scary new world…film
by CJ | Apr 8, 2013 | Journal | 90 comments
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Books
- spoiler potential: caution: book questions.
- Bibliography
- Alliance-Union Guidebook
- Foreigner Guidebook.
- Foreigner Guidebook.
- Gene Wars Universe: Spoiler Alert
- The Map Room
- Book Discussion: all books: spoiler alert in effect…
- Fantasy books: Spoiler alert.
- About the Foreigner series: Spoiler alerts
- Foreigner Series: Spoiler Alerts: Page 2
- WHO’S WHO in Foreigner
Archives
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| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
No one is ever satisfied with an adaptation…and I’ll confess to being worried. There are things I know they won’t likely put in that do matter. But—that’s the nature of the medium. What I can do by being able to get inside their heads—the film can only show from outside; and it rests with the actors to try to show what’s going on inside. I only hope the actors and director will read the books, too.
Perhaps if they don’t try to bite off too much it’ll be better. The great example of that is Dune. The great thing about the book was it’s scope. If one hadn’t read the book, the bits and pieces they filmed and edited for time made no sense! One couldn’t have understood why anything was happening. Who was Shadout Mapes, and why was she important? No clue from the movie. What was the ecology of Arrakis? Who knew?
It doesn’t look like I’ll get to see Sigourney Weaver cast as Signy Mallory in a movie adaptation of Downbelow Station. But seeing Morgaine and Vanye on the big screen would totally make up for that. I have my fingers crossed that this goes well for all concerned!
Nice one gate oscillator. 😉
She’d also make a great Bet Yeager. I’m prepping Rimrunners for CC release right now. As I recall—Bet’s blonde. Anyone recall?
Oh, blonde and I always imagined her hair looking like Halle Berry’s. And yes, Sigourney would have been a perfect Mallory.
Sigourney could still be a good Mallory. Signy’s got some miles on her, rejuve or no! And Weaver can actually act! Icing on the cake! 🙂
This is great news in terms of book promotion, reaching people who just haven’t happened to run into your work before, and potentially nice film-rights paydays for you. How the movie will turn out — I notice that books with simple plotting and lots of action and very little actual thinking (mediocre books, in other words!) translate well to TV and movies. Your books may be too intelligent to make the leap. We’re not likely to see more than a shadow of the real story on the screen. But that shadow may attract readers who sense there is more to the story, so that’s good.
Having been involved with The Great Hollywood Sausage Machine I have only one piece of advice: Sit back and enjoy the money. The books are still there, untouched. Nobody’s experience has been touched, nobody’s enjoyment ruined. If a producer wanted to option my book I’d take it and run and enjoy the movie when it came out, not to mention the checks.
No matter what they did to it.
Billy Wilder told it best in Sunset Blvd. when Holden is talking to Sheldrake the producer and tells him about a story he wrote about a girl’s softball team the was made as a submarine movie.
And Holden still got paid.
Phil Brown
The trouble with casting is most choices are too old for the parts and younger actors don’t
conjure up the mental images the fans have. Vin Diesel might make a great Vanye (he’s an
RPG nut) He has the physical ability to do the necessary. If you can find an actress smart
enough to be Morgaine she probably wouldn’t look right. Sharon Stone has the brains but she
doesn’t seem like a good choice for a lot of reasons.
After seeing what holyweed did to Susan Calvin I wouldn’t expect them to handle your characters with any reverence. Still it would be nice to see some SF that isn’t based on
the crappe level of Star wars and olde TV. Infest Wisely is the only SF movie I’ve seen in years that handled the genre the right way. GRIN I also am aware that my opinions are not
ever going to be mainstream or influential.
I always thought I Robot was more” With Folded Hands” than Azimov. It just used the names and some of the characters.
Phil Brown
I’m used to having things optioned; there’ve been options on something for years, but all of a sudden, hitting Variety, this one’s sounding more real, and you’d think I’d be over the moon—but it’s just—spooky, this time; like—am I ok with this? Is it good? Or is there more than the thorn I expect with the typical rose. Dunno if it’ll ever fly. But this one feels more real than some.
I vote Claudia Black for Morgaine, for what that’s worth.
Aryn Sun? Yes!!!!
With white hair – yeah!
oooo, good choice!
I think yes.
Marlene Dietrich and Tom Cruise
Classic Greek chitons for Ivrel, early European for Shiuan, kimono and hakama for Azeroth, early Scotland for Exiles’…
Well, I am with CJ- a young Michael York would have been fine for Vanye. Who looks like that and can act like that these days?
Naw, I can’t see it. Young Mr York was too much of a pretty-boy. Vanye had lived rough, still did with Morgiane. He’d have been lean, with “ropey” muscles. These days you’d see his body type on long-distance runners.
Well, we don’t need a football linebacker on horseback. A guy who CAN ride and a guy who’s relatively slender, as most lifelong riders are—a cowboy type, really.
Yes, a cowboy type. Both of them should ride well. “Have a good seat”, I think they call it.
Hmmmm….Viggo Mortensen? It might be typecasting, but would certainly be a draw for his fans.
Too old. But Orlando Bloom is baby-faced enough, can ride and swing a sword and would also be type-cast. But I’d rather not see the typical over-muscled Arnie type for this. Vanye lamented never being able to reach his full growth and strenght. Which means nothing to the Hollywood types. Definitely a tough one!
Orlando Bloom’s too old. Vanye was hardly 20 when they took up with each other.
Unfortunately I think so too. But I think he’s of a type that would exemplify Vanye, wry as you say. I figured Vanye around 20 and for the life of me can’t think of any other youngsters who would fit.
He may have been 20, but he wasn’t like any American 20 year-old. In the environment you described one grew up early. Vanye was hard and tough in mind and body. He was used to pain and deprivation and knew how to come through it.
I know! I know! Orlando Bloom’s son! 😀
Does Orlando Bloom HAVE a son?
Yes – he’s about 2.
A little young for Vanye, unless the project drags on for decades…
I was very impressed with Max Pirkis, who played Midshipman Blakeley in Master and Commander. He’s about 24 now, and at least from that movie can handle a sword. Dunno if he can ride.
tis is so very cool
Wow! I’m offline all day and come home to THIS! My wonder is, just how much CG are they going to throw into it?
Well, I don’t think they’ll be able to manufacture a tactical black hole without some SFX.
Jude Law? Alexis Denisof (he played Wes on Angel and Buffy)? Neil Patrick Harris? I’m drawing a blank on who would be good for Morgaine.
Alas, I’m three books into a Foreigner reread, which will culminate in Protector which I got yesterday, or else I’d be after the Morgaine books to rerereread. Am torn though. I’d really like to reread the Faded Sun trio and the Chanur books. Kind of an “exasperation of riches” because I can’t do it all at once. A young Michael York, who I loved in the Musketeer films. Hmmmm. I would have never have made that connection.
But yes, I agree. It would totally spoil the dynamic if they cast some musclebound schlemiel with a bod along the lines of Vin Diesel. One thing, though, whoever they choose, those two actors must have **Chemistry** like Freeman and Cumberbatch in Sherlock. What about Jaime Murray (H. G. Wells) from Warehouse 13 for Morgaine. She could handle the stunts and she has a great “presence” which whoever plays Morgaine must have. She’d look totally rad in white hair. And either Shawn (Smallville) or Aaron Ashmore for Vanye? Aaron was in one of the X-Men films and could handle the physicality required. As for the riding and sword fighting, that would depend on how serious the actor was about learning how, how hard the actor was willing to work at it, and the time the actor had to prepare for the role.