Hatrack River Forum: Other Card books that might make good films

This is topic Other Card books that might make good films in forum Discussions About Orson Scott Card at Hatrack River Forum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.hatrack.com/ubb/main/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=003425

Posted by JLM (Member # 7800) on :

We all know about the current work to make a movie out of EG, but what about some of the other books by Card. Here are a few suggestions.

Homebody - I recall that Card already had some preliminary planning on this one and suggested Will Smith as the hero. It would certainly provide a better twist on the current haunted house genre.

Treasure Box - Market this as a romantic mystery and then suprise everyone with the plot twist. All too often films are ruined by trailers giving away too much.

Enchantment - This one has the possibility for some cross marketing with the romantic elements of the story.

Lost Boys - With the current popularity of J-Horror, there is potential for a success here as well.

Of course, many of his books wouldn't make the translation well. For example

Wyrms - Too weird
Worthing Saga - Too big
The other Ender books - Too slow

Any other potential candidates?

Posted by Macery (Member # 8251) on :

I have always thought that the Maker series would make a great movie transition.

Posted by CRash (Member # 7754) on :

One problem with the Maker series is that there's a lot of material. It would work better if just one of the books or a combination of a couple was used for the storyline.

As for me, I think Enchantment would do well. Modern times with a twist of fairy-tale. We don't have many of those kind of movies out right now. It's all superheroes and remakes.

Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :

quote:
Lost Boys - With the current popularity of J-Horror, there is potential for a success here as well.

This would be seen as nothing more than a rip-off of Sixth Sense.

Posted by CRash (Member # 7754) on :

I know. And it would have been a great movie too. With all the success that The Sixth Sense got to first.

Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :

I think OSC said that he originally conceived Homebody as a movie script, but no one would take a shot at it, which is when he developed it into a novel.

Personally, I know fantasies don't do well as movies, but I would love to see Treason as a movie.

I think the Worthing Saga could be a great movie trilogy, but you'd have to make Capitol the first part, and you wouldn't be able to tell the whole story unless chapter one did well.

Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :

Yea, OSC mentioned his screen play and stuff for Homebody here

Posted by Mindbowels (Member # 7407) on :

I agree with de Spang, Treason would be great. Probably a little weird but in a good way.

But, what I would most like to see is a movie or play (as has been talked of before) of stories in Folk of the Fringe. Post-apocalypse stuff is cool and none combine humanity with depravity like FotF.

Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :

In OSC's interview with Random House (check the thread by KetchupQueen), he mentions making a plays of "Feed the Baby of Love" and "Pageant Wagon".

Posted by Dog Walker (Member # 8301) on :

I dont understand your love for Treason. It is the only book by Mr. Card that I did not like (although i did not read it all). It would be very strange if it was made into a movie.

Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :

Treason was the very first book by Card I ever read. I liked it, but not enough to devour his other stuff. That came later. [Smile]

Posted by Puppy (Member # 6721) on :

Pastwatch and Dogwalker ... Not that I'm biased, having written the screenplays [Smile]

Posted by Mr J Vagabond (Member # 8017) on :

I've always thought that Enchantment would definetly make a good movie. Having the romance and the fantasy complements some of the weakness of both genres. Though admitedly it would be hard to market (trying hard to make it look not like anything like Timeline, or the Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court style movies).

Enchantment could be a playground for great cinemetography. It could be a very beatiful movie, as well as having a great story.

Posted by Rohan (Member # 5141) on :

Ooh, ooh, I vote for Dogwalker. I LOVED that story. Very cool.

Posted by Dog Walker (Member # 8301) on :

I also would like to see Dogwalker made into a movie. As you can tell im a fan of that short storie.

Posted by BryanP (Member # 7772) on :

As someone else said, a combination of the Alvin books would be great. There's definitely enough action in them to keep them from being slow, and there are so many amazing scenes from the books that would be incredible on the big screen. Get 'er done!!

Posted by Libo (Member # 8068) on :

The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock needs a movie adaption, perhaps the best Fantasy books besides LOTR...I know this is out of left field but I'm re-reading them and highly reccomend it...if you read this Mr. Card let us know if you are familiar w/ these books

Posted by DarkKnight (Member # 7536) on :

I've said it before and I will say it again..
The Homecoming series Vol I The Memory of Earth would make an excellant movie! I think there is so much stuff in there that would make a great movie!

Posted by Don Domande (Member # 8287) on :

At the Madison book signing, OSC mentioned the CGI involved in putting together Treason...I was way at the back, so I may have misheard him, but it sounded like he was saying that they are working on Treason as a movie.

Now, did anyone notice that in the previous thread that kojabu referenced, that OSC said that he wrote a part in Homebody for Whoopie Goldburg? Now, go to the interview with Random House, and he mentions that he is talking to Queen Latifah on a script.

*strokes goatee thoughtfully*

Posted by Dog Walker (Member # 8301) on :

I like the Memory series but i dont think that it would make a good movie. The first two books might be able to make it as a tv movie on the scifi channel but the rest are 2 slow. To much time is spent on the ship later in the series to make a good action movie. I would love to see it made into a tv movie like some of the dunes were. That would be the only way the Memory series would ever make it as a movie.

Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :

Treason as a movie would probably be pretty cool, though I'm always iffy about books I really like being turned into movies.

[edit] I don't think the Memory series would work as well either, it's too much thought/dialogue/conversations with beings that aren't actually characters.

Posted by Dog Walker (Member # 8301) on :

There seems do be a few Treason fans here. Can someone tell what happens after his banishment without giving away the ending. I could not bring myself to read much after the first few chapters but it seems like it people enjoyed it.

Posted by Gosu (Member # 5783) on :

I don't think any director wants to talk to OSC about anything other than science fiction. Not that they shouldn't...but I bet nobody does.

Posted by Dog Walker (Member # 8301) on :

I dont think they want to do anything that is not related to the Ender's series. The other books do not have as strong of a following as Ender does, but you never know.

Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :

quote:
Can someone tell what happens after his banishment without giving away the ending

That's akin to asking "What did Hitler do between invading Poland and the end of World War II?"
....Umm, everything.

Reread it. You may find that you can't even remember why you didn't finish it before. That's happened to me.

Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Dog Walker:
There seems do be a few Treason fans here. Can someone tell what happens after his banishment without giving away the ending. I could not bring myself to read much after the first few chapters but it seems like it people enjoyed it.

He gets found by some guy named Graff who happens to have enough iron to have a spaceship and then gets taken to Battle School. Oh wait, wrong book. [Smile]

Real answer: He does lots of things that I can't do justice to by explaining it myself. I really liked the book so I'd just say read it, there are definately some really cool things that happen (IMO).

Posted by Dog Walker (Member # 8301) on :

I guess i will have to pick up a copy of Treason tommorow when i go to get the next Potter book. I hope i can find a copy of Treason somewhere, some of cards books are hard to find.

Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :

Check the library too, that's where I found it when I read it.

Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :

I think Ultimate Iron Man wouldn't make a bad movie [Wink]

Not sure if that counts, though

Posted by Dog Walker (Member # 8301) on :

What is the Ultimate Iron Man?

Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :

Ultimate Iron Man is a retelling of the origin of the Marvel superhero Iron Man, updating it for modern times. OSC is the writer of this comic book.

Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :

Enchantment....and Enchantment.

Oh yeah. And Enchantment. The movie just needs to be made!!

Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :

I would love to see Enchantment done as a film. It's so different from a lot of the stereotypical movie plots that I think it could do very well.

But the language thing might cause some difficulties - what would be a good way to convey to an English-speaking audience the subtleties between all the different Slavic languages/dialects? I suppose they could just have them speaking in the various languages with subtitles a la Red Violin, but that might put some people off.

This makes me wish I were a film student - so many new and intriguing puzzles to solve! [Razz]