Cinematical

It's an odd situation this, I guess the author gets a nice big payout for the movie rights whether or not the books are any good and the movie release will (if it's any good) knock on to decent sales of the books.

It becomes a self propagating hit or a monumental flop, either way, Charlie Fletcher gets a nice big cheque. Good one Charlie, time for me to start drafting my book about a young orphan who gets kidnapped by ninjas and taught ancient shao-lin magic which he uses to battle against Jurassic Park-style genetically resurrected Chinese Dragons controlled by an evil scientist who was mutated by a drugs test that he performed on himself...

Reply

This is sad news for all of those writers who try for years to make it in publishing. Proves once again that it's all about who you know and not how well you write.

On the upside, however, I do hope that this will be another reason for children to read.

Reply

Yes, it is sad about this. Not only does this new idea for a book and movie continue to prove the "it's who you know" success technique, it does something else, too. For those of you who do discern between good versus evil, you have to know that the Harry Potter series is wizardry and sorcery... wicknedness placed at the fingertips of all of our children and young adults of today. And for this "Stonegate" to have the potential to be another Potter-esque phenom, it is biting at the innocence of young and old Americans alike and misguiding them into evil. The misguided attempt to and easily succeed at directing all of these modern phenoms to audiences of all ages. I am sad for this. I truly am.

Reply

I think it sounds like a pretty cool idea. I hate reading. :]

Reply

Another Harry Potter hater. Bet you did not read the book.It does not teach evil. Rather it teaches good is overcome by love of family and friends.

Reply

It seems that the Fantasy geared towards children is the big bandwagon these days. You make a half-way descent movie and you'll make the money back, safe investment. Problem is that the books, and the films all start to run together until it is one long ugly fad that no one is sad see to go, well the Anything But Jesus is Evil clique wont be sad to see them go. Hows Passion II coming Liz?

Reply

What is sad is that instead of making a movie off of a proven successful book (or series) the people funding this are trying to jump in and "make a hit" before they've even seen the performance of this writer in the market. A sad bit of greedy speculation, that may land them a whopping big zero. But then, again, it may do well with todays fans addicted to special effects and such rather than truly good stories. As for the comments about wizardry being evil, etc. well, what can I say... it takes all kinds, even those with impared judgement to make a world. Whatever made you think that a mere fantasy story is "evil"? Harry Potter and its ilk are no more evil than "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "The Chronicles of Narnia" or "The Odessey" if you want to go back even farther... (And go ahead, say that the Narnia series is anti-Christian or some such stupidity, when C.S.Lewis was such a strong proponent of Christianity!) Stop twisting things to fit your own agenda. Anyway, I'll probably withhold all judgement until I've read the book(s).

Reply

See there you go giving those hollywood types more ideas. A year from now that will be the big rage.

"time for me to start drafting my book about a young orphan who gets kidnapped by ninjas and taught ancient shao-lin magic which he uses to battle against Jurassic Park-style genetically resurrected Chinese Dragons controlled by an evil scientist who was mutated by a drugs test that he performed on himself..."

Reply

I can almost guarantee that Elizabeth has not read ANY of the HP books.

But I also disagree with Carrie. I don't think "love of family and friends" is the theme of HP. (A theme, perhaps, but not THE theme.) I think the theme is old-fashioned good vs evil. Not the same as, but quite similar to CS Lewis's beloved Narnia series.

I am so tired of some in the Christian community (I am a devout Christian!) condemning the HP series without reading it with an open and interested mind.

Reply

Oh Elizabeth, get a life,,, I bet you love Disney, like yeah, Snow White for instance... Well, guess what Liz? In Snow White, there is murder, witchcraft, child murder, animal slaughter, magic mirrors, magic potions and spells, (several), a poisoning, evil is a main theme, death, lies, deception and finally, Snow lives with 7 men and she isn't married to any of them! HP is a story of good vs evil and good wins, just like it does in Snow White. geez,,,,

Reply

what is talent? how can we put labels on subjectivity? as a writer i welcome any decadent commercial use of my prose....happily converting said praise into workable income for surrounding meself with lovelies, my preciousssss....

Reply

Why not explore the good-vs-evil in the context of a world a child can embrace? Isn't that the human experience? Isn't that what our politicians are embracing? It is difficult to explain war to a child, but we are expected to to tell them that it's the good-guys versus the bad-guys. A child whose father or mother is fighting in Iraq only knows his/her father isn't home right now. He's battling evil. Or she is... A parable for this might indeed be a story about the way good intentions make for a better world. Give them something on which to hang their hats, and their hearts. Evil DOES exist, and there are some among us willing to explore that existence, and overcome it. Just my two cents.

Reply

It is easier for a child to enter a fantasy world to discover evil first. Children are smart. They know the difference between fantasy and reality. Fantasy is just easier to except and learn from.

Reply

The only problem I see with trying for "another Potter-esque franchise" is that the franchise needs a writer of J. K. Rowling ability. As a writer, I can tell you that isn't an everyday occurance.

As a former teacher I approve of books that inspire children to read and hope that Stoneheart is written with enough depth that it is like books that are written for reading and not a synopsis of the action in the film.

I am sure there are producers searching franticly for you to begin scripting your ninja dino blockbuster. Might I suggest zombies for the older kids and some fuzzy dinosaurs with big eyes for the toddlers. Might as well make it a whole family movie, er, um, book.

Reply

First of all, I think that more big budget films geared towards kids is great. We need more PG rated films with much less violence, profanity, sex, and bloodshed in them. The Harry Potter series is great because they are fun watch, but much more importantly, the kids want to read the books. In today's electronic age, getting any kid away from the tv's, game consoles, and computer in order to read a book is nearly impossible. Yet the Harry Potter books have achieved this, and it does it without sex, profanity, blood, and gore too. I am a devout Catholic with strong moral values, but I find it appalling with how some so called christians denounce these books and movies. In the bible, it says that it is a sin to worship mystical and arcane practices. Meaning that the worship and practice of witchcraft, palm reading, tarot readings, satanic rituals, and voodoo rituals, just to name a few specific forms of the mystical and arcane, is a sin. However, there is nothing in the bible that says that reading a book of fiction involving magic and fantasy is a sin. That is not worship because if a parent teaches their child correctly about right and wrong and teaches them faith in God, then that child will know that the story protrayed in the books is not real. These so called christians who proclaim these books and movies as evil and sinful are the same type of religious fanatics in the middle east who bend and twist God's word to suit their own agendas. Vanity is also a sin, and when you twist God's word to suit your own preferences is the same as taking God's name in vain. As a final reminder to these christians, before you can denounce others for their sins, you have to be sin free yourself.

Reply

No offense to the author, I know it's hard to make it out there... but that idea just doesn't fly. Statues coming to life and making it a series?? And I disagree with it's who you know... some of the most famous authors are total recluses and they just write well. If you write really well- people will want to know you. Not you get to know people and then write and they will help you get your 5th grade writing into print. Most good stories have a good vs evil theme. I wonder what is exactly the good vs evil in Stoneheart? Good and bad statues? Does that depend on the sculpter? I'm not even going to tackle the subject of God and Harry Potter. It's just fantasy, good grief. You could overanalyze just about anything if you wanted... in Stoneheart, don't you think the sculpter would be God-like, especially if they come to life? Seems pretty blasphemous to me, or like idolatry?

Reply

I don't see what the big deal is. I see nothing wrong with this. Hopefully it will be a good story and movie. That's all anyone can hope for. Why all the hate? It hasn't even came out yet.

And to all those "Harry Potter is Evil" people. Please. If you'd read the book and stop judging you'd know. If you've read the book and still think so, this means 2 things.

1. You're oblivious and stupid

2. You're a hypocrite for reading the book in the first place.

Is It Comprehensible.....

Reply

This is completely ridiculous, and as a young writer, I am appalled at the assumption that anyone could think that the use of an overused idea made in the disguise of an original idea could ever fool the public into thinking that the idea is original. The only reason for this is to try to draw people out of the world of real imagination into a world of simulated commercialism.

Reply

There are sooo many series out there that are ALREADY waiting for someone to pick them. Now you have the film industry trying to put the whole idea, book and movie together at the same time. Sounds like a scheme a lawyer would devise...or a money grubbing capitalist with no interest in art. Lloyd Alexander's series about Taran the Wanderer, based on the Welsh myths (the Four Branchs or Mabignogian)deserves a definite screen version. I read it about the same time as my first read of Narnia. I was all of six or seven. If movie producers wanted to make children's movies they only have to walk in the children's book section and they will find tons of material. This is an idea that got pitched for both media at the same time. Hollywood is just stupid desperate for ideas. Look at all the remakes. King Kong indeed!

Reply

You can't replace Harry Potter! thats like trying to replace chocolate with low fat tofu!

Reply