Ever since I read the Stainless Steel Rat series a few years ago, I have yearned to see Bruce Campbell (known as The Bruce around my house) in the title role. I think he would be perfect for it.
Even though they've already done a miniseries, I'd love to see an updated version of The Martian Chronicles with an all-star cast. Obviously, it would have to be done in several films, but I think it would be sweet.
Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville, would make a fine Gilliam movie. The characters are so odd and unconventional I wouldn't even know where to begin casting. Maybe Richard Liberty (Logan from Day of the Dead) as the protagonist, Isaac Dan Der Grimnebulin.
THE TRIAL by Franz Kafka, with Hayden Christensen as K. and Mel Gibson as the Prosecutor.
THE GOOD SOLDIER SWEJK AND HIS FORTUNES IN THE GREAT WAR. I don't know who would be good in the lead but Leo DiCaprio as Lt. Hindrjik Lukash, definitely.
I can't think of any actors off the bat, probably best with just some really good undiscovered child actors, but I really wish they'd get on that Ender's Game movie we were supposed to have about 8 years ago.
Brian Lumley's Necroscope and Titus Crow series scream out to have movies made, with Johnny Depp as Harry Keogh and Jeffrey Combs playing Titus Crow respectively.
Brother R
I really like action movies. Explosions, mindless destruction, it's all good. Which is why I would like to see pretty much any book by Matthew Reilly made into a movie. His books are just non stop action, and I must say, have quite a big blockbuster potential, especially since he doesn't leave too much room [but just enough] for dodgy side stories such as characters falling in love etc and not as much talking that happens in many recent 'action' films.
I actually heard his first book, 'Contest' is in planning to be made into a movie, not known by who, when or where, but it wouldn't be too bad; it's about a doctor who has been selected in this intergalactic competition against 6 other aliens, a fight to the death, thing is he didn't know about it [silly human] and is just thrust into the competition with his daugther. Talk about a crazy first contact. It was a good read too.
"Megan Has Two Mommies" would be a fantastic movie. But just the unrated director's cut. Who cares who plays Megan...but for the two mommies....anyone BUT Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen Degeneres.
INCIDENT AT TWENTY-MILE by Trevanian. It is a western about a sadistic killer who escapes from prison and terrorizes the town of Twenty-Mile. The town is really just a rest stop for miners. They come into town from the mining camp on weekends to purchase supplies, eat, and drink. Anyway, the killer and his henchmen terrorize the town during the week while the miners up in the mountains. It is one of the most intense, suspenseful books I have ever read. It is partially based on a true story (in the epilogue, the author talks about what was real and what he invented, and gives some historical facts about certain real characters, telling the reader what happened to them after they moved away from Twenty-Mile).
When I read the book, I kept picturing Richard Harris as "English Bob" in the movie UNFORGIVEN every time the sadistic killer showed up, so I think he would be good in the role.
trek geezer, I like your Bruce Campbell idea for "Slippery" Jim DiGriz. I used to think George Clooney would make a good SSR considering all the shady rogues/crooks he plays in films like "Three Kings", "O Brother", "Out Of Sight", etc.
I read in a Starlog interview with Harry Harrison years ago that the first book had been optioned numerous times over the years, but things always fell apart. Harrison said for years he wanted Steve McQueen to play Jim, to tell you how far back a film version had been considered.
I'd love to see a long movie or TV miniseries version of Kim Newman's "Anno Dracula" about an alternate universe where Dracula won the conflict in the Bram Stoker novel and married grieving widow Queen Victoria. Dracula, his underlings and the imported Carpathian Guards then control England. Lots of fun cameos from historical and fictional figures and an exciting pulpy adventure.
"Idoru" by William Gibson seems like it would make the easiest candidate of his novels that I've read to adapt into a film. I'd love to see the "Neuromancer" series made into films now that the technology is there to do them right, the first one has been tried off and on for years, but has always fallen apart. But Gibson should probably stay away from writing the script himself, "Johnny Mnemonic" and "New Rose Hotel" (which I haven't seen but heard nothing good about) are strikes against him
Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash" would make a hipper, funnier cyberpunk adventure as long as it didn't take itself too seriously like the "Matrix" films. Besides the "Maybe they'll listen to reason," line during one scene is made for the movies.
Two by Christopher Buckley. "Thank You For Smoking" would be a good satiric film of political lobbyists, the tobacco industry, Washington journalism, and product placement in Hollywood films. As long as they didn't leave out the gag about the skull of Mr. Rogers, that made the book for me.They were suppsoedly thinking of making a film at one point, but I haven't read anything about it for some time so I figure its dead.
Buckley's adventure novel "Wet Work" is nothing special, but as I read it the story easily played out in my head as an imaginary "lost film" starring Gene Hackman made in the early 90s. Grieving wealthy father with a dark history uses his resources to strike back at the Colombian drug lord responsible for his daughter's death. You could still make it now, but the 80s setting could be changed or not; or Mexico could be substituted for Colombia since so much drug production meant for the US comes from there now.
Cormac McCarthy's violent and blunt epic take on the western, "Blood Meridian", could make a great film in the hands of the right director and writer; or be a sprawling decadent mess. Sam Peckinpah is dead. Alejandro Jodorowsky is extreme enough, but would anyone let him direct a film again? If David Fincher of "Fight Club" can bring the mood of menace in his films to the Old West he might be able to pull it off.
I read in a Starlog interview with Harry Harrison years ago that the first book had been optioned numerous times over the years, but things always fell apart. Harrison said for years he wanted Steve McQueen to play Jim, to tell you how far back a film version had been considered.
I thought the books started really well but as they went along the various gimicks seemed to get a bit absurd
Brother R beat me to mentioning Ender's Game.
By far Orson Scott Card's best work! Rumors have been flying around the net for years mainly saying that Alex Proyas (Dark City/The Crow) is set to direct. I'd be one happy movie goer if this ever gets the greenlight. I can't imagine a better director for the story.
But, the film will probably never get made. Too much child violence. Don't think the MPAA would approve of a scene in which some kid....lets say Haley Joel Osmett (sp?) beats and kills another kid in a shower at the academy.
I know it's been brought up twice, but I have to go along with the Ender's Game bit, perhaps with Ender's Shadow thrown in - I see no reason why they couldn't be combined into one movie.
For those interested, Card finally finished the script, and they're looking at a 2008 releace date or so - check out the info at Card's site:
http://www.hatrack.com/
For other fun Ender-type info, try
http://www.philoticweb.net
In any case, that's the one that gets my vote, and would undoubtably get my $$ at the box office. They'd need unknowns for Ender and Bean - current child actors of note are all too old for the parts.
BTW, one of the reasons the Ender's Game movie has been so long in coming is that the studios keep wanting to make it about teenagers instead of kids. Card won't hear of it - the fact that the major characters are kids is half the point. I agree with him.
I, for one, would walk right the f*** out of a movie with a snoty, arrogant, teenaged Bean. Wouldn't you?
Exactly Grumpy Guy!
What makes the film so powerful is the fact that they are kids! Well, exceptionally smart kids, but still kids!
Thanks for the info on the flick. I so hope it gets made.
Bruce Campbell would be a perfect Slippery Jim diGriz. Man, it's probably been 20 years since I read a Stainless Steel Rat book. I'll have to read them again some time. Even at a young age, I appreciated Harry Harrison's sense of humour.
The book I'd really like to see as a movie is Frederik Pohl's Man Plus. For those who don't know it, it's sort of the other side of the coin from the Six Million Dollar Man. An astronaut is gradually turned into a cyborg to live on Mars, and we see how he becomes isolated and feels his humanity slipping away as he goes through all of the surgical procedures. He's basically turned into a Martian, with little of his original body left. He looks like a monster and has to learn to live with it. It's a very powerful story. After reading the book, I suspect the writers of Robocop borrowed a little of their story from it. Can't think of who I would like to see in the role of Col. Torroway, the cyborg. Tough thing is that he'd have to be believable as an astronaut and national hero, but also a nice guy who bottles up a lot of his feelings, and lets people (especially his wife) take advantage of him. This would be more of a dramatic role than action. My biggest concern would be that Hollywood would turn it into an action flick, and probably spoil the twist ending with too much information.
The whole series of books by Tim Dorsey with the main character Serge A Storms in them. Could only be played by Robert DeNiro. The books if anyone is curious are:
Florida Roadkill
Hammerhead Ranch Motel
Orange Crush
Triggerfish Twist
Stingray Shuffle
Very funny books and Serge is a historian/killer. DeNiro would be perfect.
>An astronaut is gradually turned into a cyborg to live on Mars, and we see how
>he becomes isolated and feels his humanity slipping away as he goes through
>all of the surgical procedures. He's basically turned into a Martian, with little of
>his original body left. He looks like a monster and has to learn to live with it.
Sounds like an episode of the show Monsters; A woman is sent to check up on a man who has been genetically altered to labor on an alien planet. He's alone and has to be kept isolated since normal atmosphere would now kill him. The woman eventually finds out that the guy is someone she once loved. It's the season 3, episode 5, Outpost.
As for books I'd like to see made into movies; Stinger by Robert McCammon. A huge alien ship lands in a small town, encloses the area in a force field and starts releasing various creatures to hunt for another alien that is hiding there.
You're welcome.
You can read the original Ender's Game short story at Card's site (hatrack.com)
JohnL wrote:
> Sounds like an episode of the show Monsters; A woman is sent to
> check up on a man who has been genetically altered to labor on
> an alien planet. He's alone and has to be kept isolated since
> normal atmosphere would now kill him. The woman eventually
> finds out that the guy is someone she once loved. It's the
> season 3, episode 5, Outpost.
Sounds like the basic premise could have been inspired by the book. It was published around 1975 or 76.
The guy in Man Plus is actually married, but the mission requires him to be away from his wife for several years. The surgeons say they'll try to put him back together afterward, but warn that there's a good chance they won't be able to. He's mostly kept isolated because the project is a secret, but he won't let his wife visit because he's afraid of what she'll think of his monstrous appearance (she's kind of a b***h). He begins to suspect she's fooling around right about the time the surgeons take out his naughty bits and neglect to warn him ahead of time. Talk about a double shot to his manhood. Strangely, he does manage to fall in love with a woman on the project who doesn't care about his appearance or his Ken doll anatomy. The reader is taken along on his whole emotional rollercoaster ride.
One of my favourite books. A pity there's no way Hollywood could film it without messing it up.
It also sounds like it might have inspired at least part of the original Outer Limits episode, The Architects of Fear; A man is chosen for a secret project to unite the world by making them think that the Earth is being threatened by aliens. They surgically transform him into an alien while his wife is kept in the dark about what's being done to him.
Fearless Freep, I liked most of the early SSR books like the one with the Grey Men. I liked them less once his sons were older, like in "SSR Runs For President", I think. I could never tell the sons apart they both were such annoyingly smug characters. The ones where Harrison went back and showed Jim's early days were pretty good but in some of his more recent stories, like the short story in "Stainless Steel Visions", Harrison so stacks the deck in Jim's favor that there is no suspense or tension. He will have anticipated EVERYTHING that his opponents will do and coveniently packed a compact supergadget or nanotech device to counter it.
I do think the first "Bill, the Galactic Hero" book would make a cool adventure comedy with Brenden Fraser as Bill. Although any scene with a shot of his left arm would involve FX or CGI of some kind.