the video game was released, they said a movie was coming soon. Later, I believe there was another planned adaptation by Chris Cunningham, but neither one ever materialized. Some would say that it’s too late for an adaptation now, since cyberpunk is too dated; computers are already in everyday life today. True, but we still don’t have computers in our _heads,_ and that’s a key feature of cyberpunk. I say as long as people are still buying the Final Cut of **Blade Runner,** it’s still not too late to adapt **Neuromancer.** ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/13 "2011-08-01T06:39:15Z")
The Dark Tower/Gunslinger series. This has been in decades of production hell. Which is weird considering MOST other King works have been made into movies. Some of his works even have two movies. At this point, I’m sort of glad. I don’t think any adaption would be that good. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/14 "2011-08-01T07:12:25Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Starship Troopers. I heard a rumor several years ago that the guy who made RoboCop was going to make an adaptation of it, but sadly it never came out… I heard that someone was doing an adaptation of _A Wizard of Earthsea_, but that never got made. There was a series by that name, but it clearly wasn’t based on what LeGuin wrote. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/15 "2011-08-01T08:14:42Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Oh yes, we do…right up there with Highlander 2. No, you do. I think the film was far superior to the bordering-on-unreadable turd of a book. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/16 "2011-08-01T11:07:40Z")
_Jumper_, by Steven Gould. The movie was only barely recognizable as an adaptation of the book- basically, “a kid named Davey can teleport”. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/17 "2011-08-01T11:18:16Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > _Jumper_, by Steven Gould. > > The movie was only barely recognizable as an adaptation of the book- basically, “a kid named Davey can teleport”. Adaptations that suck is a different discussion than ones that never came out. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/18 "2011-08-01T11:40:11Z")
_Master of Space and Time_ by **Rudy Rucker.** IMDB doesn’t seem to list it anymore, but 5 or 6 years ago it had Jack Black’s name attached to it but the last I heard Rucker wasn’t holding out any hope it would ever get made. _Airborn_ by **Keith Appel** is apparently still in development, but that’s been it’s status for years now… It’s a fantasy adventure with airships and pirates. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/19 "2011-08-01T12:32:44Z")
_A Confederacy of Dunces_ appears to be cursed. ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994/20 "2011-08-01T13:26:13Z")
The Alienist by Caleb Carr. So annoyed that the planned movie fell through. I heard noise about a big screen version of Neverwhere but that seems to have gone nowhere. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-were-excited-that-they-announced-an-adaptation-of-insert-book-title-but/590994.md?page=2)