Peter Hamilton’s nights dawn trilogy, and his common saga. Both really good space opera, with varied characters and plot lines.
Yes, absolutely agree. The Commonwealth Saga was what got me into space operas big time
Although probably need to get someone in to handle the female characters - writing women is not his strong point…
Brutally evident on my recent re-read after a decade’s break
There already has been a movie (L.A. Confidential), which is one of my favourite movies of all time. But to get it on the screen required a lot of rewriting to fit a complex weave of plots that intersect and takes 10 years to resolve. It was brilliantly done for what it was, but it left a LOT on the floor.
I would love love love to see an HBO or similar series that is as true to the novel by James Ellroy as it could possibly be.
Lord of Light, high sci Fi mashed with epic Indian mythology and eastern philosophy.
Something from Iain M. Banks The culture. The best books, like Excession would probably be hard to adapt due to the protagonists being mostly ships, but others like Consider Phlebas or The player of Games could probably make great films or miniseries (and Use of Weapons would probably be great as the later).
Probably excessively expensive in the CGI department if done well, but one can dream.
Low Town and its sequels, especially She Who Waits. They’re by Daniel Polansky and not my typical reads but dang were they good.
Random Acts Of Senseless by Jack Womack.
From comic books, Bitch Planet and Archer And Armstrong.
The Devil in the White City - would love to see the Chicago Worlds Fair brought to life in all it’s splendor, and to be directly contrasted with the horror that was HH Holmes murder castle. The book brought that history to life so vividly, and I feel like mini series with great casting would do incredibly well.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - mysteries and whodunnits are popular again (thank god) and this one has such an interesting premise. When I first read it I was convinced it would be a great video game. But a movie would also be a hit.
Something Wicked this way Comes - not sure if this has ever been adapted, but I’ve never seen it. The book is so atmospheric and has such a rich cast of characters. We haven’t had a movie that really celebrates the moodiness of autumn in a while.
There was a 1983 adaptation of Something Wicked that Bradbury was involved with and liked. Honestly it didn’t do much for me though.
Dresden files not popular among these parts or how come nobody’s mentioned it yet?
It has technically already been adapted, but it was a stupid procedural cop show with a twist rather than what it should be. If you want a more formulaic thing, just copy Amazon’s Reacher.
Plus, since it’s an urban fantasy, it should be cheaper to make than most other fantasy/sci-fi shows, I think.
The blue(and green) beetle LIVES!
You ask as if that was a good thing. Like an honor for a book. But I way too often find myself defending books with “It’s nothing like the movie. Don’t juge it by the awful movie.”
Especially fantasy adaptions are regularly awful and damaging for the books.
Examples: The Dark Tower, Eragon, Percy Jackson, The Giver, Inkheart.
Netflix’s Persuasion, The Beach to name a couple of non fantasy as well.So I’d rather they leave the books alone and make original stories into movies.
You said it better than i ever could. Starting at Jurassic Park, and going all the way to The Wheel of Time, just keep Hollywood away from my literature!
After the Dark Tower movie came out, I heard a whole bunch of people on the internet saying that the movie was awful and the books are so much better. It didn’t see the movie, but if the books are so well-liked I thought I’d give them a try.
I tried my best, I really did. But I just couldn’t finish the first book. It was just way too surreal and abstract for me.
You are not alone in this. The first book is awful. It made me doubt my english reading comprehension. Everybody hates it.
It’s unfortunate, that such a great series starts off with the worst book, not only of the series, but imo of all of Kings books.
Somehow the real story starts (for me) with the second book. The first is more of a world introduction, a world building tool. And otherwise quite irrelevant.I urge you, to give the second book (The drawing of the three) a chance. You won’t regret it, because if you disregard the first book, the series is fantastic.
I generally prefer to start series from the very beginning so I don’t miss anything, but I think I’ll go pick up that second book and give the series another try.
Every single thing Brandon Sanderson ever wrote
The graphic audiobooks are pretty great already. Would love some visuals to go with it. Would need a big budget though…
Similarly, I’m reading through the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks and I think it would be a great candidate for an adaptation. It’s a really good story and the magic is all based on the colour of light which I think would make the special effects pretty easy to create and should also look nice.
I know I recognise the name Brent Weeks, and I know I remember a magic system based around colour. Does that book start with someone who brings his cloak to life with colour magic? And as you get more magically powerful, you can see more and richer colours?
No, that’s another Brandon Sanderson book called Warbreaker.
Lightbringer has people who can do magic, but you have to see the colour in order to start using it. And all the colours do slightly different things as well as affect your emotions.
Lots of great world building too.
Thanks.
I’ve read Night Angel series, that’s where I know the name from. Not the sort of book I’d usually enjoy but I remember good things. I think I’ll add Lightbringer to my list of books to read :)
*Not until the books, plural, and the She-Wolves of Winterfell are published. Please grrm.
ha, well, wild cards is kinda ancient and has enough volumes out to not require him in really any capacity
Have you read the Tuf stuff? I think that would translate well to a Scavengers Reign-esque animated series. The older I get, the more I realize that animation is the perfect medium for sci-fi adaptation.
i have not… but it does look interesting. thanks!
I mentioned Daemon and FreedomTM by Daniel Suarez in another thread recently. I’ve often thought they’d make good Techno Thrillers. They got optioned once but I think it expired.
I think part of the problem is that the second book is a conclusion to the first. One falls flat without the other. So I think they’d be best suited to a single mini-series of 6 or 8 hour long episodes. And studios want franchises.
His more recent series starting with Delta V would be excellent too. Even Kill Decision would make a great techno-thriller series.
Assassin’s trilogy by Robin Hobb.
Agreed, fantastic story but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t moved to tears.
Hey, Robin! I know you have to vent sometimes into your works, but give the poor guy a break, won’t you?
Ringworld :)
Announced over 3 years ago (2021) in this article that mentions Amazon Prime optioned it in 2017: Tech Advisor article about “Ringworld” on Amazon Prime
So…
So, it’s still not here :P
Apparently in the woks by Amazon
No shit. I’m very suprised. Some of it gets rather technical for the masses.
Don’t worry, they’ll cut that
Blood Meridian (decades of false starts not withstanding).
One of my faves. I’ve never understood why people say it’s impossible to adapt.
What’s your ideal cast lineup? I want this live action so bad but it would have to be a mini series to get all of it in, and then can never think of anyone who could bring the Judge to life.
Stellan Skarsgård as Judge would be terrifying. Not sure a out accent.
if he had the body of a WWE wrestler like The Big Show. The Judge is suppose to be a monster of a man, 6’7 and 270, with no hair and a baby like face
The Kiefer Sutherland from The Young Guns era as the Kid
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy deserves a good adaptation, rather than that trash movie and that too short BBC series.
The BBC series was brilliant.
Agreed, just too short.
I would love that, I dont think the movie is terrible, its just that everything after Ford and Arthur get thrown out the airlock isnt as funny or absurd as the books. The main issue is the first 2ish books are unadaptable because there is no central conflict (or arleast the main cast dosent care or know there was supposed to be one).
Zaphod is the only person with motivation to do anything other than to continue existing, and he is unaware (or dosen’t care) he is being hunted until they meet those suprisingly progessive law enforcment officers on Magrathea and when he visits the guides publishing offices.
Zaphod’s 2 heads were the biggest let down of the movie.
And it should be of the first three books, not just the first book.
The BBC series does up to them being on >!prehistoric hairdresser and middle management earth!< Iirc
Which I’m pretty sure is the third book. But I haven’t read it in a loooooong time.
Wha… really? I’ve seen the BBC HHGTTG, but I’ve never even heard they did the sequels!
Book 2 was Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and book 3 was Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Two books followed… So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish and Mostly Harmless constituted Books 4 & 5, but were detached from the main characters and plot.
