Flare Sci-Fi Forums: What novel or story would make a good 2-hour movie?

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Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :

With most "science fiction" movies basically being action adventure movies with space ships instead of cars or fighter planes, Hollywood seems not to understand what science fiction is. So, what science fiction books or stories do you think would make good 2 hour movies? (I impose the 2-hour limit because some great novels, like Dune or the Red Mars, would need to be hacked to pieces to fit into two hours and everyone would hate them anyway.) Also, any classic films do you think could be remade in a cool way?

Here's a few off the top of my head:
1. The Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester (a great protocyberpunk space opera from the 1950s)
2. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester (ESPer cops hunt a murderer. Sounds like Minority Report will be similar)
3. Way Station by Clifford Simak (Aliens give a simple man immortality to run a transporter station on Earth)
4. More than Human by Theodore Sturgeon (Mutant kids become symbiotic organism; pioneered use of telekinesis to avoid having to use toilet).
Mindbridge by Joe Haldeman (Humans use matter transporters to explore the galaxy, run into mean aliens)
5. War of the Worlds by HG Wells (set in Victorian times, of course. Seeing the ironclad Thunder Child take on a Martian Walker would be very cool).
6. Appleseed by Masamune Shiro (Girls in power armor, a guilty pleasure from manga)
7. Childhoods End by Arthur C Clarke (Aliens come to Earth to help mankind evolve)
8. A remake of King Kong (All copies of Dino de Laurentiis's version should be burned).
9. Flash Gordon (based on the comics by Alex Raymond) or A Princess of Mars. Imagine Errol Flynn's Adventure's of Robin Hood set on an Alien World.
10. Thunderbirds!

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

Snow Crash: The Motion Picture would kick ass. But you would have to cut out all the Sumerian stuff, and would wind up with just another flashy action film. Sigh and alas.

Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :

Uhh. . . nothing at the moment. I'll get back to you. 8)

Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :

"Requiem For Methuselah." Although only part of the Lazarus Long series, it's a key one in that it explains the Howard family deal goodly.

Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :

"Inconstant Moon" by Larry Niven

"Nightfall" by Isaac Asimov. (yes, I know they made a movie of it, but it could've been better.)

"To Reign in Hell" by Steven Brust

"Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :

They turned "Inconstant Moon" into a New Outer Limits episode. It sucked.

And Terry Gilliam is in Pre-production to do a movie of Good Omens. 8)

I'm quite a fan of Dean Koontz, although I'll be the first to admit he leaves a lot to be desired. Some of his books would appear to make good films - in fact, they're often so cartoon-y from the start, they seem almost written to be films. But it also seems the better the book, the worse the film, and vice versa.

Demon Seed (1977) - awful (and I mean unreadable) book, quite good film. Considering it was the directed by wild man Donald Cammell, and was the first thing he did after Performance.

Watchers (1988) - Excellent book, the first of his I ever read; also the worst film ever. Remade even worse though, as Watchers II (1990), Watchers III (1994), and Watchers Reborn (1998).

Then you got Whispers (1989), The Face of Fear (1990), and The Servants of Twilight (1991) - all so-so books made into so-so TV films.

Hideaway (1995) - OK book, not-too-bad film. Nearly killed Jeff Goldblum's post-Jurassic Park career revival, though.

Sole Survivor (2000) and Intensity (1997) are OK, and were made into TV mini-series; haven't seen either. Mr. Murder (1998) is good if weird, made into a TV movie starring, of all people, Stephen Baldwin. Badly miscast, and an indication of how his career has slumped after the initial encouragement of The Usual Suspects. . . don't tell my girlfriend, though, as she kinda fancies him.

I haven't read Phantoms (1998) but the movie is sort-of redeemed by not taking itself too seriously. I mean, it has Peter O'Toole as a scientist, how seriously can you take that?

The books of his which I'd say are kinda cool and might work are:-

Watchers - somebody PLEASE make a good film of this!
Lightning - time-travellers from Nazi Germany. You gotta love an idea like that.
Cold Fire - but only while Robert Vaughn is still alive.
The Bad Place - although it's very similar to Dragon's Tears which would be much better.
Seize the Night and Fear Nothing - The best stuff he's done in a long time, and certainly the spookiest. I'm really looking forward to the third book.

Posted by The Red Admiral (Member # 602) on :

Well perhaps this doesn't count as it's more fantasy than sci-fi. But the one film that I've ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE adapted- and be utterly faithful, and true to the astonishing vision of the original book was 'Lord of The Rings'. And now that thankfully has come true, the first part debuts in December.

I don't know about any others, I've read a lot, and some are so epic just two hours wouldn't do them justice.

But one of the most amazing sci-fi stories I've EVER read was only about 100-150 pages, and I can't remeber the author but it was written I think in the thirties and was called 'He Who Shrank'. I came across it years ago, and as a result I was in serious, almost delerious shock for about 3 days after reading it. It got leant out and I haven't seen it since. If anybody has got any information and knowledge of this incredible story please let me know. I'd love to see this adapted, with today's FX capabilities it might be possible.

Posted by Treknophyle (Member # 509) on :

Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers

Trust me. It has never been done.

Posted by Nimrod (Member # 205) on :

Um, Mr Communist Flagofficer, have you tried search engines?
My first search revealed the author to be Henry Hasse, my second search showed that "He Who Shrank" is in stock at my fav scifi book shop.

It sounds interesting, I think I can waste forty crowns (3.70$) to find out.

Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :

Foundation, if it was done well. Any or all of the series. Except "Foundation and Earth".

Posted by The Red Admiral (Member # 602) on :

Thank-you Nimrod! The reason I didn't try any search engines before is that I hadn't thought about the story in a long time - not until this thread started. To my recollection, 'He Who shrank' was more of a novella, it appeared in an old anthology I used to have. Thanks for the authors name as well. I must check this out and get a copy of it. I hope you are in as much awe of this story as I was, and I don't get a roasting for all this!!

Remember, it was written I think in the thirties, which is incredible when you see some of the amzing ideas that come out of this story.

Posted by The Red Admiral (Member # 602) on :

Yes Omega, I'm a fan of the Foundation series too, that would be an ambitious project

[ June 21, 2001: Message edited by: The Red Admiral ]

Posted by Balaam Xumucane (Member # 419) on :

It's not really sci-fi (sci-fantasy, really) but I would love to see Gene Wolfe's Book of The New Sun made into a series of films.

[ June 22, 2001: Message edited by: Balaam Xumucane ]

Posted by Wes1701E (Member # 212) on :

Ender's Game & Ender's Shaddow. I'm not a big reader, as a matter of fact, I rarely read at all. These two books are some of the few that kept my intrest.

Last I heard there was a movie in development, but not much has been heard about it since early last year.

Posted by Dr Phlox (Member # 680) on :

I recently read a book by LeVar Burton called Aftermath it looks like it could fill a few seats. That's all mainstream hollywood cares about is filling the seats and people who pay filling the seats.

I think new Frontier series by Peter David would make a great new trek series.

[ July 27, 2001: Message edited by: Dr Phlox ]

Posted by Braveheart (Member # 671) on :

Believe it or not, the book "Enterprise-The First Adventure" by Vonda McIntyre is one of my favrite reads and would make an excellent movie ( if you could go back and get Shatner and crew before time took its toll )
The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and tracy Hickman ROCK ...
And Stephen Kings "Eyes of the Dragon"

Posted by Treknophyle (Member # 509) on :

Weber: The Honor Harrington series

Heinlein: Stranger in a Strange Land

Heinlein: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Niven: Ringworld

Niven/Pournelle: The Mote in God's Eye

Clarke: A Fall of Moondust

Niven/Pournelle: Footfall

Smith: Lensman

Weber: Mutineers' Moon

Clarke: Rendezvous with Rama (and it will be!)

Robinson: Callahan's Crosstime Saloon

Heinlein: The Star Beast

Heinlein: The Day After Tomorrow

Heinlein: Have Spacesuit - Will Travel

___________________________________

Some of these are 'juvies', but all are popular, and extremely well written. More to follow.

Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :

None of those would work. The criteria was a TWO-hour movie, not an 8-hour one.

Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :

That's right, Shik. I know a lot of SF novels that might make a good 8-hour miniseries, but nobody, perhaps except the Sci-Fi Channel and HBO, is willing to produce them. You're certainly not going to see them on any of the major US networks, who don't seem to be making miniseries of any kind these days. (How about some in the UK?) Like it or not, if we want to see SF on screen, it has to be in the form of a 2-hour theatrical movie (or maybe a TV movie). You also have to consider whether the projected box office gross of the finished film will be enough to make a profit.

Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :

Indeed. I would love to make a film of the uncut "Stranger In A Strange Land" using the book AS THE SCRIPT. Val Kilmer as Mike...but I have to recast Jubal now--I wanted George C. Scott.

Posted by MeGotBeer (Member # 411) on :

Howling Mad by Peter David.

The Deathstalker series would make an excellent mini-series (figure 2 hours per book).

Posted by Michael_T (Member # 144) on :

I think that the Star Trek: Dark Passions would make a nice 4 hour movie on the Sci-Fi Network. That or the Section 31 novels.

Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :

The Discworld series would be fun!

War of the Worlds could indeed be done.

Thunderbirds couldn't. TB without strings and Supermarionettes? That's no fun!

The DeathGate cycle by Weiss & Hickman would be cool.

Posted by Stingray (Member # 621) on :

This doesn't fit the criteria either but:

The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanely Robinson

I mention it because James Cameron has bought the rights to do it, and its only a matter of time before it goes to the screen. At which point - KICKASS!

They are really incredible science fiction.