While talking about adaptations, there is still talk of an American remake of Battle Royale, the controversial Japanese film based on the equally controversial novel. I doubt that this will happen, in these days of school shootings and teen violence a-plenty, though I've always been a stickler for the storyline.

Excellent topic! I would love to see any Sue Grafton alphabet books or a Janet Evanovich story. So many zany characters in both as well as relateable female leads I would love to see these come to life even for a made for tv movie. I am worried about Secret Life of Bees and how it will turn out, not sure of the casting of Alicia Keyes, Jennifer Hudson and Dakoda Fanning. This book was one of my all time faves.

Apparently a movie is being made of "The Last Station" by Jay Parini. I just got the book because I want to read it (and forget it enough) before the movie comes out next year.

Originally, Anthony Hopkins and Meryl Streep were cast in the leads, but it has just started shooting with Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren.

Plummer plays the Russian writer Tolstoy in the last year of his life. Mirren plays his wife, Paul Giamatti his secretary and James McAvoy is someone within the family circle (and McAvoy's real-life wife plays Tolstoy's daughter).

The book is supposed to be excellent (we'll see - but that still doesn't mean the movie might be good).

But it's the description of the story that makes it sound JUST the thing for Plummer - the juicy lead role that will show off the talents of one of the greatest of living stage actors. Maybe he might even get his FIRST Oscar nomination. And I seem to remember that Mirren's family was Russian...?

I guess "the last station" is Tolstoy stuck at a train station, dying while surrounded by media giving a blow-by-blow description, dying lion kind of thing. And the theme is the inconsistency between Tolstoy's wealth and success and his political standpoint of himself as a kind of "everyman". Sounds great!

Edith Wharton's novel Summer about the sexual awakening of young girl in rural 1800s New England would make a great film...as far as plays go, Shrivings, by Peter Shaffer would be an excellent film, full of intensity and mind games and sexual confusion...

To be honest, for all the Broadway fans out there, I'm looking for a Spring Awakening musical film in the near future, especially after it's nice hefty Tony taking.

The Arthemis Fowl Series = The New Harry Potter

I read Carl Hiaasen's "Skinny Dip" awhile ago, and I was thinking how it would be a great movie. I could totally see it with Cameron Diaz, Julian McMahon, Eva Longoria and Pierce Brosnan, or something like that. Certainly not Oscar-worthy, but it could be really funny.

quote:

Originally posted by booyahboy:
I read Carl Hiaasen's "Skinny Dip" awhile ago, and I was thinking how it would be a great movie. I could totally see it with Cameron Diaz, Julian McMahon, Eva Longoria and Pierce Brosnan, or something like that. Certainly not Oscar-worthy, but it could be really funny.

Almost any of Hiaasen's wacky, environmentally themed crime books would make an entertaining flick with the right cast and director (say Barry Sonnenfeld) though capturing the tone without seeming ridiculous would be difficult... remember the horrible Demi Moore flick "Striptease" is based on one of his books. I especially liked "Double Whammy" which is the nuttiest of the lot (How nutty?... well a guy spends the bulk of the novel with a pit bull's head attached to his arm after it attacks him and then due to infection he goes mad and talks to it). There are also some great Elmore Leonard crime novels I am surprised were never made into films (FREAKY DEAKY, BANDITS, MAXIMUM BOB) especially when so many of his weaker novels (say OUT OF SIGHT which admittedly made a great movie) have been made into films.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. McPhearson:
To be honest, for all the Broadway fans out there, I'm looking for a Spring Awakening musical film in the near future, especially after it's nice hefty Tony taking.

This would have to be handled in a very delicate way...it's very theatrical w/ the kids breaking the 4th wall like they're in a rock concert. It could work if it uses the same conceit "Chicago" did, i.e., it's all happening inside their heads, a different reality.

quote:

Originally posted by R2684:

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. McPhearson:
To be honest, for all the Broadway fans out there, I'm looking for a Spring Awakening musical film in the near future, especially after it's nice hefty Tony taking.

This would have to be handled in a very delicate way...it's very theatrical w/ the kids breaking the 4th wall like they're in a rock concert. It could work if it uses the same conceit "Chicago" did, i.e., it's all happening inside their heads, a different reality.

Heck, even the idea of pausing the real world and travelling into their mindsets would do the trick... I think it could be great, though. I've heard specifically that they are working on a non-musical version. And seeing as how the musical is based on the German play Awakening of Spring, it might as well just be that adapted to film.

And A_Mb88, it's funny you should mention that. An Artemis Fowl adaptation was actually due to come out this year; but during 2005 pre-production, the idea flopped, and that darn series is stuck in studio limbo now.

Child 44. The book isn't out yet(or may have just been released) but I read a review in Ent. Weekly and it sounds very good. It sounds like it could be a great movie I think.

The Yiddish Policeman's Union

Lush Life

quote:

Originally posted by Pats12Fan:
The Yiddish Policeman's Union

Just so you know, Pats, Scott Rudin purchased the film rights to this novel in 2002, and Columbia Pictures claims that the Coen Brothers will be writing the adaptation as soon as they complete projects like Burn After Reading and A Serious Man.

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I would love to see Jodi Picoult's "Nineteen Minuets" adapted to a big screen film. It may not win Oscars, but it would be a great movie. The book was so good, i couldn't put it down for weeks. I could see Sandra Bullock, Resse Witherspoon and Evan Rachel Woods in some of the lead roles... ERW could play Josie, Sandra Bullock could play judge Cormier and Resse could play Lacey.

quote:

Originally posted by pacinofan:

quote:

Originally posted by booyahboy:
I read Carl Hiaasen's "Skinny Dip" awhile ago, and I was thinking how it would be a great movie. I could totally see it with Cameron Diaz, Julian McMahon, Eva Longoria and Pierce Brosnan, or something like that. Certainly not Oscar-worthy, but it could be really funny.

Almost any of Hiaasen's wacky, environmentally themed crime books would make an entertaining flick with the right cast and director (say Barry Sonnenfeld) though capturing the tone without seeming ridiculous would be difficult... remember the horrible Demi Moore flick "Striptease" is based on one of his books. I especially liked "Double Whammy" which is the nuttiest of the lot (How nutty?... well a guy spends the bulk of the novel with a pit bull's head attached to his arm after it attacks him and then due to infection he goes mad and talks to it). There are also some great Elmore Leonard crime novels I am surprised were never made into films (FREAKY DEAKY, BANDITS, MAXIMUM BOB) especially when so many of his weaker novels (say OUT OF SIGHT which admittedly made a great movie) have been made into films.

I haven't really read any of his others books, but I loved "Skinny Dip." Can you recommend some of your favorites?

quote:

Originally posted by booyahboy:

quote:

Originally posted by pacinofan:

quote:

Originally posted by booyahboy:
I read Carl Hiaasen's "Skinny Dip" awhile ago, and I was thinking how it would be a great movie. I could totally see it with Cameron Diaz, Julian McMahon, Eva Longoria and Pierce Brosnan, or something like that. Certainly not Oscar-worthy, but it could be really funny.

Almost any of Hiaasen's wacky, environmentally themed crime books would make an entertaining flick with the right cast and director (say Barry Sonnenfeld) though capturing the tone without seeming ridiculous would be difficult... remember the horrible Demi Moore flick "Striptease" is based on one of his books. I especially liked "Double Whammy" which is the nuttiest of the lot (How nutty?... well a guy spends the bulk of the novel with a pit bull's head attached to his arm after it attacks him and then due to infection he goes mad and talks to it). There are also some great Elmore Leonard crime novels I am surprised were never made into films (FREAKY DEAKY, BANDITS, MAXIMUM BOB) especially when so many of his weaker novels (say OUT OF SIGHT which admittedly made a great movie) have been made into films.

I haven't really read any of his others books, but I loved "Skinny Dip." Can you recommend some of your favorites?

I prefer his earlier books as his later ones are less crazy and more by the numbers (though still amusing). The best would be "Double Whammy", "Native Tongue" & "Skin Tight". I remember "Tourist Season" & "Stormy Weather" also being very good but not quite up to those top three. Starting in the late 90s I just don't think his books were quite as good ("Lucky You", "Sick Puppy", "Basket Case", etc). If you like Hiaasen some of Elmore Leonard's more comic crime novels might be up your alley... I would recommend "Get Shorty", "Be Cool", "Maximum Bob", "Swag", "Pronto", & "Freaky Deaky". I am only recommending the funny ones as many of his other books are hardcore, nasty crime novels.

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Both Striptease and Hoot, which are Hiaassen novels, were turned into terrible films. Maybe his books just don't translate well into film.

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The first time i read "Where The Heart Is" i was like, OMG This would be a GREAT movie, but then of course they made it and basically ruined it by miscasting all the roles and cutting out several of the best plots and characters.

Off the top of my head -

"The Red Badge of Courage" with someone who actually has some acting talent in the lead this time.

"Stranger in a Strange Land" with Johnny Depp in the lead and Sir Ian as Jubel

"A Brave New World"

"The Giver"

Stephen R. Donaldson's Gap Series (five books ripe for a franchise)

Anything by Graham Greene

Plays: "She Stoops to Conquer"
"School for Scandal"
"Playboy of the Western World"
"The Little Foxes" (remake)

quote:

Originally posted by Beatriceorme:
Off the top of my head -

"The Red Badge of Courage" with someone who actually has some acting talent in the lead this time.

"A Brave New World"

I've always thought that Red Badge would make a very interesting movie. Unfortunately, there have been several cheaply-made adaptations, none of which I feel did the material much justice.

This also reminds me of All Quiet on the Western Front. Yes, it won Best Picture 1930, but since then, some people have speculated about a possible updated readaptation. And now, here's the friggin' kicker, two no-namers (Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson) are readapting it [here comes] in 3-D! This right here deserves a sincere WTF?! Terrible idea. The idea of a readaptation is that you're able to represent the source material BETTER than the first adaptation. Can I get a big "ugh," please.

It's funny you should mention Brave New World, because it too has received two awful TV adaptations. They need a film with Edward Norton as Bernard Marx. That would be a great idea, I think.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dr. McPhearson,

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. McPhearson:

This also reminds me of All Quiet on the Western Front. Yes, it won Best Picture 1930, but since then, some people have speculated about a possible updated readaptation. And now, here's the friggin' kicker, two no-namers (Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson) are readapting it [here comes] in 3-D! This right here deserves a sincere WTF?! Terrible idea. The idea of a readaptation is that you're able to represent the source material BETTER than the first adaptation. Can I get a big "ugh," please.

oh, you have got to be f*ckin' kiddin me. 3-D - WTF? they are not going to kill just the old movie, but the incredible book. what has hollywood turned into?...