I can't believe they haven't adapted...

[SiHart]

What books do you think would make for great TV series or films that have yet to be adapted?

Si xx

[Paul Monk]

The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson. It would make a great cerebral sci-fi film. Perhaps that why it hasn't be made.

[WhiteCrow]

The Demolished Man is a classic - though as a lot of it hands on telepaths - how would you do that.

Plus the who thing hangs on performing "the perfect crime". Rereading it with todays CSI mind, you find all kind of flaws as to how he'd really get caught.

[SiHart]

I'd love to see an adaptation of jasper Fforde's books. The BBC could do it very well with their long history of costume drama success. I just love the idea of a world where books and literatore are valued above all other forms of entertainment.
Thursday Next is a great character as well.

Si xx

[WhiteCrow]

I'd love to see an adaptation of jasper Fforde's books. The BBC could do it very well with their long history of costume drama success. I just love the idea of a world where books and literatore are valued above all other forms of entertainment.
Thursday Next is a great character as well.

I loved the elligence and simplicity of the Nursery Crimes, but I found the Jurasfiction books just felt complicated and really clumsy. It felt like a great idea for a gag, but it just didn't settle down, so I ended up not getting very far!

Nursery Crimes are simply superb, the way they're some kind of impossible Star Trek Transporter accident of Nursery Rhymes and CSI. I'm surprised Sky haven't seen the potential in them. Even my wife (who isn't big into fantasy) loved them, as she loves crime. And I can't see Gingerbread men in the same way anymore.

[Rob McCow]

I'm sure The Demolished Man will turn up eventually. The Forever War by Joe Hadleman is on it's way and that's a sci-fi classic!

The Jasper Fforde ones might be expensive though and they do rely on their book format for a lot of the gags. They'd have to be changed quite a lot before adaptation.

I think we need a proper TV series version of Asimov's Foundation. A long-running epic!

[SiHart]

I have to admit I liked the Nursery Crime books a bit more than The Thursday Next ones, but I still think they'd make a wonderful TV series. Perhaps they'd work better as a live action adaptation? I think so.

Si xx

[WhiteCrow]

I think we need a proper TV series version of Asimov's Foundation. A long-running epic!

Or indeed I, Robot. I mean one which is based on the books. And doesn't have Will Smith going "oh, yeah", and loads of product placement. The whole "his character doesn't trust technology so buys antique 2003 CD players/trainers/clothes" was just embarassing.

[Paul Monk]

Jeff Noon's books could be good especially Vurt and Pollen.
Falling Out of Cars would be a good European art house road movies, even if its not my favourite book.

[SiHart]

Oh yes, they'd be excellent.

I wonder what's happened to Jeff Noon, it's been ages since Falling Out of Cars was released.

Si xx

[Paul Monk]

He's been working on this.

http://217babel.com/

Before that he was playing with this;

http://www.mappalujo.com/

Haven't read any of them yet. Both of those are quite old though and he has been a bit quiet. Its about time he wrote another book I think.

[MacNimon]

I've always wanted to see an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter Of Mars series. I've always found the Martian stories more enjoyable than the Tarzan novels, and all I've ever seen outside the novels was a Marvel comic version in the 1970s, although I believe that DC also published a series based on the character.

Pulp stories they may be, but they'd be easy to transfer to the big or small screen. I'm amazed that there has never been a filmed version as Carter made his debut in 1912.

[Rob McCow]

It does seem a bizarre oversight for John Carter of Mars to not have been adapted. Perhaps there are rights issues?

The same would probably go for The Lensman series, which seems very popular.

How about some David Gemmell adaptations? I know big fantasy is expensive, but Gemmell is a fine writer.

Iain M Banks, on the other hand, should never be adapted for film or TV. His stories are far too large, even for the big screen.

[SiHart]

They did The Crow Road very well I thought, but Complicity less well.

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

[Pedant] Those were by Iain Banks, not Iain M Banks my dear. [/pedant] On the other hand, they could do a good job with The Business, or Espedair Street.

[SiHart]

Bah! That'll teach me not to notice my "M"s.

Why haven't they adpated any Robert Rankin? Answer me that!

Si xx

[WhiteCrow]

They did The Crow Road very well I thought, but Complicity less well.

Si xx

I thought the Crow Road one of the most amazing works of fiction I'd ever read. The TV series did it a good justice I thought.

[SiHart]

Yes me too. It's still my favourite novel ever you know, and although at the time I was disappointed they'd changed the ending that spoke so much to me when I was 19, it really didn't feel disappointing at all. It was perfectly cast, well filmed and everything an adaptation should be.

Si xx

[WhiteCrow]

I guess my favourite book of all time is as mentioned The Autobiography of Martin Luthor King Jr. An amazing, humbling, moving read.

He's one of those characters who really deserves a decent biopic about. We can quote bits of his life, but what he battled was really horrific at times - some of those who supportered him were murdered, one of the civil rights HQs was bombed killing 3 children (no-one was ever charged), put into prison as a criminal, stabbed but someone wanting his autograph, eventually murdered.

But he never gives up hope, never calls for retaliation. He just survives through hoping for a better way, a better world.

[Jon Masters]

How about some David Gemmell adaptations? I know big fantasy is expensive, but Gemmell is a fine writer.

Sadly, was a fine writer. On the occasions I met him at signings he was often asked about film rights - apparently the film companies were very keen, but always insisted that he would have to sign over the rights to his characters (so ensuring the studios could then do anything they liked with them in the future) - something he was not prepared to do, as he would then not be able to write any more books using those characters.

Apparently one studio a long time ago wanted to cast Oliver Reed as Jon Shannow !!!!

Now he's gone perhaps it might happen in the future.

I'd nominate Stephen Donaldson's books but not the Thomas Covenant ones (could never be done justice on film) - however the two set in Mordant would be good.
I've never understood why my favourite Alastair MacLean book (the Dark Crusader) was one of the few never to have been turned into a tacky film.

[WhiteCrow]

Yes the Jon Shannow first book was brilliant - you only slowly learn it's a post appocalyptic world. That one would be different to standard Fantasy.

[MacNimon]

I've never understood why my favourite Alastair MacLean book (the Dark Crusader) was one of the few never to have been turned into a tacky film.

Good point! I love many of MacLeans novels and there are loads of them which are tailor made for adapting to film. Some of them were, but like you say Jon, they were tacky. Only the likes of Where Eagles Dare and The Guns Of Navarone are worthwhile viewing these days. I'd love to see good versions of The Dark Crusader, Puppet On A Chain, Where Eight Bells Toll, The Satan Bug and The Golden Rendezvous...and that's just for starters.