# Books you would love to see made into a movie



## Drezzal (Nov 7, 2007)

Well it's true that movies are never as good as the books, but which books would you love to see hit the big screen ?

Personally, i would love to see the saga of darren shan made into a movie. 5 years ago warner brothers bought the rights to a movie then returned the rights, darren then sold the rights to universal studios so there is still hope yet.

EDIT : Im sorry, i thought i was in the lounge, i posted in the wrong section


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## ClancyBoy (Nov 9, 2007)

The Water Babies
Peter Pan (well done this time, and don't let Disney or Robin Williams anywhere near it.)
Through the Looking Glass (ditto the no Disney thing)
Snow Crash
The Neuromancer (but don't modernize it, keep it 80's tech)
From the Earth to the Moon (ditto on the no modernization.  Make it just like the Smashing Pumpkins video for _Tonight Tonight_)
Swanns Way (just kidding, that would be impossible)


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## heatherlouise (Nov 9, 2007)

i would love to see the Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman made into films, they would be amazing i think


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## Coiled Flame (Nov 12, 2007)

Well... lets see.
Eragon series (done properly, the one that came out last year was a piece of shit)
Hungry City Chronicles
The Dresden Files


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## WriterDude (Nov 13, 2007)

* Continue the Dune saga as mini-series with God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune etc. Also includes House Atreides, House Harkonnen, The Butlerian Jihad etc by Brian Herbert and that Kevin guy.

* Star Wars Episode 7-9: Not official books, perhaps, but we deserve it after the misrable crap they called Episode 1-3. And that's a fact.

* Shaman Woods, by Morgan Fields: Let's just say it ends with an army of cowboy ghost fighting an army of indian ghost in a dark forest with a scared family trapped in their house in the middle of the battlefield. It's just awesome.

* Stephen King's The Shining: Third's a charm, eh? Let's hope so.

* Stephen King's IT: The original movie is pretty much perfect, but the special effect are starting to age a bit. Besides, with a running time of three hours, they could remake it and cut it down to just two hours. It would make more people love IT, King's best novel of all time. Even The Shining doesn't come close to this epic.

* Anything from Dragonlance. I know, we're getting the Chronicles as animated movies, but there's around two hundred books in total by now and more keep coming. Make a LotR style live-action movie based on Dragonlance with even better special effects. Just please, please, please do not make a video-game tie-in! :lol:


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## Drezzal (Nov 13, 2007)

I can't speak for everybody but i personally think that remakes ruin movies. Some movies are legendary for a reason and i think that they should stay the way they are :-k


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## Delvok (Nov 13, 2007)

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez I think would make a very good movie if there was a good cast and director involved.

Also I think Bluebeard (Kurt Vonnegut Jr) would be an awesome movie.


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## JHB (Nov 13, 2007)

How about the Bible?


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## deviger (Nov 14, 2007)

None.  The books are almost always better than the movies that are based on them.


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## Mike C (Nov 14, 2007)

deviger said:


> None.  The books are almost always better than the movies that are based on them.



Agreed, with one small caveat: _Bad_ books should be made into films; it might improve them.


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## JoannaMac (Nov 14, 2007)

I just finished reading 'The Other Boleyn Girl' by Phillipa Gregory and it would make a brilliant film. One of those fabulously extravagant period pieces, Scarlett Johansen could play Mary Boleyn, Kate Beckinsdale could play Anne, and Baz Luhrman could direct it. Any ideas who would make a good Henry the Eighth?


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## Athnephiel (Nov 14, 2007)

Mike C said:


> Agreed, with one small caveat: _Bad_ books should be made into films; it might improve them.


Wait, what? Eragon was STILL terrible.

I would love to see the Dark Tower series turned into movies, but I think that would be impossible.


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## aspiretowrite (Nov 14, 2007)

deviger said:


> None. The books are almost always better than the movies that are based on them.


 

I couldn't agree more. The only exception is that I preferred Pelican Brief the movie to the book.


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## Mr Sci Fi (Nov 14, 2007)

I second Neuromancer.

I think VALIS would make one hell of bizarre movie.


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## Mr Sci Fi (Nov 14, 2007)

Athnephiel said:


> I would love to see the Dark Tower series turned into movies, but I think that would be impossible.


 

Stephen King confirms The Dark Tower Movie | /Film


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## Fossy (Nov 15, 2007)

I know these are teen stories, but I'd like to see 'Tomorrow when the war began' series.  Perhaps they would be better made into a mini series.

Also Dean Koontz 'Darkness comes'


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## Eli Cash (Nov 16, 2007)

Fossy's location got me thinking that I would gladly pay $8 (or is it more now? Did I just date myself?) to see a movie version of _True History of the Kelly Gang_.

But I'm a fan of Westerns, both written and filmed.


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## Summerhaze (Nov 17, 2007)

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby.
I thin that would made brilliant movie. Johnny Depp actually just bought the rights to it so it`s propbably gunna be good if it does turn into a movie.

Tom Wilkinson as Martin
Emma Thompson as Maureen
I dunno as JJ
I dunno as Jess

JJ and Jess are young so it`s a bit difficult to see what actors could play them since there are no good young actors.


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## Fossy (Nov 17, 2007)

Don't know the book myself, but one young actor who I think is just beautiful and a superb actress, is Dakota Fanning.  Would she fit the part?


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## SevenWritez (Nov 17, 2007)

Alex Garland's "The Tesseract," or "The Coma." 

David Mitchell's "Number9Dream."

Stephen King's "The Dark Tower," but done in five parts or perhaps a trilogy (because of the first and fifth book--not because they were bad, but because of the lack of "HOLLYWOOD BIG BUCK$!" scenes), oh, and Stephen King changing the fight scene with The Crimson King. You know, considering it sucked.

And...Junot Diaz's recent novel, "The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao." Oh MAN would that be funny, so long as they offered an omnipresent voice directing certain scenes, like they did in parts of "Forest Gump." Seriously, if you haven't read this last novel, you ain't fucking reading the good shit.

Anyhow, those are my picks.


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## Skull pilot (Nov 19, 2007)

Any of the novels by Preston and Child with *Aloysius X. L. Pendergast* in them.

Particularly Cabinet of Curiosities, Still life With Crows, BrimStone, Dance of Death and Book of the Dead.

The last 3 would make a good series of films.  The problem is finding the right guy to play Pendergast.  the only guy i think who would be great is Christopher Walken but alas he is a bit too old.


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## Rabid Euphoria (Nov 19, 2007)

SevenWritez said:


> Alex Garland's "The Tesseract," or "The Coma."
> 
> David Mitchell's "Number9Dream."


 
Another Garland fan eh? Though I've only read 'The Coma' (numerous times) and watch 28 Days Later (numerous times) he's a favourite of mine. Is the Tesseract good?    Good news! If, when I'm out of film school, The Coma hasn't been made into a movie I want to make it. 

Also, Abrahms and King have been in talks for a Dark Tower movie series. Abrahms, busy currently with Lost, Cloverfield and Star Trek XI hasn't gotten much accomplished.


Books I want to see made in a movie:

Bag of Bongs - Stephen King

Hearts in Atlantis - Stephen King (The movie, Hearts in Atlantis was based off 'Low Men In Yellot Coats', not the story Hearts In Atlantis)

The Theif of Always - Clive Barker 

The Ruins - Scott Smith (think it's being done)


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## Amara-J (Nov 19, 2007)

WriterDude said:


> * Star Wars Episode 7-9: Not official books, perhaps, but we deserve it after the misrable crap they called Episode 1-3. And that's a fact.



Definitely not official book material nor in direct chronological order. It's a shame, because I think the *The Thrawn Trilogy *would have been superb movie material. Three books in total, five years after *Return of the Jedi*, new and well-developed characters, and a great villain. The only problems would be: 1) the necessary inclusion of Luke-Leia-Han... rather impossible at this stage, and 2) selection of content, since the books are pretty thick.


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## Jinjiro (Nov 28, 2007)

I don't know if this counts as a 'book' exactly, but does anyone else who's a Frank Miller fan think it's about time they got Ronin added to the list of film conversions?


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## Dr. Malone (Dec 6, 2007)

I'd like to see The Wheel of Time turned into a movie.  I can't imagine how it could be done, though.  It would probably turn out as awful as Dune.  There's so much internal political motives at work, just like Dune.  The weaves would have to be really well done not to be cheesy.

I heard a rumor that Kurt Russel may play Roland in the Dark Tower movies.  Not sure if that's true, though.


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## ryangt (Dec 6, 2007)

I'm still hoping Lucus, goes back and does Shadows of the Empire.  He said when the book came out if he had it back before Return of the Jedi he would have made it.  Guess I'll cross my fingers for after his TV shows.


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## Athlynne (Dec 8, 2007)

Joanna, I heard that "The Other Boleyn Girl" _is_ being made into a movie.  I hope it's true, I liked that book.

I'd like to see A.A. Attanasio's Arthur books as films; too many King Arthur films of the last few decades have been disappointments.  ("The Mists of Avalon", for example, what a let-down.)  I'd love a live-action "The Last Unicorn", now that the technology is good enough to pull it off.  Christopher Rice's "A Density of Souls" would make a great film, and Karen Wehrstein's "Lion's Heart" series would be a dream to see on the screen.

<sigh>  Alas, sequels and movies about talking animals rule the business of show.


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## Vines (Dec 13, 2007)

'House of Leaves' but only the Navidson Record parts.


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## Centurion (Dec 16, 2007)

Dawn of Empire by Sam Barone would make a good movie, its basically the story of the first village to build a wall to keep out the barbarians set 3000 BC in the Tigris Valley. Blood, sex and tears.

A must read if you like your historical fiction!!


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## EAProdigy (Dec 18, 2007)

ken follet's dangerous fortune
catcher in the rye would be great too


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## Kion (Dec 18, 2007)

Terry Pratchett: Mort (In my opinion by far the best book his written) and The Truth (The vampire in it is excellent)
Doug Naylor: Last Human (The best Red Dwarf book ever)
Ian Serraillier: The Silver Sword (Really liked this book as a kid)


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## kidstaple (Dec 18, 2007)

I'd really like to see the Hythrun Chronicles by Jennifer Fallon made into a set of movies. That would be awesome.

I'd also like to see George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire Series made into a set of movies.

A new author, S.C. Butler has a series called Stoneways Trilogy, which would make for an awesome set of movies. I've only read the first two, seeing as they are the only ones out as of now, and can testify for a blow out ending in the third.


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## Curse (Dec 18, 2007)

To tell you the truth i would be afraid if they made some of my favorite books into movies. It always ruins the book and they tend to butcher them quite easily. They have already invaded my childhood favorites like the Chronicals of Narnia and Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials Trilogy.


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## RebelGoddess (Dec 20, 2007)

deviger said:


> None.  The books are almost always better than the movies that are based on them.





Mike C said:


> Agreed, with one small caveat: _Bad_ books should be made into films; it might improve them.



Agreed on both counts.

But if I/the author had complete control it would be a different story.

I would love to see any and all of Jasper Ffordes books made into movies.

I know that'll never happen though, because he's even said that it will never happen unless he has complete control (YAY, him!).

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke also. It's being (been?) made into a movie due out in 2008, but I'd love it see it done exactly to the book.

I'd also LOVE LOVE LOVE to see Monkeewrench (and it's sequels) by P.J. Tracy made into movies. One of the few novels (and movies and tv shows, etc) that kept me guessing most of the way about who the killer was.

I'm sure I could think of many more : ).

-Racheal


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## Lilium (Jun 25, 2008)

The Pellinor Series by Alison Croggon. *sigh* I never see anyone mention these, or ever known anyone who has read them, too...


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## VinrAlfakyn (Jul 10, 2008)

Mike C said:


> Agreed, with one small caveat: _Bad_ books should be made into films; it might improve them.



Perfect example: The Prestige. I read the book after I watched the movie, and the movie was _much_ better.

I would like to see The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce made into movies. Also The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray. I also think The Witch of Cologne by Tobsha Learner would be a good one.

But my favorites are by Charles de Lint. Someplace To Be Flying, The Onion Girl, Forests of the Heart, etc. If only they could have good animation that way it doesn't look corny.

When I was younger I wanted to make the Swan Lake trilogy by Mark Helprin into a movie (or movies). But I wanted to be the director so that I could keep it/them close to the original stories. I still think they would be good. 

Thinking of Mark Helprin reminded me of another of his books: Winter's Tale. That one would be a _brilliant_ movie.

And also The Symphony of Ages series by Elizabeth Haydon.


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## Sen Yama (Jul 10, 2008)

VinrAlfakyn said:


> I would like to see The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce made into movies. And also The Symphony of Ages series by Elizabeth Haydon.


 

I think ALL of Tamora Peirce's books would make great movies.

I'd like to see Garth Nix books made into movies too.


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## Linton Robinson (Jul 10, 2008)

My bank book


(Speculative fiction: no moral)


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## PageOfCups (Jul 10, 2008)

Excellant books that have faded into obscurity due to lack of advertising. As long as I've never heard of the book it's fine. If it's one of my favourites I'd hate it. Like The Golden Compass. That movie is aweful and an insult to the book.


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## assassin (Jul 10, 2008)

I second Malone: the whole The Wheel of Time books turned into movies. Yeah, it would be a major thing to try (thirteen books in all if you include the one still being written and the 'New Spring' novel). And they'd probably make the weaves into some lame glowing spiderweb-like shit. But imagine if they got it right, I'd watch'em all ... at least thrice =P~

Yes, I'ma WoT nut :-D


And maybe, just maybe ... the Pern novels ... all of them. Ooo, and the Eddings books, Sparhawk first. And the Robin Hobb books: Assassin's and Golden Fool especially ... Ha, now I'm showing my addictions


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## Linton Robinson (Jul 10, 2008)

Golden Compass is a wonderful movie.   
That's what you get for reading the book.


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## moderan (Jul 11, 2008)

Ringworld. Given today's tech, it'd be doable, as long as they don't cast Jackie Chan or Jet Li as Louis Wu. Hell, even if they do, I wanna see a puppeteer dance on the big screen. I wanna see Kzinti. And I really really wanna see the Ringworld. The Big Dumb Object to beat all Big Dumb Objects.


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## JHB (Jul 11, 2008)

The Holy Bible would make a great movie. Just think: 500 minutes of historically accurate fun!  :-D


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## Linton Robinson (Jul 11, 2008)

Been done


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## Linton Robinson (Jul 11, 2008)

Ringworld would be cool... but so would the whole World of Tiers thing.

or... how about The Dying Earth?


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## Linton Robinson (Jul 11, 2008)

Shit they won't even make Neuromancer or Count Zero or Virtual Light.   They're heads are hopeless up their butts.


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## beautifulempress (Jul 11, 2008)

deviger said:


> None.  The books are almost always better than the movies that are based on them.



I agree 100%. But I do find it interesting also that seeing or hearing about a movie can actually introduce you to a book you would otherwise never read, much less know about. _The Death and Life of Bobby Z_ for example; I heard about the film and thought I should read the book first. It's definitely not a book I would normally read, but it turned out to be really good.


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## OtherWorlds (Jul 11, 2008)

Definately any of Robin Hobb's books. Also, the Wheel of Time books, although I recognize the impossiblity of such a huge project...


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## moderan (Jul 11, 2008)

lin said:


> Shit they won't even make Neuromancer or Count Zero or Virtual Light. They're heads are hopeless up their butts.


 
But they did make Johnny Mnemonic...granted they butchered it but they _did_ make it. Here's the thread about the Ringworld movie...no posts since 2003
movie
None of us will live long enough to see a Jack Vance movie, I don't think. I remember some years ago there was talk of Stranger in a Strange Land...I wouldn't mind seeing that done, and it would be ridiculously easy with decent scripting. Did find this article referring to it, apparently under option with Sean Connery considered as Jubal and Tom Hanks?! as Valentine Michael Smith. Bleccch! Go with McConaughey, he'd be far better in that role. Anyway it doesn't look likely. Neither does Ringworld. imdb has info on a Neuromancer movie in preproduction, with Joseph Kahn listed as director. He's more known for music video, with Blink-182 and Britney on his resume. No cast listed...so who knows how far that one's gone?
Really good sf movies are so rare...the last one I saw that I liked at all was the Dune tv-movie. Don't care for the recycled PKD in the Matrix movies and A Scanner Darkly was unwatchable. Otherwise I'd wish for the 3 Stigmata or Ubik or VALIS.
Crap...I'll have to settle for Marvel movies, which are mostly decent. If they can get to a battle between the Hulk and the Thing, I'll be happy.


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## Linton Robinson (Jul 11, 2008)

For some reason Phillip Dick is the guy whose books get made into films.  Seems odd, but they all make money.


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## Lost in Some Story (Jul 11, 2008)

Potty Training Puppies for Dummies.


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## moderan (Jul 11, 2008)

Philip K Dick...yeah, there are quite a few films out there based on his stuff. Some good, some not so good, most of them not very faithful to the text. _Blade Runner_ is superb in its own way. The atmospherics and Rutger Hauer's performance imo save it from being ordinary. _Total Recall_ is scary until the air rushes in all at once, that bit was just too much for me to suspend my disbelief over. _Next_ is okay...for what it is, a Nicholas Cage vehicle that doesn't really understand the story, roughly akin to his remake of _the Wicker Man_. _Impostor_ I liked...though it's a minor Dick piece. _Paycheck_ is silly, suffering from the wonky script and Ben Affleck's scenery-chewing. Likewise _Minority Report. _I can't stand Tom Cruise in anything and that ruins the film for me right from the git-go. _Screamers_ isn't too awful...and I haven't yet seen _Confessions of a Crap Artist._ Three more of Dick's books have been optioned by John Alan Simon...one of which is VALIS, mentioned earlier. Radio Free Albemuth is in post-production with no release date scheduled as yet. Simon was largely responsible for the original _Wicker Man_, along with Equus author Anthony Shaffer, and also the remake of _the Getaway _and _the Howling II_, which is silly but has Sybil Danning ripping her top off repeatedly and good sfx.
The films based on Dick's work do seem to make money...you're right about that, and who knows that we won't get to have another Blade Runner out of those efforts. Given the current publicizing of autism, I wonder why someone hasn't optioned Martian Time-Slip, one of PKD's better works, with the autistic MC.


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## Linton Robinson (Jul 11, 2008)

> The books are almost always better than the movies that are based on them.



Most are merely different.  Some are films are much better than the book.   Blade Runner for one.  

There are plenty of stories I wouldn't read again, but would watch the film over and over.


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## tekp (Jul 12, 2008)

Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen by Garth Nix might make a pretty epic film trilogy.

Prey by Michael Chrichton.


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## VinrAlfakyn (Jul 12, 2008)

The Count of Monte Cristo the way it's supposed to be


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## Squishtof (Sep 10, 2008)

Um.. The Belgariad by David Eddings would be good, I think  trilogy, of course  or Magician by Raymond .E. Feist.. sod the other books in that series.. just that one would be ace  

Chris


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## Squishtof (Sep 10, 2008)

tekp said:


> Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen by Garth Nix might make a pretty epic film trilogy.
> 
> Prey by Michael Chrichton.



Yes.. to the former  Meh to the Latter


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## strangedaze (Sep 11, 2008)

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie


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## Damian_Rucci (Sep 15, 2008)

The Last World War (don't know authors name) I would love to see that made into a movie. I'm reading it now, it's amazing.


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## Vendredi-is-Friday (Sep 26, 2008)

Hello.

Now that I have finished the Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix, I would like to see it turned into a movie by Goro Miyazaki actually. It is not as though this book series was my absolute favorite (though it ranks high), but I think it would work well with the budding style of Goro I noticed in _Legends of Earthsea_.


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## Damien. (Sep 26, 2008)

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I think it was supposed to be, but they're stalling or something. And I want it to not suck. 

Also, I would like the Harry Potter movies done right... and by that, I mean follow every little thing in the book. Every conversation. Everything. If the end result is a three day long move, _I will watch it._


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## Vendredi-is-Friday (Sep 26, 2008)

I smiled when I read this.



Damien. said:


> Also, I would like the Harry Potter movies done right... and by that, I mean follow every little thing in the book. Every conversation. Everything. If the end result is a three day long move, _I will watch it._



There have been times where I have felt the same way, though not necessarily with Harry Potter.


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## Linton Robinson (Sep 26, 2008)

IMAGINARY LINES   by Linton Robinson and Ana Maria Corona


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## moderan (Oct 24, 2008)

George RR Martin's Armageddon Rag. It has some weak spots but the plot overall is excellent and the visuals therein would, I think, translate well to the filmic medium.
Ramsey Campbell's Ancient Images is another work that would translate well.
I'd also like to see The Mote In God's Eye onscreen, and am still holding out for Ringworld. I don't think there is a film I'd sooner see than a decent adaptation of _that_.


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## Gabriel Gray (Oct 24, 2008)

The Jack Reacher novels, would make an excellent set of movies. No idea who would play Jack, but if they got him right then they would cain the box office.


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## WriterDude (Oct 24, 2008)

I know pretty much every movie based on a book by Stephen King suck more thana Uwe Boll movie, but I would want to see Cell turned into a movie. It might actually work, if they use somewhat unknown actors and actresses.


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## Sam (Oct 24, 2008)

_The Taking - _Dean Koontz. 

_Without Remorse - _Tom Clancy.


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## Tsaeb XIII (Oct 25, 2008)

Either the Scarecrow Trilogy or the Jack West Jr books by Matthew Reilly. The special effects budget would be ridiculously huge though.


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## C.Gholy (Oct 25, 2008)

I would like to see the Vampirates series done into a movie. It was highly original and I liked it.


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## kidstaple (Oct 27, 2008)

I'd really like to see Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell turned into a movie. I think that it would be a good one.

Oh, and Robert McCammon's Swan Song. If they can do it to Stephen King's The Stand, then by all means they can do it with Swan Song. Most likely it would have to be a mini-series, or otherwise a freakin' really long movie.

~Rodney


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## Dr. Malone (Oct 28, 2008)

They're making a Metamorphis movie.  I'm very against that.


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## kidstaple (Oct 28, 2008)

Malone said:


> They're making a Metamorphis movie.  I'm very against that.



A what? What's Metamorphis?

~Rodney


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## Peejaydee (Oct 29, 2008)

Any of Carl Hiaasen's books although Sick Puppy or Basket Case would be my favourites.


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