My firends (offline!) and I were discussing what SF books we'd like to see made into a movie. I'd thought I'd get everyone's opinion here so I'll start it off.

Personally, I like big. And if you want big, you have to go with Iain M. Banks. The two books I'd like to see are Consider Phlebas and Use of Weapons. Consider Phlebas, I think, would be more accessible to audience, despite the non-Holywood ending. Its got action, its got interesting characters, and its got big. Orbitals, 2km long cruise ships, planetary crustal trains, big! Use of Weapons has some of that too, but I think the actual story is a bit better. Although how it would be filmed I'm not sure. That's why I'm not a director. Well, that and a few other things....

I'd also like to see either Revelation Space or Chasm City as a movie. Some of the stuff that Alastair Reynolds has dreamed up is too cool...

Other?

Tzuk Te

Enders game is possibly being made into a movie, so that i9s one.


I would like Starship troopers To be made into a movie. It would definitely make a good one.
Forever war too

Uhh... Humphrey...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120201/

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Maybe he meant a *good* movie. 8)

Well he wasn't specific... :P

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Or a movie actually based off the book

I would like to see the Honor Harrington series made into movies. And possible a high-quality TV series, even if it has to be on HBO or another premium channel.

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I would like to see Wildseed by Octavia Butler.

One of the main characters is a spirit that jumps from body to body. I think it would be cool to watch different actors and actresses playing the same part through the movie. If they do a good job of course.

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Canuck: you should know that the movie and the book have nuthing in common except for the name. :-)

Ah, but that's not what you said, is it? :wink:

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Bah! the greta Huymphrey does not get bogged down i n technicalities.

Why just today he would not get bogged down in the technicality that water does not float in midair, just because he wills it.

I almost fear to see what Hollywood will do to my favorite stories. I almost think I'd prefer none get turned into movies rather than see them butchered.

Though if they could keep to the book I think some good ones would be:

Ringworld
The Mote in God's Eye
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

But honestly, I don't trust Hollywood with any of my favorite stories.

I thought they made that already, wasn't it called Quantum Leap?

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i loved quantum leap. i am sad that sci-fi stoped playing the re-runs.

I would like to see Startide Rising by David Brin. The problem is, look what they did to Postman. It will be a long time before Prof, Brin allows another of his books to be made into a movie, and a long time before anyone tries.

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Looks like Humphrey's 0-3. (Well, ok, 1-3)

http://www.scifi.com/sfw/current/screen.html#midseason

Forever War is being made into a mini-series by SciFi. Whether that's good or bad is up to you!

All hail the Greta Humphrey!

I had forgotten about Startide Rising, I'd like to see that one as well. But remeber, as long as Costner isn't involved, it will be better than Postman.

I've noticed that most of these books aren't your typicall Hollywood version of what SF is (FX over story). And they certainly forced ST into that mold. I'm with greta, err, Humphrey on that one...

Tzuk Te

I'd like to see The Gatekeepers made into a movie. It would be very relevant with the X-Prize and all since the story involves a privately-built reusable Delta Clipper-like rocket.

wow! cool Tzuk_Te!!!! I never knew they were making all of those new shows. Some look really good.


Hopefully sci-fi will not mess up quantum leap when they remake it.

I thought when Sci-Fi did their version of Dune they did a fair job at it. I missed Children of Dune though. Like it alot better than the movie that was done (which I actually liked, till I read the book).

Philip K. Dick’s The Divine Invasion. Not his best work, but very "filmable".

Or Stanislaw Lem’s Fiasco. Again, not his best work, but the easiest to translate into the screen. (IMO)

Filmable is an important concept in this thread. There are a lot of good books that would not make very good movies. CGI has made some of the special effect issues go away. For example, my earlier suggestion of Startide Rising. When I first read it about 20 years ago I remember thinking that it would not be possible to do it as a movie. Anime maybe, but too many of the main characters are neo-dolphins. Today it would be no problem at all with CGI. Other books just do not have a plotline that can be reduced to 90-120 minutes. Others are more about thoughts and ideas and do not have enough action. Some are just not suitable for the general public.

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I can't even watch the Jurassic park movies since I read the books. Number 2 sucked !

the 2nd book or the movie?

For the First Jurassic park i felt that it went along nicely. Most of the changes were for political correctness in my opiniopn. I just really wish they put the river scene in there. Also the fact that they really did think the dinos got off the island. :-(

The second book only had a few scenes in common with the movie. Hopefully the 4th one will be great. Suposedly the movie is ocuring as if number three never happened.

Good. What an awful movie that was. It used the leftovers from both books. Awful.

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I think for a thread like this you have to imagine a world where Hollywood consists of a bunch of people who understand the books they're adapting.

In fact, that would make for an interesting fantasy film itself...

Someone mentioned the SciFi miniseries. They are generally impressive a) because the makers clearly do understand what they're doing and b) because the miniseries is the perfect medium for Dune, Children of Dune etc. I'm eager to see Lathe of Heaven.

Films/miniseries that I'm hoping for (besides a proper adaptation of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds include:

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (includes an alien alien race that convinces)
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg (could be done with hardly any SFX)
The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke (very dated, probably, but lovely)
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
The Ragged Astronauts by Bob Shaw
Most of the books mentioned by other people on this thread.

No specific book, but it always bugs me that only one of Asimov's stories has been filmed, and (from what I hear) badly at that. I'm referring to Nightfall.

I'd like to see a TV series based on the "I, Robot" stories, or the Dr. Urth SF-mysteries.

I think the success of comic book movies (Spiderman, X-Men, etc), and fantasy book movies (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter) will show Hollywood that its worthwhile to take the translation process seriously. Big cash rewards whenever they do it right.

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LoTR isn't exactly a good example of "getting it right". The movies are enjoyable but take some serious liberties with the original story.

But I do hope it shows that the 90 minute rule is unneccessary if you have a movie people want to watch.

Well, its not a TV mini-series, but they are maknig a movie of "I, Robot" starring Will Smith. I'm not sure how closely it will follow the stories though.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/IRob...70/preview.php

To me, the fantasy/comic book successes is almost a detriment to good SF movies. The recent successful movies are all about action over storytelling, and yes, I lump the LotR movies in with that. Don't get me wrong, I really like them, but they aren't exactly the story Tolkien was telling, and Jackson added a lot more action elements to make it more palatable I suppose. I think that's a big problem with Hollywood and the movie going audience today. An expectation that SF movies must be action oriented. I'm not sure when, or if, that will change.

Tzuk Te

If they hadn't taken 'liberties' then the film would have been terrible.

What works on the page doesn't always work on film.

it's important to capture the spirit and feel of a work rather than give verbatim dialogue and scene for scene.

For instance I can't stand the last crop of TV versions of Dickens, yes they were exact to the book but they were so dull.

Look at David Leans Great Expectations for how it should be done.

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Not too likely. Look at the Batman or Superman movies. Hollywood refuses to learn. And the studios would rather spend the money on stars and effects than writing.