Could it be filmed?
Discussion
It was famously said that Frank Herbert's Dune was impossible to film (and the 1984 version probably backs up that statement). I've often thought that Arthur C Clarke's "The City and the Stars" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_City_and_the_Sta... would make a good film, but up until recent CGI advances it would not have been possible to do the immensity of the settings justice. I doubt it would have the box office appeal now, so it's best to let my imagination paint the scenes for me.
Anyone think of other major works that are unlikely ever to be filmed?
SD.
Anyone think of other major works that are unlikely ever to be filmed?
SD.
With film - as in cinema - you're limited to a two hour window to tell a story. This limits the stories you can tell.
With streaming, you have the ability to create the most expansive and complex of stories at epic scale over several episodes. And CGi is capable of the most astonishing visuals of anything the imagination imagines.
Technically and creatively, anything today can be filmed.
Whether anyone would watch it in the numbers required to justify the investment is another matter and it's this that is the limiting factor today.
With streaming, you have the ability to create the most expansive and complex of stories at epic scale over several episodes. And CGi is capable of the most astonishing visuals of anything the imagination imagines.
Technically and creatively, anything today can be filmed.
Whether anyone would watch it in the numbers required to justify the investment is another matter and it's this that is the limiting factor today.
Super Sonic said:
Iain M Banks' "Consider Phlebas"
William Gibson's "Neuromancer"
I was thinking a fair few of the Iain M Banks books, although I'm sure I heard Consider Phlebas was in the process of being adapted, and it's probably one of the more viable of them, as most of it is fairly straightforward sci-fi action. The scale of some of the settings, and the regular sprinkling of 3m-tall 3-legged aliens would make it hard to do well without a massive budget, but I think it's probably doable. William Gibson's "Neuromancer"
I think you'd have to do Neuromancer as a Sin City/ Bunraku-style noirish semi-cartoon.
Fall, by Neal Stephenson must be pretty close to unfilmable. Most of his other books would be awkward because you'd have to stop the story every few minutes to digress into a short lecture on orbital mechanics or cryptography or whatever.
Super Sonic said:
William Gibson's "Neuromancer"
Apple seems to fancy their chances with Neuromancer: https://www.apple.com/uk/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apple-...I think it’s absolutely nailed-on overdue a TV outing and based on the strength of their output, I’m tentatively hopeful. I hope it’s properly grimey cyberpunk sci-fi and they don’t clean it up.
Disastrous said:
Apple seems to fancy their chances with Neuromancer: https://www.apple.com/uk/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apple-...
I think it’s absolutely nailed-on overdue a TV outing and based on the strength of their output, I’m tentatively hopeful. I hope it’s properly grimey cyberpunk sci-fi and they don’t clean it up.
Just checked IMDb, it's in pre-production and has been cast. I think it’s absolutely nailed-on overdue a TV outing and based on the strength of their output, I’m tentatively hopeful. I hope it’s properly grimey cyberpunk sci-fi and they don’t clean it up.
SlimJim16v said:
Disastrous said:
Apple seems to fancy their chances with Neuromancer: https://www.apple.com/uk/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apple-...
I think it’s absolutely nailed-on overdue a TV outing and based on the strength of their output, I’m tentatively hopeful. I hope it’s properly grimey cyberpunk sci-fi and they don’t clean it up.
Just checked IMDb, it's in pre-production and has been cast. I think it’s absolutely nailed-on overdue a TV outing and based on the strength of their output, I’m tentatively hopeful. I hope it’s properly grimey cyberpunk sci-fi and they don’t clean it up.
Most of the culture is doable - I just think the books with Minds as lead characters might be problematic.
Players of games would translate very well I think.
Somebody needs to do snow crash. The opening 10’mins is a fantastic introduction to the two leads.
I suspect Anathem is difficult. The Baroque cycle is possible but bloody expensive (and long)
t, well not for the gay Nazi's I suppose!Skii said:
Vulcan 607 by Rowland White
Incredible story of the first Vulcan bombing raid on Port Stanley Airfield in the Falklands War (Operation Black Buck)
It has all the ingredients to make a great movie.
'Dambusters 2' if you like. But not really mass box-office appeal these days I fear.Incredible story of the first Vulcan bombing raid on Port Stanley Airfield in the Falklands War (Operation Black Buck)
It has all the ingredients to make a great movie.
Unless maybe Tom Cruise was flying one...I'd dearly love to see a proper on screen recreation of the Flashman novels because the character is so utterly contemptible/brutally honest/hilarious. The stories themselves are historically accurate and there a lot of larger than life characters that could be done so well.
Just don't think there's an appetite for it given our current social climate. The rights have been bought but will likely gather dust for some time.
I'd also like to see some Chris Brookmyre stuff adapted as a kind of Trainspotting meets sci-fi environment
Just don't think there's an appetite for it given our current social climate. The rights have been bought but will likely gather dust for some time.
I'd also like to see some Chris Brookmyre stuff adapted as a kind of Trainspotting meets sci-fi environment
I suspect that there are few films that couldn't be filmed - whether they're well done is a totally different issue 
that aside I suspect that the bigger reasons why something may be 'unfilmable' is because:
- the author, or their estate, want to keep creative control over the IP and don't trust 'Hollywood' to either do a good job or grasp various nuances (a good example of this would be David Gemmell's novels)
- the motivation of the various characters is no longer 'viable' in today's climate (I'd imagine that the Flashman series or H Rider Haggard's novels contain an awful lot of interesting and spectacular stories - but c/would be seen as glamorising colonialism)
- some scifi/fantasy novels have telekinesis/telepathy which makes things rather difficult to adequately portray on-screen
that aside I suspect that the bigger reasons why something may be 'unfilmable' is because:- the author, or their estate, want to keep creative control over the IP and don't trust 'Hollywood' to either do a good job or grasp various nuances (a good example of this would be David Gemmell's novels)
- the motivation of the various characters is no longer 'viable' in today's climate (I'd imagine that the Flashman series or H Rider Haggard's novels contain an awful lot of interesting and spectacular stories - but c/would be seen as glamorising colonialism)
- some scifi/fantasy novels have telekinesis/telepathy which makes things rather difficult to adequately portray on-screen
Bisonhead said:
I'd dearly love to see a proper on screen recreation of the Flashman novels because the character is so utterly contemptible/brutally honest/hilarious. The stories themselves are historically accurate and there a lot of larger than life characters that could be done so well.
Just don't think there's an appetite for it given our current social climate. The rights have been bought but will likely gather dust for some time.
I'd also like to see some Chris Brookmyre stuff adapted as a kind of Trainspotting meets sci-fi environment
We've had a Flashman film but I agree a series of them would be entertaining but highly unlikely these days Just don't think there's an appetite for it given our current social climate. The rights have been bought but will likely gather dust for some time.
I'd also like to see some Chris Brookmyre stuff adapted as a kind of Trainspotting meets sci-fi environment
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073639/?ref_=fn_all_...
Composer62 said:
We've had a Flashman film but I agree a series of them would be entertaining but highly unlikely these days
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073639/?ref_=fn_all_...
I've read the books several times but just couldn't get into the Royal Flash film...was just too silly if that makes sense?https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073639/?ref_=fn_all_...
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