Discuss: What Books Do You Want to See Made into Movies?
Filed under: Casting, Fandom, Scripts
Not a whole lot going on in the way of movie news today (well, aside from that little New Line announcement ...), so I thought I'd write about books instead. I just finished reading Magnus Mills's The Restraint of Beasts, which supposedly has already been filmed by Pawel Pawlikowski but is apparently stuck in some kind of post-production limbo. The book is weirdly hilarious, enough so that I now want to read more by Mills. I'm now reading Terry Pratchett's Small Gods, which is hard to imagine as a movie, but I suppose it could be done if it was by the right director. Peter Jackson's upcoming adaptation of The Lovely Bones still looks promising, perhaps even more so now that Saiorse Ronan, who he wisely cast as Susie Salmon, is now an Oscar-nominated actress for her performance in Atonement, but we're going to have to wait until 2009 to see that one.
What books have you read of late that you think would make great films? Who would you want to see direct the adaptations and star in the main roles? Discuss away ...










Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-28-2008 @ 7:26PM
will said...
I'd love to see a movie of american gods if maybe someone like Peter Jackson or David Fincher directed it. I could see Josh Brolin as Shadow and Paul Giamatti as Mr Wednesday
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2-29-2008 @ 10:19AM
Kim Voynar said...
I could totally picture Brolin as Shadow, but I'd not pictured Mr. Wednesday being played by Paul Giamatti. When I was reading the book, he always looked like Alan Arkin in my head.
2-28-2008 @ 8:03PM
MCW said...
1 Movie. A Confederacy of Dunces. It's been rumored for years, but I think it would be a great movie if it ever made it to the screen. It's a hilarious book, one of the few that's ever made me really laugh out loud. I don't know who I'd want to star though. Have to be someone overweight, or wearing a fat suit.
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2-28-2008 @ 11:23PM
Ralph said...
As a native New Orleanian, I second that emotion. Great book.
2-28-2008 @ 8:20PM
Liam said...
When I was a kid I remember reading "The Little Prince". At the end of the book I thought THAT would be a cool book to turn into a movie and Steven Spielberg would be the perfect director. George Lucas could produce...
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3-01-2008 @ 9:48AM
Chris said...
Two books that I would love to see made into movies, given the current state of FX: Ringworld (maybe as a trilogy), and World out of Time. I think they are both by Larry Niven
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2-28-2008 @ 8:57PM
Gina said...
"Peace Like a River" by Leif Engler. With John Schneider as Jeremiah.
I heard a while back that Brad Pitt's company had bought the rights to the book, but they don't seem in any hurry to make it. It's a shame. Beautiful story.
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2-28-2008 @ 9:03PM
Wayne said...
The rest of the Gennaro/Kenzie novels by Dennis Lehane if Ben Affleck directs and Casey Afflec plays Kenzie.
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2-28-2008 @ 9:09PM
Gina said...
Sorry, I meant Leif Enger, not Engler.
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2-28-2008 @ 9:16PM
Evan said...
will, i think American Gods would be an amazing film if Guillermo del Toro directed it. He's great when it comes to mixing the weird and supernatural with our world. I agree that Josh Brolin would make a great Shadow, but I don't really see Paul Giamatti as Wednesday. I always saw someone like Jeff Bridges in that role.
http://whozeduke.blogspot.com
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2-28-2008 @ 9:35PM
Nicko said...
After seeing how far technology has come in Beowulf, there's a wealth of fantasy/sci-fi I'd love to see tapped into. Book 1 of Robert Jordan's (RIP) Wheel of Time series for example, incredible stuff.
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2-28-2008 @ 10:54PM
ScottWilliam said...
Definitely The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.
Starring Rachel Weiss as Thursday Next and Alan Rickman as Archeron Hades.
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2-28-2008 @ 11:32PM
Ralph said...
WARLORD OF MARS: To echo an above comment; F/X is ready for Edgar Rice Burroughs' WARLORD OF MARS series. Damn, it would be f'ing awesome. I've always thought Brendan Fraser would make the perfect John Carter.
2061: ODYSSEY THREE & 3001: FINAL ODYSSEY. Roy Schieder (RIP) was the perfect age to play an old Heywood Floyd in 2061, alas.
DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP: This is a pipe dream; I still think the book blows the loosely-adapted BLADE RUNNER away, and I absolutely love BLADE RUNNER.
PUSHING ICE: Epic tale, too big for a movie, but would be a great series.
WAR OF THE WORLDS: I truly did enjoy the modern retelling (both Pal's and Spielberg's) but, damnit, I want the original Victorian England story.
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN: A complete f'up of the original story was made into a film; read the collected graphic novels and weep for what might have been.
THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: I keep seeing Frank Miller adaptations but never the one I really want to see.
KINGDOM COME: too big for a movie.
ASTRO CITY: Hell of a series.
I need to stop because I've got a long list.
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2-28-2008 @ 11:56PM
KateGee said...
Nice one ScottWilliam - but Rachel Weiss? Really? She doesn't seem mussed up enough to be Thursday.
The first three Dragonriders of Pern books by Anne McCaffrey.
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2-29-2008 @ 1:07AM
b-ray said...
I feel that ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES really has a lot of potential for profound character 'development' and is considered in some circles to be a very raw and gritty historical thriller. the lead...well...rachel dratch has to make a cameo as some sort of primordial bird or reptilian creature...was that mean?
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2-29-2008 @ 2:50AM
gottacook said...
I would dig a RINGWORLD movie - especially now that Pierson's puppeteers and kzinti can be rendered decently. As for THE LITTLE PRINCE, there's a 1970s musical film version (Bob Fosse as the snake, etc.) of dubious quality. Could be remade, I guess, without the songs.
What I'd want to see is Dick's THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE. It's not the only sf novel I'd consider, but it does have the advantage of not having one dominant central character; that is, its success wouldn't depend on the choice of actor for the central role. Great opportunities for production design, too - e.g., Japanese-occupied San Francisco circa 1962.
As a longtime CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES fan, I think Ignatius et al. and their early-1960s milieu are best kept in the reader's imagination. I think all the humor in the dialogue - that of all the characters, not just Ignatius - would be lost if spoken aloud, no matter by whom, even though on the page it's great. (To say nothing of the excerpts from his legal-pad journals...)
Last: I'd want to see ENDLESS LOVE done right, without abruptly ending the story at midpoint, with better actors, and without any counterpart to the icky Ross/Richie title song.
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2-29-2008 @ 4:45AM
neoronin said...
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. It's got enough material to rile up a lot of controversy and the visual scope would be on par with Ringworld and LOTR. Preferably Guillermo Del Toro should be on it.
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2-29-2008 @ 7:35AM
Gina said...
"The Eyre Affair" is wonderful -- but could they really make a good movie out of it? I wish they could, but I don't know. There's so much that would necessarily be lost in the transition to the screen.
Alan Rickman's not a bad choice, though! Rachel Weiss -- well, maybe. As KateGee says, she may not be able to be rumpled or gritty enough.
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2-29-2008 @ 8:56AM
soundoftheground said...
the contortionist's handbook: craig clevenger. there have been rumor's for years that richard kelly was going to do it and afaik he still owns the option.
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2-29-2008 @ 8:56AM
John R said...
"Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, but I know a lot of stuff would be cut out.
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