Books you'd like turned into film

032Devil

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Patrick Tilley's "Fade Out"

I've read the above book several times and I've always thought that it would make an interesting subject for a film, especially in these days of environmental concerns.

The book's about an alien invasion of earth and their slow conversion of life to its pre-industrial, agrarian form. All technology is made redundant (electricity, power, communications etc) and people are confronted with the realisation that they have no choice but to live semi-Stone Age lives.

I found it highly entertaining.


How about you?
 
The South American trilogy by Louis De Bernieres.

Very surreal, but if the right writers/director got on board, then they'd make some fantastic films with great characters and stunning scenery.
 
The Magician, by Raymond E. Feist.

In fact the first three books of the massive series (though it's all broken up into sub-series's) would make an excellent trilogy.
 
invisible monsters by chuck palahuniuk

and has there ever been a good adaptation of brave new world?... i cant think of one but that could work well
 
cesc's_mullet said:
The Magician, by Raymond E. Feist.

In fact the first three books of the massive series (though it's all broken up into sub-series's) would make an excellent trilogy.
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You read "At the Gates of Darkness" yet? Heard it wasn't very good.
 
^

I'm reading Rides a Dread Legion ATM which is the book before. It's not too good, but then again the series haven't been since half a dozen books ago. I think they stopped being excellent reads after the Serpentwar Saga.

It just feels like he's churning them out for the sake of it, and the storyline gets more and more shit heaped on top of it.

For example in this one (I'm assuming you've read it?) I hate how just so simply there's another evil wizard who's supposedly WAY more dangerous than Sidi/Leso Veren (whichever you want to call him)... Who was Pug's nemesis all throughout the first dozen books, and an excellent nemesis at that. Now just out of nowhere he's got a brother who's supposedly far more dangerous? Where the feck has he been all this time when Sidi was going around causing havoc?

And even a more minor thing, apparently Sidi was the least talented of the three brothers, but the most disciplined and determined to learn. Whereas this new guy was the most talented but wasn't too disciplined. Now surely it should be the other way around? I mean if this new guy's suddenly showing himself after all these years, and after so much shit has happened (involving his brother and Pug) would it not make more sense that he was the one who was disciplined and determined to master his arts?

Have you read them? What do/did you think?
 
I'd say the Malazan Books of the Fallen, given that the inn scenes in the first, and latterly the Chain of Dogs, were actually written as filmscripts, but most fantasy to screen adaptations have been so utterly shite I fear it would ruin them.
 
cesc's_mullet said:
^

I'm reading Rides a Dread Legion ATM which is the book before. It's not too good, but then again the series haven't been since half a dozen books ago. I think they stopped being excellent reads after the Serpentwar Saga.

It just feels like he's churning them out for the sake of it, and the storyline gets more and more shit heaped on top of it.

For example in this one (I'm assuming you've read it?) I hate how just so simply there's another evil wizard who's supposedly WAY more dangerous than Sidi/Leso Veren (whichever you want to call him)... Who was Pug's nemesis all throughout the first dozen books, and an excellent nemesis at that. Now just out of nowhere he's got a brother who's supposedly far more dangerous? Where the feck has he been all this time when Sidi was going around causing havoc?

And even a more minor thing, apparently Sidi was the least talented of the three brothers, but the most disciplined and determined to learn. Whereas this new guy was the most talented but wasn't too disciplined. Now surely it should be the other way around? I mean if this new guy's suddenly showing himself after all these years, and after so much shit has happened (involving his brother and Pug) would it not make more sense that he was the one who was disciplined and determined to master his arts?

Have you read them? What do/did you think?
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I agree with what you've said about Rides a Dread Legion and had exactly the same questions you did. It seems he's made his money now, got greedy and lazy, and like you said he's just churning them out now. I did enjoy the Conclave of Shadows series though, but the Darkwar and Demonwar have been disappointing. I'll always read his books though, as it was Magician that got me hooked on Fantasy in the first place.
 
I like to keep them separate, I don't remember ever enjoying a film after reading the corresponding book. Capote's In Cold Blood is probably an exception, but that's probably because I had read the book ages ago and didn't remember it clearly.

When I spend several hours inside a book I just don't think it can be properly summed up in a two hours movie. I'd probably have enjoyed The Name of the Rose film if I hadn't read the book for example. But after that it just seemed like a too simple Sherlock Holmes story in the middle ages whose ending I already knew. All the philosophical and religious dialogues gone or reduced to dramatic one-liners... Hmm. No.

I'm happy I saw The Godfather before I read the book. It's not even a great book, but the characters are so much developed, like Luca Brasi, for example. And some completely disappeared for the movie.
 
Any of Iain M Bainks' Culture novels. I'm suprised nobody has attempted to make a film of one of those yet.

Also The Night Watch by a Russian bloke whose name I can't remember could be a really cool film (there is a Russian film but that's not so great). In fact a quick look at Wiki tells me Fox have bought the rights. If you've not read the books, they are really good.
 
Arruda said:
I'm happy I saw The Godfather before I read the book. It's not even a great book, but the characters are so much developed, like Luca Brasi, for example. And some completely disappeared for the movie.
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I'm the same. The story about Sonny hooking up with the woman with the loose vagina was one of the most ridiculous, out of place things i've ever read.
 
duffer said:
I'm the same. The story about Sonny hooking up with the woman with the loose vagina was one of the most ridiculous, out of place things i've ever read.
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I can't agree, pal. The Lucy Mancini story was a bit screwy, but there needed to be some way to introduce the Vegas side of the story. Plus the Vito back story, which the first film completely left out, was a marvel.
 
Arruda said:
I'm happy I saw The Godfather before I read the book. It's not even a great book, but the characters are so much developed, like Luca Brasi, for example. And some completely disappeared for the movie.
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I watched The Godfather on the same day I finished the novel. I didn't like the movie. Luca Brasi was simply taken out, he had what, a 20 seconds role in the movie?

The same happened with To Kill A Mockingbird, but this movie did the novel the justice.
 
The Raw Shark texts, The chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Any David Gemmel book. Necroscope series, anything by Raymond e feist. Marvels graphic novel. Maus. Sandman though it would be better as a tv series, same goes for The Preacher.
 
RedRob said:
I can't agree, pal. The Lucy Mancini story was a bit screwy, but there needed to be some way to introduce the Vegas side of the story. Plus the Vito back story, which the first film completely left out, was a marvel.
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Uncle Junior said:
I watched The Godfather on the same day I finished the novel. I didn't like the movie. Luca Brasi was simply taken out, he had what, a 20 seconds role in the movie?

The same happened with To Kill A Mockingbird, but this movie did the novel the justice.
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I agree with both of you, that's why I said I'm very happy to have seen the movie first, because I regard it as a master piece, and wouldn't if I had read the book first - which I don't regard as a master piece, but obviously completes the characters a lot better.

A film can't be match for a book in telling a story, that's the point I'm trying to make. They are different things, and one ruins the other.
 
uae said:
I agree with what you've said about Rides a Dread Legion and had exactly the same questions you did. It seems he's made his money now, got greedy and lazy, and like you said he's just churning them out now. I did enjoy the Conclave of Shadows series though, but the Darkwar and Demonwar have been disappointing. I'll always read his books though, as it was Magician that got me hooked on Fantasy in the first place.
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Exactly right, I'll read all of them simply because I want to know what happens.

And whilst it wasn't the book that got me onto fantasy, Magician is easily my favourite book I've ever read. An amazing book story.
 
cesc's_mullet said:
And whilst it wasn't the book that got me onto fantasy, Magician is easily my favourite book I've ever read. An amazing book story.
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In England, we just say "book".

I've read the serpentwars saga and a couple of others of his, and really enjoyed them. Is Magician the one with Pug and his mate who fecks the elven lady? Loved that one too.
 
:lol:

You'll have to pardon excuse me, we're a little more backward down under.

And yeah that's the one - a brilliant book it is.
 
It was always going to be difficult to do it justice in one film alone but IMHO however, The 300 was the wrong angle to have taken for the events at Thermopylae. There was in fact a rival project at the time based upon the plot of the Steven Pressfield novel Gates of Fire, alas it never came to pass.

The book itself was top notch as anyone who has read it could testify, a certain rec from me if you liked The 300.
 
duffer said:
Also The Night Watch by a Russian bloke whose name I can't remember could be a really cool film (there is a Russian film but that's not so great). In fact a quick look at Wiki tells me Fox have bought the rights. If you've not read the books, they are really good.
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The books are brilliant, as was the Russian film. :nono:


cesc's_mullet said:
You'll have to pardon excuse me, we're a little more backward down under.
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No, that's just you. :D
 
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Famous Last Words - Timothy Findley. One of the best books I've ever read.

Not a book per se but the comic Magnus: Robot Fighter would make a cool series of films I think.
 
The Bourne Series - eventhough the movies were quite different from the books, all the three were really good.
 
Couple of the Terry Brooks series would be good as films Demon and Void trilogy and one of his complete Shannara series, there is meant to be a film made from the 2nd in the Sword of Shannara series but no word when or if it will ever appear.
 
Zoo station and it's 2 (soon to be 3) sequels. Of course it would end up being a crap action thriler with all of the books crammed in to one rather than a tense study of life in wartime Germany.
 
Some of the better Pratchett Novels. Oh and King's Dark Tower series, which reportedly JJ Abrams is very interested in doing.
 
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin... although there are another 3 books to go in that at least :wenger:
 
The_Red_Hope said:
and King's Dark Tower series, which reportedly JJ Abrams is very interested in doing.
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Has been rumored for a long time. And King wants Abrams to do it if it is to be done. He is a big fan of Lost and vice versa. There are Dark Tower references in Lost too.

But the scale of the project would be almost too big to be put into a movie and could end up being a disaster
 
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