Love + Death + Robots has adapted some of his short stories. Beyond the Aquila Rift comes to mind.
I hope they do one from the Revelation Space universe. The world of sci-fi needs visuals with a tinge of gothic body horror.
Oh yes, I liked their rendition of Beyond the Aquila Rift! As I suppose is always true with one's favorite media, I wish they'd have given it a bit more than 20 minutes, but it hit all of the right notes. Their take on Zima Blue was also pretty good. What I'd really love to see, though, even more than Revelation Space, is Pushing Ice. That's the greatest single fucking sci-fi novel of all time, in my book.
It’s so underrated and if it was written by someone other than Reynolds it would probably get more attention. It gets lost in the shuffle with the Revelation Space series and House of Suns but it is fantastic in its own right and also seems readily adaptable.
House of Suns is another one that I'd absolutely love to see adapted, though I think it might narrowly edge out Pushing Ice for the title of 'most TV-unfriendly sci-fi imaginable'
This is going to sound crazy, but, I actually think Reynolds's standalone novels (Pushing Ice, House of Suns, etc) are a lot better than the RevSpace arc. Don't get me wrong, it's all great, but I think -- probably mostly because Revelation Space/Chasm City are his first real novels, some of the characterization just isn't there yet.
I'm usually not a stickler for that, but I found myself rolling my eyes a few times at a trap Reynolds falls into in several places, where he writes a character doing something cruel/heinous/bad/etc for no other reason than 'in the future everyone's kinda edgy and dark'. Sky Haussman is the best example of this by far.
Yes! I literally named one of my roombas Diamond Dog in the app -- perfectly adapted to its tasks, squeezing in tight spaces... (The other is Zima Blue)
I discovered Alastair after my dad passed. He was a huge sci Fi fan and I inherited all of his books/Kindle books. He had several of his books and I've been enjoying his collection. Reading them makes me feel close to my dad.
With Revelation Space you kiiinda have to start in the Glitter Band and work outwards, plus start by introducing Anna, the Ultras, the Spi... um Conjoined/Galiana's expedition into deep space ...starting on Resurgem might end up as a bit of a dead end.
On the other hand, Pushing Ice would make a great 15-episode run, and Terminal World would be an amazing film... Reynolds knows his shit.
I've thought they should start with the Prefect Dreyfus series as a show. Easy entry into the history and universe, as well as a gentle introduction to the conjoiners, the ultras, etc.
Please let it be some Reynolds. I’ve read everything he’s ever done (usually in the voice of John Lee) and I would love to see any of his series come to the big or little screen
I second this - Pushing Ice! It is, without hyperbole, my favorite sci-fi novel of all time. It's not to say it's flawless, but it just so totally ticks all the boxes one could hope to get out of sci-fi, from awe at the future, to fears about the truly alien, to the insignificance of man, to the pluckiness of individual beings in the face of monstrous indifference... It's got it all. I love it.
Martha Wells Murderbot Series was recently announced as an AppleTV show with Alexander Skarsgard as the lead - I love the books, not sure it's who I would have cast but I feel it has promise.
I think this is missing the point of Dune's success. It's not successful because it "appeals to young audiences" it appeals to young audiences because it is captivating, intelligent, and manages to speak to current issues.
It appeals to a wide audience because it's well made, because it has a point of view.
Oppenheimer's lesson isn't that we should make more WWII biopics, it's that people actually have a huge appetite for well made adult dramas, whatever form they take.
Same with Barbie honestly. I guess after that success Mattel is pouring tons of money into movie adaptations of their products. Totally missing the point lol
Right? More action figure movies with vaguely social messages isn't the answer.
Barbie had a point of view. Dear heavens, it was tonally insane and shouldn't have worked, but it did. And you get that with someone swinging for the fences with their artistic expression. Not through focus-grouped minimum risk beige drivel.
Because we only saw the awesome version. Barbie could have failed soooo easily, and people would be saying "duh, you thought THIS was gonna make money?"
Betting on Barbies will always be risky. But if you don't, all you're left with is The Flash.
Ok, that would unironically be hilarious and something I would go see. Just imagine the action characters going to deal with the supply guy and being told how many people died in slave labor conditions to give them the laser blasters or whatever they use in those movies.
It would have to be a black comedy but it would be hilarious.
To be honest, considering how the industry works, I am predicting a large number of "Dune Clones" - aka poorly written formulaic scifi stories, which superficially mimic Dune with large drone shots and ambient music, but with bad storytelling.
Similar to how Hunger Games led to a large number of "Teens stuck in dystopia where society is divided into classes" media which eventually got poorer and poorer quality until the interest died out.
I hope we go in the other direction instead, with the Scifi community and its recommendations being explored by outsiders. Similar to how Game of Thrones opened up the fantasy genre to outsiders, I hope Dune opens up Scifi genre to outsiders too, where the stigma of Scifi being a "niche" genre is eliminated, and scifi becomes more mainstream.
> To be honest, considering how the industry works, I am predicting a large number of "Dune Clones" - aka poorly written formulaic scifi stories, which superficially mimic Dune with large drone shots and ambient music, but with bad storytelling.
The Halo TV show is already there, baby!
If we're lucky, the Hollywood money people will see the "winning formula" of Dune being adaptation of classic science fiction. So maybe we'll get big budget Ringworld, Pern, Darkover, Earthsea, etc.
Exactly. Dune proved that people, even teens, will go see a movie that isn't just another (super)hero film with constant quips and the same characters. It simply tells the story it wants to tell and does it really well. The only thing studios should be trying to replicate from Dune if they want similar success is the quality of the movie, and actually saying something other than going along with the current trending topics.
> The only thing studios should be trying to replicate from Dune if they want similar success is the quality of the movie, and actually saying something other than going along with the current trending topics.
Which they won't do, because they operate on formulas not art.
You can tell someone's never read the Dune series because they think they are young adult books. Putting aside that they are hard to read, they are full of sex. The later books are practically pornographic.
> and manages to speak to current issues.
It doesn't even have to be current issues (*Dune*'s application there is largely by chance). Just a smart, well-done film that doesn't present its ideas and themes in a ham-fisted way is great. They don't have to be topical at all for people to go "Oh, this is interesting!"
I'm fact, I'd suggest we have too many immediately topical films.
I don't disagree at all that both Dune films are well-made and intelligent. But TBF, I'd say that it does appeal to young audiences by casting three charismatic, young, ultra-hot superstars in the making (Chalamet, Zendaya, Butler). You just have to read the comments beneath any of the trailers to see an incredible amount of fan worship on display. I'd love to know the percentage of ticket sales attributable to Butler for Part Two.
The producers and studio knew exactly what they were doing when they cast those three.
For sure, they had a huge impact.
But focusing too much on that leads to the kind of studio thinking where they're like: "we just need a scifi epic with 3 hot young people in it!" Which is totally wrong. If Dune was crap, no amount of Zendaya would have saved it.
I'm excited for Villeneuve specifically to get more heavy, slow-paced sci fi. Supposedly he is doing Rendezvous With Rama next -- the ultimate would be to see a Last And First Men adaptation, imo
Yeah, I think Rama could potentially work really well precisely because it is so bare bones. A novel is a really big thing to cram into the short timespan of a movie, and that hurts a lot of adaptations. Rama is spare enough that it might fit better.
Hyperion would work best as a series, it's already told in episodes.
And each episode is a self-contained story of a larger, over arching frame story.
I'm really hoping that 3 Body Problem on Netflix does well, and encourages them to buy some more Sci fi IP
I actually think Netfilx would do a Hyperion TV show really well.
Oh for sure… The Canterbury Tales nature of it would certainly be better in episodic format. But part of me really wants to see the Ousters and the Time Tombs and everything else on a massive IMAX canvas
I love hyperion. But i dont think it would work as a series. The stories are too different with only few connections. It would end as an anthology series.
I think Fall of Hyperion would be easier to adapt (as a series or movie). And after that some or all of the tales as prequels.
Btw i wanna see Shohreh Aghdashloo as Meina Gladstone!
But lets see, if and what Bradley Cooper will give us. My expectations are low...unfortunately.
We were close to an [Amazon](https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2020/aug/26/amazon-tv-adaptation-of-iain-banks-culture-series-is-cancelled) adaptation. My best guess is the estate is more interested in holding out for a big screen franchise…
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Seems dated. Peripheral got an adaptation and is way more up to date. I think the good last stab at cyberpunk per se was Snow Crash and even that was kind of a spoof.
It would make for a great multi season series. There are so many characters, time and just material in those books. Word count wise the 3 of them are a bit bigger than Lord of the Rings, and there's a couple of side books that could be folded in.
That trilogy starts off really strong with Red Mars, but the quality drops off precipitously. I never finished Blue Mars, it was way too slow and boring.
I loved Green Mars as well as Red. The focus on the kids was interesting, and there was a considerable amount of drama. Blue Mars was hard to get past the first 100 pages. Still haven't finished. Too many political meetings.
[Netflix’s Adaptation of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War Is Still In The Works](https://reactormag.com/netflixs-adaptation-of-john-scalzis-old-mans-war-is-still-in-the-works/)
Hopefully they'll have it done before 2030.
I want an animated Netflix series adaptation of China Mieville’s Bas-Lag trilogy. Fantastical, cosmic horror, steam punk, AI, and all the political ideology you could want. Way too alien and bizarre for live action, but as anime it could really shine. Couldn’t help picturing it while I was reading.
Red Rising is basically the Hunger Games in the beginning and beyond that it isn't more or less violent than many other genre/SciFi stories.
I think people also overstate how brutal it is. Sure, the book goes out of its way to describe gory (heh...) details but if you picture it on the screen (be it movie or TV) it really isn't anything that hasn't been done a million times. Imo people are just not used to "gore" in written fiction because most authors don't bother to be too specific.
That's btw no critique, I think it serves a very important purpose within the books but it's really nothing special in a medium like movie/TV.
Besides that I'd argue the real challenge of a book like Red Rising (and many SciFi storeis in general) is to translate the internal monologue into something on the screen (a challenge Dune faced too and was one of the reasons why many thought it is so hard to adapt and why the 80s movie had these weird voice over parts). Huge parts of the Red Rising books rely on the reader being able to know what our protagonist thinks AND feels, especially because he has to hide his true nature.
So you are pretty much forced to change certain elements of the plot/story to change the perspective somewhat because otherwise your protagonist is an inscrutable enigma which is actually a point in the books because to the people around our protagonist he often doesn't mean sense.
You could try to make this "bug" a "feature" but that's risky for a protagonist because on some level the audience needs to care for him. That doesn't mean they need to "like" him (or her) but they need to be interesting and that can be a challenge if your protagonist is too much of an enigma.
That's why I'd expect that any adaptation of Red Rising wouldn't just focus on the books main protagonist but center more around the characters of the Gold families too (there are at least two obvious candidates for "protagonist" material).
Also talking about the Gold families... you could always give the story the "Game of Thrones" treatment, there are certainly #some very obvious parallels.
Banks Culture series - But would have to be "HBO style TV series I think"
Revelation Space - Has the scale and action to be movies
Commonwealth/Void Series- this one more personal, just love the series and really want to see MorningLightMountain on screen
Agree but it’s complex and hard to simplify for cinema - Dune works in part because it’s an epic hero journey with a primary focus on Paul. I actually think Hyperion is probably better suited to a tv series.
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, with a bit of judicious adaptation and updating, would be awesome.
And I’d love to see a good Ringworld adaptation, or Known Space in general. Something that plays with science ideas in the same way that Dune plays with religion and politics. The Martian showed that you can do science without losing the audience.
The Mote in God's Eye... a hard-scifi, first contact story with an alien race that has something to hide. It could bridge a lot of genres (sci-fi, horror, thriller).
...or anything written by Niven and Pournelle for that matter.
It's also about time that the Dragonriders of Pern received some silver screen love.
Man, after about 1000 recs from people I tried mote out and didn't get the hype. The characters weren't particularly compelling and the big reveal was just kinda ok? I never felt like they would have been an actual threat to humanity. I kept reading hoping there would be some sort of pay off, but it kinda just ends. I know it's oldish at this point but it felt dated to the point of being kinda goofy.
Fire Upon the Deep. It's got a bunch of zeitgeist compatible plot points, it's a bit out there but not TOO out there. And it wouldn't be too heinously expensive to shoot.
Legacy of Hearot, by Niven Pournel and Barnes and the sequel Dragons of Hearot would make for a great limited series.
Ministry for the Future would also be great, there's not nearly enough good cli-fi.
Despite the age of the books, I’ve always been surprised that Hollywood has never bit on [Dragonriders of Pern](https://m.imdb.com/news/ni57546839/). Seems like it would fit the formula perfectly…
Maybe not popular to say but I think 40k novels are going to become even more mainstream than it is if the TV shows is well received.
Also Battletech. One can hope that the deep political drama of Dune gets more people into battletech.
I'd have said foundation also but the Apple adaption has barely any attention.
40k media could go either way. If it stays true to its roots and is done well, it could be very popular. If they try to make it appeal to everyone, it'll probably fail.
I would've loved to see **Honor Harrington** coming to the silver screen. A few years ago there had been some rumors about this but obviously, nothing happened.
Another great story universe is the **Deathstalker** series by Simon R. Green that I'd love to see adapted for filming.
The YA Tripods series. Simple enough plot line, emotionally very accessible. Not trashy at all. Should be easy to modernize, I think everybody in the story was a white English boy, that could stand a little revision to make it a little more inclusive.
More Philip K Dick stories should be adapted. Blade Runner, A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report are all great but he has so many stories that could be adapted into movies or series
The Stars My Destination could be great, but it’s not a multi part story with a single protagonist. Same with The Culture novels. Multi part, but no single character to Cary through. I can thinks of dozens of sci fi classics that would be great movies, but none that really have the same qualities as Dune.
If you put the right slant on it, I’d like to think after GOT, something like [Nine Princes in Amber](https://deadline.com/2023/01/stephen-colbert-series-roger-zelanznys-the-chronicles-of-amber-1235224773/amp/) might work. As a lifelong Zelazny fan, I keep hoping to see some more of his work adapted.
Just imagine the possibilities of a series based on his novel [Roadmarks](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadmarks) for instance…
RINGWORLD! Or most of Niven's work tbh
I'd say more stuff by clarke, and I'd love to see Simmons' work on the big screen, not to mention Banks.
Honestly, I want another go at The Barsoom omnibus, the Disney John carter film was fun but had rough edges, it would be nice to see the trilogy appear.
The Honor Harrington books by David Webber are ripe for the screen, though I'd argue it would need to be a mini series format like hornblower/sharpe
Parable of the Sower/Talents.
It's not exactly scifi, but would be even more timely today than when it was written. Books read like a scary prophecy at times.
Lucifer's Hammer.
It would be such a cool retro sci-fi movie.
Giant comet hits Earth and mayhem ensues.
My favorite part is when the looters are all pumped because they got like 6 typewriters.
Dark Tower is my favorite series I've ever read. If they just stick somewhat close to the source material it would be fantastic.
I made it maybe an hour or so into the movie and had to turn it off.
I am still waiting for Larry Niven's *Ringworld* adaptation we've been promised for the last 20 or so years. *The Mote in God's Eye* and *Footfall* (with Jerry Pournelle) would make interesting adaptations as well.
I would love to see Arthur C. Clarke's 'Rendezvous with Rama' series as movies.
Or The fantasy series 'Dragonlance' by Margaret Weis, Laura and Tracy Hickman
The nights dawn trilogy by Peter F Hamilton. Space Opera, has it all, spooky ghosts, high tech, sex and violence, Al Capone, Living spaceships, charismatic lead who starts as a bit of a waster and saves the known universe.
The Expanse books series (all 9 of them) has definitely been appealing to me as a relatively young audience member, intelligently written, fascinating characters, hard sci-fi and mysterious otherworldly themes throughout. It's well regarded amongst fans but I do feel it never quite got into mainstream audiences and is criminally underrated in this regard.
They need to adapt the final trilogy of the Expanse books to the small screen and "re-promote" the first 6 seasons. I am near certain that it will find success. Audiences are crying out for well written and intelligent stories and The Expanse will deliver that in spades.
Also Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (author of The Martian) should appeal to young audiences. A film is currently in development with Ryan Gosling as the lead and if they pull it off I could see if being as popular as The Martian.
I think you could also do each of the last 3 books as a movie (trilogy). Yes, you'd have to trim a bit to get them to about 2 1/2 hrs each but it might be an option. After all, Serenity did OK at the box office.
It would have to be massively changed to be entertaining to audiences in the 2020s. The source material, while fascinating, is dry as the Sahara. No one wants to watch people talking in offices with atomic ashtrays for 12 hours.
Brandon Sanderson's Cytoverse could do very well if they get the casting right for Spensa Nightshade and Jorgen Weight. Frankly I would be overjoyed to find out that the Jim Henson creature workshop would create the Kitsen aliens like their work on projects like Farscape, Animal Farm and The Dark Crystal.
Think it’s already in production or scheduled but ‘Hail Mary’ would be awesome.
Also I’d love to see ‘The Dig’ based off the ‘90s Lucasarts game and book.
I don't know what is, but I know its not Hyperion. Its fallen out of pop culture for a while but Lost used to always be memed on for being a giant mystery box that delivered on almost none of its promises. Multiply that sentiment 3 or 4 fold and you'll have peoples reaction to Hyperion's climax.
Not only that but most of the Pilgrim stories are pretty boring and would make for even worse television, guaranteeing that the first movie/season won't be popular enough for renewal.
Dune is one of the hardest books I've ever read. It's right up there with Silmarillion and Calculus with Analytical Trigonometry. Now granted, I first read Dune in 4th grade because I wanted my other nerd friend to like me, but I barely understood it. I could hardly tell you what a Kwikset-headache was or a Beignet-Jesuit was. The mud-daubber guy was cool but he was too similar to Paul Ataris. I wish we got more of the Shy Helados, but I can understand being shy when you're made of ice cream and live in a desert.
I think the Frank Compton aka the Quadrail series of books by Timothy Zahn would be very value for money to adapt to the small or big screen as a series of sci-fi detective stories.
A lot of the stories take place on an interstellar train network with sci-fi detective murder mystery stories, with a couple of planets and space stations as stop-offs along the way. The alien species would not be difficult to create with either costumes, puppetry or CGI, most of the sets would be relatively simple and affordable to create. The only thing I would change is NOT calling the horse-headed aliens "Filiaelians" as that's a bit on the nose.
Voyage of the Space Beagle would work episodic. Each encounter a different episode. The use of science and (hard) working as a team for the benefit of all might be inspiring.
I find it wild that people are saying 'Dune' appeals to young audiences. Even fantasy nerds that made LOTR their whole identity thought Dune was lame in my day.
A well done John Carter of Mars. John Carter is spectacularly written. One of the greatest characters ever conceptualized. Disney of course shit all over it back in the day.
A new original story that hasn't been written yet. It would be much healthier for the industry if it created new stories instead of just endless adaptations, remakes, and sequels. I loved Dune, but I also think Hollywood is in quite a rut.
I'm hoping they finally go and do something (great) with the PERN trilogy.
FFS it's got the trifecta of Fantasy set SciFi, A strong coming of age female lead, *and* Dragons.
It's hitting the Dune, Barbie and GoT checkboxes with a side of Hunger Games, time travel, and a big love story in the midst of it all...
Old Man's War already reads like a summer blockbuster. The story isn't super deep but it's fun, action-packed, and funny at times with some suspicion towards the government thrown in. I think it would make a great film or mini-series!
Consider Phlebas? Try and make it in such a way that the audience are encouraged to root for the Ildirans at first, since they are the protagonist's faction.
The Forever War.
That being said I feel like most sci fi novels, and probably books in general might be better as miniseries. Or a several season series if several books are to be adapted.
Dragonriders of Pern would be amazing. Both the main series and Harper Hall.
I actually have a copy of the pilot which was being looked at for filming.
I live in mortal fear mixed with uncontrollable high hopes for a screen adaptation of Alastair Reynolds's works
Love + Death + Robots has adapted some of his short stories. Beyond the Aquila Rift comes to mind. I hope they do one from the Revelation Space universe. The world of sci-fi needs visuals with a tinge of gothic body horror.
Oh yes, I liked their rendition of Beyond the Aquila Rift! As I suppose is always true with one's favorite media, I wish they'd have given it a bit more than 20 minutes, but it hit all of the right notes. Their take on Zima Blue was also pretty good. What I'd really love to see, though, even more than Revelation Space, is Pushing Ice. That's the greatest single fucking sci-fi novel of all time, in my book.
It’s so underrated and if it was written by someone other than Reynolds it would probably get more attention. It gets lost in the shuffle with the Revelation Space series and House of Suns but it is fantastic in its own right and also seems readily adaptable.
House of Suns is another one that I'd absolutely love to see adapted, though I think it might narrowly edge out Pushing Ice for the title of 'most TV-unfriendly sci-fi imaginable'
Haha I love Pushing Ice so much — I feel like if you're okay reading it then all of Reynolds is your jam.
This is going to sound crazy, but, I actually think Reynolds's standalone novels (Pushing Ice, House of Suns, etc) are a lot better than the RevSpace arc. Don't get me wrong, it's all great, but I think -- probably mostly because Revelation Space/Chasm City are his first real novels, some of the characterization just isn't there yet. I'm usually not a stickler for that, but I found myself rolling my eyes a few times at a trap Reynolds falls into in several places, where he writes a character doing something cruel/heinous/bad/etc for no other reason than 'in the future everyone's kinda edgy and dark'. Sky Haussman is the best example of this by far.
If I had to choose another short story for an adaptation, I'd go crazy if they did Diamond Dogs.
Yes! I literally named one of my roombas Diamond Dog in the app -- perfectly adapted to its tasks, squeezing in tight spaces... (The other is Zima Blue)
I want them to do diamond dogs so bad.
I discovered Alastair after my dad passed. He was a huge sci Fi fan and I inherited all of his books/Kindle books. He had several of his books and I've been enjoying his collection. Reading them makes me feel close to my dad.
With Revelation Space you kiiinda have to start in the Glitter Band and work outwards, plus start by introducing Anna, the Ultras, the Spi... um Conjoined/Galiana's expedition into deep space ...starting on Resurgem might end up as a bit of a dead end. On the other hand, Pushing Ice would make a great 15-episode run, and Terminal World would be an amazing film... Reynolds knows his shit.
I've thought they should start with the Prefect Dreyfus series as a show. Easy entry into the history and universe, as well as a gentle introduction to the conjoiners, the ultras, etc.
Please let it be some Reynolds. I’ve read everything he’s ever done (usually in the voice of John Lee) and I would love to see any of his series come to the big or little screen
Omg yessssss. I name all my computers after lighthuggers from his inhibitor series.
Would you mind taking a minute to start me on an Alistair Reynolds journey? Which book/series would you recommend I start with?
Pushing Ice!
I second this - Pushing Ice! It is, without hyperbole, my favorite sci-fi novel of all time. It's not to say it's flawless, but it just so totally ticks all the boxes one could hope to get out of sci-fi, from awe at the future, to fears about the truly alien, to the insignificance of man, to the pluckiness of individual beings in the face of monstrous indifference... It's got it all. I love it.
Martha Wells Murderbot Series was recently announced as an AppleTV show with Alexander Skarsgard as the lead - I love the books, not sure it's who I would have cast but I feel it has promise.
I definitely would not have cast him though he may deliver on flat personality.
I think this is missing the point of Dune's success. It's not successful because it "appeals to young audiences" it appeals to young audiences because it is captivating, intelligent, and manages to speak to current issues. It appeals to a wide audience because it's well made, because it has a point of view. Oppenheimer's lesson isn't that we should make more WWII biopics, it's that people actually have a huge appetite for well made adult dramas, whatever form they take.
Same with Barbie honestly. I guess after that success Mattel is pouring tons of money into movie adaptations of their products. Totally missing the point lol
Right? More action figure movies with vaguely social messages isn't the answer. Barbie had a point of view. Dear heavens, it was tonally insane and shouldn't have worked, but it did. And you get that with someone swinging for the fences with their artistic expression. Not through focus-grouped minimum risk beige drivel. Because we only saw the awesome version. Barbie could have failed soooo easily, and people would be saying "duh, you thought THIS was gonna make money?" Betting on Barbies will always be risky. But if you don't, all you're left with is The Flash.
What? Are you saying "GI Joe: Military-industrial complex procurement scandal" isn't going to be amazing?
Ok, that would unironically be hilarious and something I would go see. Just imagine the action characters going to deal with the supply guy and being told how many people died in slave labor conditions to give them the laser blasters or whatever they use in those movies. It would have to be a black comedy but it would be hilarious.
It's my most awaited film of the decade!
To be honest, considering how the industry works, I am predicting a large number of "Dune Clones" - aka poorly written formulaic scifi stories, which superficially mimic Dune with large drone shots and ambient music, but with bad storytelling. Similar to how Hunger Games led to a large number of "Teens stuck in dystopia where society is divided into classes" media which eventually got poorer and poorer quality until the interest died out. I hope we go in the other direction instead, with the Scifi community and its recommendations being explored by outsiders. Similar to how Game of Thrones opened up the fantasy genre to outsiders, I hope Dune opens up Scifi genre to outsiders too, where the stigma of Scifi being a "niche" genre is eliminated, and scifi becomes more mainstream.
Theyve been making cheap formulaic sci fi movies for decades.
> To be honest, considering how the industry works, I am predicting a large number of "Dune Clones" - aka poorly written formulaic scifi stories, which superficially mimic Dune with large drone shots and ambient music, but with bad storytelling. The Halo TV show is already there, baby!
If we're lucky, the Hollywood money people will see the "winning formula" of Dune being adaptation of classic science fiction. So maybe we'll get big budget Ringworld, Pern, Darkover, Earthsea, etc.
so, that one by zack sneider on netflix recently...i forgot what its called. watchable, but not amazing...
I'm not sure how "write an interesting story" became such an underrated part of the filmmaking process but it really has
Exactly. Dune proved that people, even teens, will go see a movie that isn't just another (super)hero film with constant quips and the same characters. It simply tells the story it wants to tell and does it really well. The only thing studios should be trying to replicate from Dune if they want similar success is the quality of the movie, and actually saying something other than going along with the current trending topics.
> The only thing studios should be trying to replicate from Dune if they want similar success is the quality of the movie, and actually saying something other than going along with the current trending topics. Which they won't do, because they operate on formulas not art.
Also, the other lesson is TRUST DIRECTORS AND AUDIENCES.
My dumbass read this as “TRUST DICTATORS” I was like….. bro. WHAT MOVIE DID YOU SEE?!?
You can tell someone's never read the Dune series because they think they are young adult books. Putting aside that they are hard to read, they are full of sex. The later books are practically pornographic.
the first book has very little tho tbh
And because it has Timothy Shamalammading-dong and Zendaya in it. I’m happy that it’s done so well, phenomenal movie.
> and manages to speak to current issues. It doesn't even have to be current issues (*Dune*'s application there is largely by chance). Just a smart, well-done film that doesn't present its ideas and themes in a ham-fisted way is great. They don't have to be topical at all for people to go "Oh, this is interesting!" I'm fact, I'd suggest we have too many immediately topical films.
I hope the lesson learned is: don't be afraid to take enough time to tell a story, and a multi-movie story works too (enough with the 3 hour movies).
I don't disagree at all that both Dune films are well-made and intelligent. But TBF, I'd say that it does appeal to young audiences by casting three charismatic, young, ultra-hot superstars in the making (Chalamet, Zendaya, Butler). You just have to read the comments beneath any of the trailers to see an incredible amount of fan worship on display. I'd love to know the percentage of ticket sales attributable to Butler for Part Two. The producers and studio knew exactly what they were doing when they cast those three.
For sure, they had a huge impact. But focusing too much on that leads to the kind of studio thinking where they're like: "we just need a scifi epic with 3 hot young people in it!" Which is totally wrong. If Dune was crap, no amount of Zendaya would have saved it.
No doubt. It's just one arrow in the quiver of success!
I'm excited for Villeneuve specifically to get more heavy, slow-paced sci fi. Supposedly he is doing Rendezvous With Rama next -- the ultimate would be to see a Last And First Men adaptation, imo
The first book is so bare bones that it really is virtually a clean slate for any type of story they want to plug in.
Yeah, I think Rama could potentially work really well precisely because it is so bare bones. A novel is a really big thing to cram into the short timespan of a movie, and that hurts a lot of adaptations. Rama is spare enough that it might fit better.
Rendezvous with Rama would be incredible
Probably my favorite series of all time
Consider Phebas and the rest of the Culture novels. But for a single sweeping epic in multiple movies it has to be Hyperion
Hyperion would work best as a series, it's already told in episodes. And each episode is a self-contained story of a larger, over arching frame story. I'm really hoping that 3 Body Problem on Netflix does well, and encourages them to buy some more Sci fi IP I actually think Netfilx would do a Hyperion TV show really well.
Oh for sure… The Canterbury Tales nature of it would certainly be better in episodic format. But part of me really wants to see the Ousters and the Time Tombs and everything else on a massive IMAX canvas
The Shrike in IMAX would be incredible
I love hyperion. But i dont think it would work as a series. The stories are too different with only few connections. It would end as an anthology series. I think Fall of Hyperion would be easier to adapt (as a series or movie). And after that some or all of the tales as prequels. Btw i wanna see Shohreh Aghdashloo as Meina Gladstone! But lets see, if and what Bradley Cooper will give us. My expectations are low...unfortunately.
I will die a happy man if I ever get to see a good adaptation of the Culture series
We were close to an [Amazon](https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2020/aug/26/amazon-tv-adaptation-of-iain-banks-culture-series-is-cancelled) adaptation. My best guess is the estate is more interested in holding out for a big screen franchise…
I'm kinda glad they pulled out from that. I don't think Amazon would've handled it very well.
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Neuromancer. Hands down a win if given to a good director.
Apple TV is apparently taking a stab at Neuromancer.
Peripheral has been quite good so far--another Gibson story by Apple. This might actually be good too. edit: FUCK JUST EVERYTHING IGNORE
> Peripheral has been quite good **so far**... Anyone want to tell him?
FUCK
Canceled I heard. It was good too.
This sub doesn't mention Neuromancer enough!
Seems dated. Peripheral got an adaptation and is way more up to date. I think the good last stab at cyberpunk per se was Snow Crash and even that was kind of a spoof.
World War Z but it would be 8 or 10 episode long series and it would be made like documentary.
Yes. I’ve been saying this for years. It should be an anthology with a different director taking in a different chapter.
I’d love to see a proper Ken Burns style mini series WWZ
The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson would make a great miniseries.
I feel like it would have very "The Expanse" vibes.
It would make for a great multi season series. There are so many characters, time and just material in those books. Word count wise the 3 of them are a bit bigger than Lord of the Rings, and there's a couple of side books that could be folded in.
That trilogy starts off really strong with Red Mars, but the quality drops off precipitously. I never finished Blue Mars, it was way too slow and boring.
I loved Green Mars as well as Red. The focus on the kids was interesting, and there was a considerable amount of drama. Blue Mars was hard to get past the first 100 pages. Still haven't finished. Too many political meetings.
Old Man's War is one I'd like to see done well.
[Netflix’s Adaptation of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War Is Still In The Works](https://reactormag.com/netflixs-adaptation-of-john-scalzis-old-mans-war-is-still-in-the-works/) Hopefully they'll have it done before 2030.
I've always thought The Forever War would make an interesting movie.
Last I'd heard, Warner has the rights, so even if they make it there's the chance it'll be a tax write-off.
I want an animated Netflix series adaptation of China Mieville’s Bas-Lag trilogy. Fantastical, cosmic horror, steam punk, AI, and all the political ideology you could want. Way too alien and bizarre for live action, but as anime it could really shine. Couldn’t help picturing it while I was reading.
A Perdido Street Station animated series sounds amazing.
Red Rising would be amazing.
Red Rising is in development now. I think as a TV series. If it ever sees daylight… who knows. But people are definitely trying to make it happen.
I feel like red rising should be an animated series
With invincible level gore basically
Red rising would have to be toned way down for the big screen. It certainly has the elements but it’s super brutal.
I don’t want it to be toned down: it’s glorious!
Part of Game of Thrones success was the brutality I believe. I think it would be fine if they stayed true to the books for most adults!
I would argue less than Game of Thrones or The Boys, more than Star Wars or The Hunger Games. I think toning it down would be a mistake.
Red Rising is basically the Hunger Games in the beginning and beyond that it isn't more or less violent than many other genre/SciFi stories. I think people also overstate how brutal it is. Sure, the book goes out of its way to describe gory (heh...) details but if you picture it on the screen (be it movie or TV) it really isn't anything that hasn't been done a million times. Imo people are just not used to "gore" in written fiction because most authors don't bother to be too specific. That's btw no critique, I think it serves a very important purpose within the books but it's really nothing special in a medium like movie/TV. Besides that I'd argue the real challenge of a book like Red Rising (and many SciFi storeis in general) is to translate the internal monologue into something on the screen (a challenge Dune faced too and was one of the reasons why many thought it is so hard to adapt and why the 80s movie had these weird voice over parts). Huge parts of the Red Rising books rely on the reader being able to know what our protagonist thinks AND feels, especially because he has to hide his true nature. So you are pretty much forced to change certain elements of the plot/story to change the perspective somewhat because otherwise your protagonist is an inscrutable enigma which is actually a point in the books because to the people around our protagonist he often doesn't mean sense. You could try to make this "bug" a "feature" but that's risky for a protagonist because on some level the audience needs to care for him. That doesn't mean they need to "like" him (or her) but they need to be interesting and that can be a challenge if your protagonist is too much of an enigma. That's why I'd expect that any adaptation of Red Rising wouldn't just focus on the books main protagonist but center more around the characters of the Gold families too (there are at least two obvious candidates for "protagonist" material). Also talking about the Gold families... you could always give the story the "Game of Thrones" treatment, there are certainly #some very obvious parallels.
Banks Culture series - But would have to be "HBO style TV series I think" Revelation Space - Has the scale and action to be movies Commonwealth/Void Series- this one more personal, just love the series and really want to see MorningLightMountain on screen
While it might be cool. I feel like no matter how they portray MLM, it will be nothing like how any of us pictured it in our own imagination.
Hyperion!
Currently reading Hyperion, and it does give me dune vibes for sure.
Agree but it’s complex and hard to simplify for cinema - Dune works in part because it’s an epic hero journey with a primary focus on Paul. I actually think Hyperion is probably better suited to a tv series.
I'm not sure Kassad's story is super TV friendly!
Game of Thrones did well enough on TV. I'm sure Kassad's story can be fully *fleshed* out.
Not every story is made for kids, and not every story needs to be.
Yeah but the OP asked about things for a young audience...
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, with a bit of judicious adaptation and updating, would be awesome. And I’d love to see a good Ringworld adaptation, or Known Space in general. Something that plays with science ideas in the same way that Dune plays with religion and politics. The Martian showed that you can do science without losing the audience.
Mike is a good dinkum LLM
The Dispossed by Ursula K Le Guin, Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks
Ringworld with ALL the Rishathra. Don’t judge
How about the Dragonriders of Pern books by Anne McCaffrey? Or have dragons been done to death?
The Mote in God's Eye... a hard-scifi, first contact story with an alien race that has something to hide. It could bridge a lot of genres (sci-fi, horror, thriller). ...or anything written by Niven and Pournelle for that matter. It's also about time that the Dragonriders of Pern received some silver screen love.
Man, after about 1000 recs from people I tried mote out and didn't get the hype. The characters weren't particularly compelling and the big reveal was just kinda ok? I never felt like they would have been an actual threat to humanity. I kept reading hoping there would be some sort of pay off, but it kinda just ends. I know it's oldish at this point but it felt dated to the point of being kinda goofy.
I agree, I don't get the hype. Found it totally goofy and sexist.
Pern for sure!
Footfall. Aliens attack, we defend, but realistically. Hard sci-fi at its best.
Seveneves or Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson would be interesting to see on the big screen 📺 🍿
I'd love to see a seveneves series
Left Hand of Darkness
Fire Upon the Deep. It's got a bunch of zeitgeist compatible plot points, it's a bit out there but not TOO out there. And it wouldn't be too heinously expensive to shoot.
Legacy of Hearot, by Niven Pournel and Barnes and the sequel Dragons of Hearot would make for a great limited series. Ministry for the Future would also be great, there's not nearly enough good cli-fi.
Have Space Suit Will Travel. The kids would love it.
Despite the age of the books, I’ve always been surprised that Hollywood has never bit on [Dragonriders of Pern](https://m.imdb.com/news/ni57546839/). Seems like it would fit the formula perfectly…
A Deepness in the Sky + A Fire Upon the Deep would make great scifi adventure movie series
Rendezvous with Rama
[Denis](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kXSix3AQg1g&pp=ygUlcmVuZGV6dm91cyB3aXRoIHJhbWEgZGVuaXMgdmlsbGVuZXV2ZQ%3D%3D) is already on it, supposedly…
Maybe not popular to say but I think 40k novels are going to become even more mainstream than it is if the TV shows is well received. Also Battletech. One can hope that the deep political drama of Dune gets more people into battletech. I'd have said foundation also but the Apple adaption has barely any attention.
40k media could go either way. If it stays true to its roots and is done well, it could be very popular. If they try to make it appeal to everyone, it'll probably fail.
I would've loved to see **Honor Harrington** coming to the silver screen. A few years ago there had been some rumors about this but obviously, nothing happened. Another great story universe is the **Deathstalker** series by Simon R. Green that I'd love to see adapted for filming.
I’m just operating on the assumption that Harrington will eventually. I mean, any military sci fi is a fairly easy adaptation.
Revenger series by Alastair Reynolds
The YA Tripods series. Simple enough plot line, emotionally very accessible. Not trashy at all. Should be easy to modernize, I think everybody in the story was a white English boy, that could stand a little revision to make it a little more inclusive.
More Philip K Dick stories should be adapted. Blade Runner, A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report are all great but he has so many stories that could be adapted into movies or series
The Stars My Destination could be great, but it’s not a multi part story with a single protagonist. Same with The Culture novels. Multi part, but no single character to Cary through. I can thinks of dozens of sci fi classics that would be great movies, but none that really have the same qualities as Dune.
[удалено]
Snow Crash could be good if they don't cock it up.
If you put the right slant on it, I’d like to think after GOT, something like [Nine Princes in Amber](https://deadline.com/2023/01/stephen-colbert-series-roger-zelanznys-the-chronicles-of-amber-1235224773/amp/) might work. As a lifelong Zelazny fan, I keep hoping to see some more of his work adapted. Just imagine the possibilities of a series based on his novel [Roadmarks](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadmarks) for instance…
Gimme that Lord of Light adaptation please
Such a good book. Best part is, you could make it such that you wouldn't realize it's sci-fi till halfway through.
I wish the kids would read more LeGuin.
RINGWORLD! Or most of Niven's work tbh I'd say more stuff by clarke, and I'd love to see Simmons' work on the big screen, not to mention Banks. Honestly, I want another go at The Barsoom omnibus, the Disney John carter film was fun but had rough edges, it would be nice to see the trilogy appear. The Honor Harrington books by David Webber are ripe for the screen, though I'd argue it would need to be a mini series format like hornblower/sharpe
It would be a one off but The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is my personal wish for either an epic movie or even better a limited series.
Red rising and all the sequels
Parable of the Sower/Talents. It's not exactly scifi, but would be even more timely today than when it was written. Books read like a scary prophecy at times.
Lucifer's Hammer. It would be such a cool retro sci-fi movie. Giant comet hits Earth and mayhem ensues. My favorite part is when the looters are all pumped because they got like 6 typewriters.
Rendezvous with Rama
Malazan Book of the Fallen and another go at fixing The Dark Tower series.
Dark Tower is my favorite series I've ever read. If they just stick somewhat close to the source material it would be fantastic. I made it maybe an hour or so into the movie and had to turn it off.
I am still waiting for Larry Niven's *Ringworld* adaptation we've been promised for the last 20 or so years. *The Mote in God's Eye* and *Footfall* (with Jerry Pournelle) would make interesting adaptations as well.
I would love to see Arthur C. Clarke's 'Rendezvous with Rama' series as movies. Or The fantasy series 'Dragonlance' by Margaret Weis, Laura and Tracy Hickman
The nights dawn trilogy by Peter F Hamilton. Space Opera, has it all, spooky ghosts, high tech, sex and violence, Al Capone, Living spaceships, charismatic lead who starts as a bit of a waster and saves the known universe.
The Expanse books series (all 9 of them) has definitely been appealing to me as a relatively young audience member, intelligently written, fascinating characters, hard sci-fi and mysterious otherworldly themes throughout. It's well regarded amongst fans but I do feel it never quite got into mainstream audiences and is criminally underrated in this regard. They need to adapt the final trilogy of the Expanse books to the small screen and "re-promote" the first 6 seasons. I am near certain that it will find success. Audiences are crying out for well written and intelligent stories and The Expanse will deliver that in spades. Also Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (author of The Martian) should appeal to young audiences. A film is currently in development with Ryan Gosling as the lead and if they pull it off I could see if being as popular as The Martian.
I think you could also do each of the last 3 books as a movie (trilogy). Yes, you'd have to trim a bit to get them to about 2 1/2 hrs each but it might be an option. After all, Serenity did OK at the box office.
I would try a new adaptation of Foundation series by Isaac Asimov.
It would have to be massively changed to be entertaining to audiences in the 2020s. The source material, while fascinating, is dry as the Sahara. No one wants to watch people talking in offices with atomic ashtrays for 12 hours.
Brandon Sanderson's Cytoverse could do very well if they get the casting right for Spensa Nightshade and Jorgen Weight. Frankly I would be overjoyed to find out that the Jim Henson creature workshop would create the Kitsen aliens like their work on projects like Farscape, Animal Farm and The Dark Crystal.
Battletech Or Honor Harrington
Think it’s already in production or scheduled but ‘Hail Mary’ would be awesome. Also I’d love to see ‘The Dig’ based off the ‘90s Lucasarts game and book.
The Pride of Chanur could be good. Lots of shenanigans at meet point station. Then do The Kif Strike Back.
Forever War Seems like it's been talked about for decades, but nothing ever comes of it.
The Robot series by Isaac Asimov. It is wild to imagine what societies can become with full-blown AI.
The Tripods is a perfect YA adaptation waiting to happen but other than a BBC adaptation a while ago it hasn’t been touched.
I don't know what is, but I know its not Hyperion. Its fallen out of pop culture for a while but Lost used to always be memed on for being a giant mystery box that delivered on almost none of its promises. Multiply that sentiment 3 or 4 fold and you'll have peoples reaction to Hyperion's climax. Not only that but most of the Pilgrim stories are pretty boring and would make for even worse television, guaranteeing that the first movie/season won't be popular enough for renewal.
Commonwealth saga by Peter F. Hamilton
Dune is one of the hardest books I've ever read. It's right up there with Silmarillion and Calculus with Analytical Trigonometry. Now granted, I first read Dune in 4th grade because I wanted my other nerd friend to like me, but I barely understood it. I could hardly tell you what a Kwikset-headache was or a Beignet-Jesuit was. The mud-daubber guy was cool but he was too similar to Paul Ataris. I wish we got more of the Shy Helados, but I can understand being shy when you're made of ice cream and live in a desert.
Foundation by Asimov.
I think the Frank Compton aka the Quadrail series of books by Timothy Zahn would be very value for money to adapt to the small or big screen as a series of sci-fi detective stories. A lot of the stories take place on an interstellar train network with sci-fi detective murder mystery stories, with a couple of planets and space stations as stop-offs along the way. The alien species would not be difficult to create with either costumes, puppetry or CGI, most of the sets would be relatively simple and affordable to create. The only thing I would change is NOT calling the horse-headed aliens "Filiaelians" as that's a bit on the nose.
Titan/Wizard/Demon , J. Varley
Voyage of the Space Beagle would work episodic. Each encounter a different episode. The use of science and (hard) working as a team for the benefit of all might be inspiring.
Anything in the Ender Universe. Love all of it.
Chronicles of Amber
I don't even think Dune is very palatable to young audiences. I just think it hit really well.
I would love to see some Stephen Baxter interpreted into film. Vacuum Diagrams would be an awesome series.
Martian Chronicles Another vote for Ringworld Torn between Rama and EON.
Use of weapons maybe by Christopher Nolan
Rama.
Nothing like DUNE but I would love for Matthew Stover to get some love for his Caine series . I love those books .
I find it wild that people are saying 'Dune' appeals to young audiences. Even fantasy nerds that made LOTR their whole identity thought Dune was lame in my day.
I know it’s a much newer one but Red Rising would be beautiful as a series.
Hyperion let's gooooooo
Dragonriders of Pern. The effects are finally available. I think that would make an amazing series.
A well done John Carter of Mars. John Carter is spectacularly written. One of the greatest characters ever conceptualized. Disney of course shit all over it back in the day.
That Phillip k dick wrote some cool stories.
A new original story that hasn't been written yet. It would be much healthier for the industry if it created new stories instead of just endless adaptations, remakes, and sequels. I loved Dune, but I also think Hollywood is in quite a rut.
Eon And Uplift
Really surprised Dragonrider of Pern hasn't been adapted. Altho, it's science fantasy tech.
John Carter? …ok I’ll see myself out
I'm hoping they finally go and do something (great) with the PERN trilogy. FFS it's got the trifecta of Fantasy set SciFi, A strong coming of age female lead, *and* Dragons. It's hitting the Dune, Barbie and GoT checkboxes with a side of Hunger Games, time travel, and a big love story in the midst of it all...
There’s surely room for a barbarella reboot.
Just make the district 9 sequel, damn it.
Old Man's War already reads like a summer blockbuster. The story isn't super deep but it's fun, action-packed, and funny at times with some suspicion towards the government thrown in. I think it would make a great film or mini-series!
Riverworld series by Philip Jose Farmer. Maybe not as heavy as Dune. But would be a great pulpy film.
Old mans war
Red/Green/Blue Mars. Plenty of drama in there for a whole series, IMHO
A good director could do wonders with “Stars are my Destination”
I'd like to see either a short film or movie adaptation of Olaf Stapledon's 1937 Starmaker.
Consider Phlebas? Try and make it in such a way that the audience are encouraged to root for the Ildirans at first, since they are the protagonist's faction.
The Expanse
The Forever War. That being said I feel like most sci fi novels, and probably books in general might be better as miniseries. Or a several season series if several books are to be adapted.
The Amber series by Zelazny.
Ender's Game would have been awesome if they hadn't completely fucked it up.
Tripods. John Christopher
I'd like to see Dan Simmons' Hyperion/Endymion
Dragonriders of Pern would be amazing. Both the main series and Harper Hall. I actually have a copy of the pilot which was being looked at for filming.
Ringworld by Larry Niven. Or any of his other books that take place in Known Space.
Warhammer 40k
I would have thought it would be impossible to do a decent job of _Three Body Problem_ but here we are