Books that should be made into movies

[GoddessOfGuinness]

What do you think?

I'd like to watch Karen and Poul Anderson's "King of Ys" series...

[bif]

1. The Golden Compass

But I understand it might me made into a movie. Great series, by the way.

[WindRavenX]

4. yup, the trilogy is in the works

I'm a huge fan too.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

11. IMDB has it listed for 2007

You're in luck!

I've not read this book, but it looks interesting. I'll have to check it out! :)

[Shakespeare]

13. You HAVE to read the book. HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO.

I'm just starting a re-read of it. I'm very curious to see how the fundies react to the movie. It's not exactly fundie-friendly.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. I like it already!

:D

[Harley Quinn]

2. Mists of Avalon...

Yes, I know, I know...they made a movie already. But it was HORRIBLE!! Someone who gives a damn about the story should remake it.

[RevolutionaryActs]

6. It was a TV movie, so therefore it doesn't count.

:D

[Harley Quinn]

8. Well, what do you know...

EXCELLENT point...never thought about it like that!

[Bridget Burke]

74. Complex novels are often better presented as "made for TV'...

"Lonesome Dove" is a classic.

But "Avalon" was done crappily for TV.

[deadparrot]

3. The Poisonwood Bible. nt

[montanto]

40. second n/t

[Beaverhausen]

63. Any of Kingsolver's books would do

But this one especially. God what an amazing novel!

[GenDem]

92. Totally agree!!!!

That was a superb book that would make a great movie!

[graywarrior]

5. Biff: Jesus Christ's Childhood Friend

[GoddessOfGuinness]

12. Author?

:evilgrin:

[graywarrior]

14. Official title: Lamb:The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

by Christopher Moore

[GoddessOfGuinness]

28. Looks great!

I'm going to have to get that, and take it with me the next time I find myself unwittingly employed by fundies! :D

[greatauntoftriplets]

45. That'd be hilarious....

The book certainly was.

[hedgehog]

46. Who would you cast?

Alas, my dream cast for a life of Christ will never be; here is what I started with at one time:

Jesus - Robin Williams - although he did play the Christ role in Dead Poets Society

Peter - John Candy - just the right mixture of bluster, foolishness and good intentions

Mary - Brenda Vaccaro

James and John - we need two guys who can play loud mouthed brothers - Brad Pitt and ?

[Crap_in_a_Hat]

76. Hell, all of Christopher Moore's books

Down to "The Stupidest Angel".

[Pithlet]

86. Hilarious book.

:thumbsup:

[Hosnon]

7. I've always wanted to see a full version of the entire Bible...some of that stuff

would be great on film.

Plus a few hours of: Bushka begat Salemus, etc. couldn't hurt, right??

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. Some of it would be rated X

or at least R for controversial content...

[Crap_in_a_Hat]

83. "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

and on the same stylistic note, the rest of the "Hitchhiker's Guide" books.

[fizzgig]

9. roger zelazny's amber series

it's unworkable because it's nine books (and he died before he finished the series) but damn it would be awesome

[GoddessOfGuinness]

18. Maybe someone will figure out a way to do it...

:)

[AllegroRondo]

50. A movie series based on the first 5 (Corwin) would be awesome

[youthere]

10. My Pet Goat.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

24. That'd be pretty short,

don't you think? :rofl:

[youthere]

39. not if you have * narrate.

[AngryAmish]

16. Pop. 1280

They made a French movie about the book but no good American movie. Also a legit version of "The Killer Inside ME".

[Starbucks Anarchist]

17. American Tabloid by James Ellroy.

[Shakespeare]

19. Oh, same here--I think it's one of his best books.

They did a great job already with L.A. Confidential, and that one's next on my wish list, too. We won't talk about Black Dahlia. :-(

[Starbucks Anarchist]

20. I read L.A. Confidential after seeing the movie.

No way in hell they could put that whole book onscreen, though -- way too complicated to fit in 2 hours.

I'm about to read The Cold Six Thousand, the sequel to American Tabloid. Hope it's good.

[Shakespeare]

22. It's not as good as American Tabloid, but it's still pretty good. n/t

I also like his weirdo collection of short stories "Hollywood Nocturnes."

[Starbucks Anarchist]

23. "Crime Wave" is a good collection, too.

[Shakespeare]

25. Yup, I'd forgotten about that one.

I've got a few first editions signed by him, and his inscriptions are hilarious. My copy of Black Dahlia says "SLASH!" My copy of L.A. Confidential says "L.A. 1954, land of sleaze!"

He's a kick.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

29. Seems like a scary guy, though.

Maybe it's just his writing. :shrug:

[Shakespeare]

32. Have you read his autobiography "My Dark Places?"

His entire life (and professional career) was shaped by his mother's unsolved murder, and explains why he was so drawn to the story of the Black Dahlia. He's had a VERY rough life (a lot of it self-inflicted). If you want the full effect, try to find the audiobook of him reading the book (it's hard to find--most editions have somebody else doing the reading).

Ellroy trivia: He went to the same high school as Jack Kemp and Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers): Fairfax high, just down the road from me.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

34. That's the next one of his I want to read.

Crime Wave had an excellent excerpt from it, too.

[LeftyMom]

21. The Song of Ice and Fire books. I could die happy.

They'd be challenging as hell to put on film. Like Dune or Lord of the Rings, they're very dense and a lot would have to be left out, and the obsessed fandom (like me :hi: ) would howl for blood at every ommission, but they'd make wonderful movies in capable hands.

I doubt they'll ever get done though, they're very, very dark.

[hyphenate]

26. I've been trying to find a

good address for Peter Jackson for a while now, because I really, really want to see him do "Silverlock." I think he's one of the few directors who would actually "get it" when it comes to that tome. Very few others would even comprehend the enormous work it represents, and what a treasure trove of trivia and allusion it holds.

[Bullwinkle925]

30. "Middlesex" and "Accordion Crimes" ...

Two that I would gladly pay to see - hopefully with great screenplays and directors!!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

31. Time and Again

It would be better than Gangs of New York.

[Porcupine]

33. Snow Crash- Neal Stephenson's best.

It would make an amazing action movie.

[SKKY]

35. "The Alienist" by Caleb Carr would probably make an excellent movie...

[Shakespeare]

38. Agree--in fact, I think the movie could be better than the book.

I liked the book a lot, but my GOD was it densely written. A movie adaptation would be fantastic.

[democracyindanger]

41. Yep. That was written like a screenplay.

I heard that it was being developed years ago, but the project fell apart.

[democracyindanger]

43. Any of the Dragonriders of Pern series.

Word is it got optioned this year and is in development.

[AlienGirl]

36. Anything by James Tiptree, Jr.

[Oeditpus Rex]

37. This one:

It's about a lot more than baseball.

[montanto]

42. Sozaboy by Ken Saro-Wiwa

[Taverner]

44. The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K Dick

I can already envision William Petersen as the reclusive writer...

[hedgehog]

47. The Left hand of Darkenss

I always thought that James Earl Jones and David Bowie would be perfect for the leads.

[BarenakedLady]

48. The Handmaid's Tale (nt)

[azmouse]

51. That is a movie.

Came out in the 90's.

[BarenakedLady]

56. Coolio

Was it any good?

[azmouse]

57. I don't remember. I'd like to see it again to compare it to the book.

Robert Duval was in the movie as was Faye Dunaway.

The book was amazing. I just read it this year for the first time and had a hard time ever putting it down.

[BarenakedLady]

59. Me too

It was mesmerizing and completely frightening as I could totally see that become a reality. :scared:

[AllegroRondo]

53. There is a movie version - 1990

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale_%28film%29

[BarenakedLady]

54. Wow!

See how far behind I am. LoL. Thank you guys. I'll have to go rent that.

[Hugin]

49. "chindi"

by Jack McDevitt

It's a SciFi book.

Steven King seems to like it.

http://www.sfsite.com/~silverag/chindi.html

[azmouse]

52. Summer of Night by Dan Simmons

[RedStateShame]

55. Chuck Palahniuk's "Survivor"

Of course, that whole hijacking-a-plane deal may not work well with focus groups, so that screws that. So, I'm willing to compromise and say "Choke."

[Lautremont]

58. V. by Thomas Pynchon

or The Wapshot Chronicle by John Cheever.

[evlbstrd]

60. A Confederacy of Dunces.

By John Kennedy Toole.

[Shakespeare]

70. A-fucking-men. n/t

[KamaAina]

89. Funny you should mention that...

this just came up on Slate today.

http://www.slate.com/id/2155500/

According to some sources, a film version of Dunces is slated for release in 2007, with a meticulously faithful script by Kramer and Steven Soderbergh. To direct, Kramer has attached David Gordon Green, who, though relatively unknown, has a Southern Gothic style that matches the tone of the book. The all-star cast includes Lily Tomlin, Drew Barrymore, Mos Def, Olympia Dukakis, and Will Ferrell in a fat suit, as the philosophical and portly Ignatius J. Reilly. There's just one problem: Not a scene has been captured on film yet....

Dunces, of course, has always been shrouded in heartbreak. Its publication came 11 years after author John Kennedy Toole committed suicide at the age of 32, and it reached print only because of the singular persistence of his mother, who harassed novelist Walker Percy so intently that he finally agreed to read the lone ink-smudged manuscript in her possession. Duly impressed, Percy handed the pages over to the LSU Press, insisting that they publish the book. The first run was a measly 800 copies. Nearly half of those were sent to Kramer, who pitched these now-rare first editions around Hollywood, most of which probably ended up in trash bins. A year later, Dunces won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Today, it stands as one of the most revered comic works in the modern canon....

Yet, despite the book's comic prowess and cultish street cred, nobody has succeeded in bringing it to the big screen. It may be too good for its own good. Bubblegum genre pieces and formulaic spy thrillers tend to do best in Hollywood, sometimes resulting in movies that exceed their progenitors (e.g., the Bourne series). Conversely, richly crafted novels with complex storylines often die painful deaths, losing too much in the translation (take your pick). This is especially true of comedic works. Any fan of Joseph Heller's Catch-22 would be hard pressed not to throw a brick at the television anytime the 1970 film by Mike Nichols is aired, which says less about Nichols' talent than it does the challenge he faced.

As with Catch-22, part of what makes Dunces so hilarious is the specificity of its language and tone. Much of this transpires in the peculiar inner-space of Ignatius' green-hunting-capped skull, coming forth in letters, monologues against all things modern, and a rambling manifesto, which he scribbles onto Big Chief writing tablets. But while these devices work artfully on the page, giving them cinematic life has stymied humorists as prolific as Buck Henry (who, incidentally, wrote the screenplay for Catch-22), Harold Ramis (who wanted to set the movie in the present), and Stephen Fry (who added wholly invented scenes).

Wholly invented scenes?! :wtf:

In my long-ago N.O. days, a friend suggested me in the role of Ignatius! (I'm almost big enough...)

edit: timing

[evlbstrd]

93. I hope it's true.

Except for the Will Ferrell in a fat suit part. Ignatius has to be played by either John Candy (impossible) or a total unknown.

[Shakespeare]

94. There's only one person I can see playing Ignatius: Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

I adore Will Ferrell, but that role should be Hoffman's.

[mzteris]

61. The Floating Island -

(The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme Series)
by Elizabeth Haydon


Surprisingly good. I think it'd make a great movie. I'm thinking that guy who played Samwise in The Ring movies would be a good Nain.

[CBHagman]

62. Louis Bayard's Mr. Timothy.

It's a Victorian thriller featuring a grown-up Timothy Cratchit (Yes, Tiny Tim from "A Christmas Carol"). I can't recall if Bayard sold the film rights, but it is an exciting story and would make a good movie.

[terrya]

65. I agree...."Mr. Timothy" would make a terrific movie.

Liked the book very much. :thumbsup:

[terrya]

64. "The Front Runner" by Patricia Nell Warren

This book has been talked about as a film for years. At one time, I believe Paul Newman owned the film rights. Would love to see a filmed version.

[edbermac]

66. Catcher In The Rye...but it will never happen.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

78. Maybe one day...

But probably not anytime soon.

[Broken_Hero]

67. The Dark Elf Trilogy by

RA Salvatore....:D I nominated Wes Snipes as Drizzt, or Cuban Gooding Jr as my second choice...:D

[Ariana Celeste]

77. Dude for real

:loveya:

R. A. Salvatore is one of my fave authors ever. Those books could make for awesome movies, if put in the right hands!

[Broken_Hero]

88. no doubt about that

all the books were great, through Passage to Dawn....:D His last three, the 1,000 orc trilogy had me...wanting a bit more...it was a let down.

[WCGreen]

68. The Joy of Sex.....

What....

All the good ones were taken...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

69. It's been done, multiple versions of it.

:evilgrin:

[YankeyMCC]

71. Enemy Papers

by Barry Longyear. There has already been a movie, "Enemy Mine" which was ok, but if they redid the full story closer to the style and message of Longyear's full trilogy it would be a classic.

I also think Asimov's Robot novels and perhaps even the Empire novels could be nicely adapted to a movie. They could not be completely faithful but they provide a great foundation for a rip-roaring yet intelligent movie IMHO. Of course if it were done poorly it would upset me greatly since those stories are so near and dear to me. So perhaps it's best they be left alone by hollywood. ;)

[LaraMN]

72. "Everyone Poops," by Taro Gomi.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

80. A local art teacher was recently suspended from teaching

after administration officials learned that many of his paintings were created by painting his thong-clad butt and pressing it to a canvas. Of course, the only way they'd know this is by watching a You-Tube video of the teacher at work.

Maybe Taro Gomi should write a new book: "Everyone Has a Butt".

[bleedingheart]

73. the Outlander books

but I think it would be a better miniseries on TV or HBO..

[GoddessOfGuinness]

79. That would be a good miniseries

:thumbsup:

[Aristus]

75. "Jennifer Government" by Max Barry. It has been languishing in

development hell for quite a while now, although I understand that the screenplay has been completed.

George Clooney and Stephen Soderburgh were going to do it. But the deal fell through. THAT would have been an amazing film!

[InternalDialogue]

84. I really enjoyed that book.

I can't recall where I got the recommendation for it, but I was lucky enough to find a copy at the local used book store. Barry came up with a perfect combination of fantastic/realistic for his vision of the near future.

[Aristus]

90. I recommend his latest, "Company", for your reading pleasure

and satirical satisfaction.



Nicely skewers corporate America.

[InternalDialogue]

97. One of my favorite things to skewer!

I'll have to see if a copy has drifted onto the used shelves.

[sarge43]

81. Arthur C. Clarke's "The City and the Stars" n/t

[martymar64]

82. On the Road

I'd love to see someone pull it off.

[MISSDem]

85. Rabbit is Rich

by John Updike.

[Crap_in_a_Hat]

87. No offense to the late, great Robert Altman,

but I've always wanted to see a movie of "The Long Goodbye" that was set in the original time period. I'm a sucker for the trenchcoat-and-fedora stuff.

[likesmountains 52]

91. The Alexandria Quartet...any of the novels...

[Arkham House]

95. Perhaps "Theory of the Leisure Class"...

......or Korzybiski's "Science and Sanity"...or Needham's five-volume history of science in China...or perhaps "Gravity's Rainbow"...?

[Rob H.]

96. 'A Fine Dark Line' by Joe Lansdale

I hear he's working on a screenplay for it, too! :)

I think a lot of people don't even know who he is and that's a shame, imho.