What novels should the streaming services adapt?

What novels should the streaming services adapt?

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Discussion

DodgyGeezer

Original Poster:

42,391 posts

197 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
I read an article the other day extolling the virtues of 'undiscovered' novels and/or graphic novels which could easily be adapted by the likes of NetFlix for (one might imagine) not a huge amount of money. On that train of thought I wondered what IP's you'd like to see adapted - so not the (seemingly) endless visits to 'the Potterverse' or yet more Avengers/X-Men/Superman/Batman or even LoTR (at least they have the advantage of being terrifically well written - albeit, by the looks of things, 'problematical' for sensitive modern audiences) and Conan.

I had in mind something like

- Tales of the Trigan Empire
- The Mercenary (Vicente Segrelles)
- (pulp series) Perry Rhodan
-'golden age' SciFi


thoughts?

bloomen

7,452 posts

166 months

Friday 21st June
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The Revelation Space stuff by Alastair Reynolds.

There are a couple of computer animated short films of it, but that's it so far. I expect someone has optioned it.

And there really should've been a Karl Urban led Dredd series, but he's a bit busy with his bad cockney accent.

slopes

40,148 posts

194 months

Friday 21st June
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Gunboy - dystopian future Britain by Leighton Dean.
Has enough sci fi to keep the sci fi fans happy, has plenty of political intrigue to keep fans of that sort of thing watching plus the obligatory scene steaking bad guy of big business.
Sadly i suspect if someone was to make a film of it, they would make a right pigs ear of it

JagLover

43,798 posts

242 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
The obvious answer is none at the present time as they would just turn it into garbage.

If however we are in a more unrealistic scenario where they provide the resources and leave it up to good writers and show runners to make a great series then the following.

I often thought that Asimov's I Robot series would be a good basis for an episodic TV show. You could use the original stories and some new ones on a similar theme.

Moving toward grander sci-fi then the Commonwealth series seems a great setting for a TV show.

The Lost Fleet is another one that would fit a TV format I think.

Saga of Pliocene Exile is almost unknown now I think but would actually make a great TV show due to the very varied characters and the great setting.

Turning to the Fantasy genre they have had a go at ASOIAF and messed up Wheel of Time (by all accounts and I haven't bothered with it), and no need to remake LOTR.

There are very popular series they haven't adapted, such as Belgariad, but not sure some of them suit a TV series, and don't really have that successful GOT formula.

Perhaps they would be better off looking at some lesser known fantasy works that have a great setting for TV but didn't achieve the same heights of popularity as the already mentioned.

There are a number of "lost colony" books that could work (technically it comes under Sci-fi but the lines are blurred). Such as the Pern series. I also like "fall of Angels", but perhaps more for the concept, and think that book could very much be improved in adaption by a good writer.

Turning to a completely different genre. "Mansfield Park" has never had a definitive adaption and deserves one. You could also say the same of "Emma" of course but there are at least decent adaptions of that, if not a definitive one.

Edited by JagLover on Friday 21st June 08:12

tangerine_sedge

5,178 posts

225 months

Friday 21st June
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The Stainless Steel Rat books by Harry Harrison. I don't even care if they follow the books as long as the characterisation is good.

Red6

496 posts

63 months

Friday 21st June
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Eagle Series by Simon Scarrow
Skullduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Mortal Engines - Philip Reeve (the film was awful)

cobra kid

5,249 posts

247 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
The Stand, by Stephen King.

Only if done properly. Loved that book all three times I've read it.

Skeptisk

8,245 posts

116 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
JagLover said:
The obvious answer is none at the present time as they would just turn it into garbage.

If however we are in a more unrealistic scenario where they provide the resources and leave it up to good writers and show runners to make a great series then the following.

I often thought that Asimov's I Robot series would be a good basis for an episodic TV show. You could use the original stories and some new ones on a similar theme.

Moving toward grander sci-fi then the Commonwealth series seems a great setting for a TV show.

The Lost Fleet is another one that would fit a TV format I think.

Saga of Pliocene Exile is almost unknown now I think but would actually make a great TV show due to the very varied characters and the great setting.

Turning to the Fantasy genre they have had a go at ASOIAF and messed up Wheel of Time (by all accounts and I haven't bothered with it), and no need to remake LOTR.

There are very popular series they haven't adapted, such as Belgariad, but not sure some of them suit a TV series, and don't really have that successful GOT formula.

Perhaps they would be better off looking at some lesser known fantasy works that have a great setting for TV but didn't achieve the same heights of popularity as the already mentioned.

There are a number of "lost colony" books that could work (technically it comes under Sci-fi but the lines are blurred). Such as the Pern series. I also like "fall of Angels", but perhaps more for the concept, and think that book could very much be improved in adaption by a good writer.

Turning to a completely different genre. "Mansfield Park" has never had a definitive adaption and deserves one. You could also say the same of "Emma" of course but there are at least decent adaptions of that, if not a definitive one.

Edited by JagLover on Friday 21st June 08:12
I remember reading the saga of Pilocene exiles and I remember enjoying it…but cannot remember much else about it.

To add to the list - maybe the Thomas Covenant novels?

Micheal Moore’s Eldric (or other books)

The Wolf Brother books

Eragon (they did try a film but it didn’t work)


MikeT66

2,692 posts

131 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
cobra kid said:
The Stand, by Stephen King.

Only if done properly. Loved that book all three times I've read it.
I'm sure this has already been done - but not great, from memory. Needs to be the longer version of the book, too.

My choice would be Len Deighton's Bomber - showing both British and German sides of the build-up and result of a Lancaster night raid. A great book.

Lo-Fi

811 posts

77 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
MikeT66 said:
cobra kid said:
The Stand, by Stephen King.

Only if done properly. Loved that book all three times I've read it.
I'm sure this has already been done - but not great, from memory. Needs to be the longer version of the book, too.

My choice would be Len Deighton's Bomber - showing both British and German sides of the build-up and result of a Lancaster night raid. A great book.
It's been done twice.

My vote goes to Swan Song by Robert McCammon. About nuclear war. Fantastic book from the 80's.

wombleh

1,918 posts

129 months

Friday 21st June
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I’d quite like Netflix to extend the series and do the rest of the ripley books

InitialDave

12,237 posts

126 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
David Weber's Honor Harrington stories, if done well.

The "strike a match" series by Frank Tayell, post-apocalyptic police procedural basically.

essayer

9,629 posts

201 months

Friday 21st June
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I’d love to see Robert Westall’s “Futuretrack 5” on screen. Dystopian YA novel set in Britain. Would work well.

Arnold Cunningham

3,885 posts

260 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
bloomen said:
The Revelation Space stuff by Alastair Reynolds.

There are a couple of computer animated short films of it, but that's it so far. I expect someone has optioned it.
And they’re great. I’d like to see “Diamond Dogs” on screen

DeejRC

6,477 posts

89 months

Saturday 22nd June
quotequote all
Consign the appalling Watch series to the cutting room bin and do Sam Vimes & crew properly.

Ben Aaronovitch and the Rivers of London series would work very well.

Eric Flint and the 1632 series would also translate well onto the screen.

Does anyone read Darren Humphries or Lee Goldberg?
The Man From UNDEAD series and Goldberg’s Lost Hills series could really work well.

DodgyGeezer

Original Poster:

42,391 posts

197 months

Saturday 22nd June
quotequote all
DeejRC said:
Consign the appalling Watch series to the cutting room bin and do Sam Vimes & crew properly.

Ben Aaronovitch and the Rivers of London series would work very well.

Eric Flint and the 1632 series would also translate well onto the screen.

Does anyone read Darren Humphries or Lee Goldberg?
The Man From UNDEAD series and Goldberg’s Lost Hills series could really work well.
that would also require a lot of exposition - but as an education and entertainment (edutainment is, I believe, the phrase) proposition it c/would be amazing

DeejRC

6,477 posts

89 months

Saturday 22nd June
quotequote all
You could do it as long or short form as you wanted. It’s a very modular/expandable universe, as it were. I ignore a lot of the wider 1632’verse and just stick to the central story/characters really but a large part of that is because I find some of the other authors to be utter rubbish.

JagLover

43,798 posts

242 months

Saturday 22nd June
quotequote all
DeejRC said:
Consign the appalling Watch series to the cutting room bin and do Sam Vimes & crew properly.
That rather highlights the issue as that was a recent adaption and going back to my post do we really want them ruining anything else at the moment?

Once the studios have got tired of setting fire to piles of stacked hundred dollar bills then might be the time.

DodgyGeezer

Original Poster:

42,391 posts

197 months

Saturday 22nd June
quotequote all
DeejRC said:
You could do it as long or short form as you wanted. It’s a very modular/expandable universe, as it were. I ignore a lot of the wider 1632’verse and just stick to the central story/characters really but a large part of that is because I find some of the other authors to be utter rubbish.
not sure if you've read the below, suspect you might enjoy it:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99702.Island_i...




Another interesting one to televise might be World War 2.1 by J Birmingham

Voldemort

6,594 posts

285 months

Saturday 22nd June
quotequote all
tangerine_sedge said:
The Stainless Steel Rat books by Harry Harrison. I don't even care if they follow the books as long as the characterisation is good.
Yes please!

Also,
Button Man - Wagner/Ranson
Strontium Dog - Wagner/Ezquerra
Ballad of Halo Jones - Moore/Gibson