Books that aren't easily adaptable and how they could be made.

[The Snowman]

Book series that would be difficult to adapt onto tv/film?

The big one for me would be the Bartimaeus Quadrilogy by Jonathan Stroud. This series had me totally encompassed and after reading the original trilogy (a prequel was made 2-3 years later) I literally couldn't pick up another book for close to 6 months because of how much I was invested in the books.

Anyway back to my original point of this post. This series is magnificent but if it we're to be made into a TV show or film I would be quite nervous as to how it would turn out. A major problem is the introduction of footnotes from the main character, who happens to be a demon, it is in the footnotes where a lot of background information comes in and not to mention a huge amount of snarky humour.

Another book series which I started reading in my early teens was the Inheritence cycle (Eragon). Now the moviw made from the first book titled Eragon was quite terrible. Looking back at the series it isn't exactly an easy one to adapt due to the long sequences of.....growing up, essentially. If they had followed the original plot of the book in Eragon it may have been a different thing but essentially the next two books consist of lots of learning and not until the last book does the pace quicken up frenetically. I think one major problem for this series that it reads like a 12-14 year olds book but still has descriptive blood and gore. I would like to see this series make a successful jump onto the screen, I’m just not overly sure which setting (tv or fim) would suit it better.

So how would book series such as Eragon and Bartimaeus be adapted onto the small or big screen?

[sologdin]

derrida's of grammatology is probably unfilmable, but the quasi-sequels/prequels/interquels, writing and difference and speech and phenomena, would be good mini-series.

[The Snowman]

I'll check them out

[Inigima]

So how would book series such as Eragon and Bartimaeus be adapted onto the small or big screen?

Well, first you throw the source material in the trash

EDIT: Also, apparently this exists already: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449010/

[wolverine]

derrida's of grammatology is probably unfilmable, but the quasi-sequels/prequels/interquels, writing and difference and speech and phenomena, would be good mini-series.

Bazinga!

[The Snowman]

Well, first you throw the source material in the trash

EDIT: Also, apparently this exists already: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449010/

Well yes I said it does in the OP. I should’ve said how it could be made into something that’s not shit.

Eragon has been made into a film while the rights to Bartimaeus have been bought…by Summit I believe.

[Maltaran]

Well yes I said it does in the OP. I should’ve said how it could be made into something that’s not shit.

Pretty difficult, given the poor quality of the source material.

[Inigima]

Well yes I said it does in the OP. I should’ve said how it could be made into something that’s not shit.

Apple, tree, etc etc

[Greywolf2375]

Another book series which I started reading in my early teens was the Inheritence cycle (Eragon). Now the moviw made from the first book titled Eragon was quite terrible. Looking back at the series it isn't exactly an easy one to adapt due to the long sequences of.....growing up, essentially. If they had followed the original plot of the book in Eragon it may have been a different thing but essentially the next two books consist of lots of learning and not until the last book does the pace quicken up frenetically. I think one major problem for this series that it reads like a 12-14 year olds book but still has descriptive blood and gore. I would like to see this series make a successful jump onto the screen, I’m just not overly sure which setting (tv or fim) would suit it better.

They did make a quite successful trilogy of the story - though the third film in it is considered by far the weakest one.

[The Snowman]

Pretty difficult, given the poor quality of the source material.

I think it would work if they aged it up a bit and made it not so kid-ish but unlikely to be given another go. Have you read the Bartimaeus Trilogy?

[The Snowman]

They did make a quite successful trilogy of the story - though the third film in it is considered by far the weakest one.

Do you mean 3^rd book? Also there's 4 books. Originally a trilogy

[Larry of the Lawn]

You could make a good movie about the dictionary. Heck,

But seriously? One Hundred Years of Solitude.

[Sci-2]

I'm sort of convinced Vellum is unfilmable but Love Actually gives me hope.

[Greywolf2375]

Do you mean 3^rd book? Also there's 4 books. Originally a trilogy

No, I mean 3rd movie...Return of the Jedi.

[Maltaran]

I think it would work if they aged it up a bit and made it not so kid-ish but unlikely to be given another go. Have you read the Bartimaeus Trilogy?

I was talking about Eragon.

[tzanth]

derrida's of grammatology is probably unfilmable, but the quasi-sequels/prequels/interquels, writing and difference and speech and phenomena, would be good mini-series.

Personally, I would like to see them make a miniseries out of Lacan's Écrits. Its got everything you need in a good popcorn flick: Imagination, Desire, Sex, and even bloody murder!

[polishgenius]

Bartimeus is perfectly filmable. I don't think the footnotes are essential to the story but even if some information must come from there, a voiceover, while always a risky proposition, could do nicely.

I want to see someone try to film Vellum. Just for the giggles.

The Book of the New Sun - there's been films with unreliable narrators before, obviously - Memento, Badlands, one which I shall not spoil - but in this particular instance I can't see how you'd translate it to screen without making the teasing inconsistencies and clues either clangingly obvious or impossible to see at all. Also a lot of the joy of it is in little asides or in stories within stories which let the prose sing.

The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. Way too much of it is based around concepts that work in the abstract but would be impossible to give visual form.

[WrathOfTinyKittens]

This is my favorite film adaptation of the first Eragon book: http://imdb.com/title/tt0076759/

[Victarious]

xD so Eragon's similar to Star Wars? Don't think I ever watched it.. certainly never read the books.

[armidil0]

I feel like it's much better to adapt things into animation, where you can introduce peoples thoughts easily, and control their looks and aging to keep truer to the story. But you also have to have the right type of animation. Can't throw everything into anime and call it a day, somethings need to be drawn in more detail, and somethings need a different brightness to the coloring sometimes. Somethings would work with 3-d animation, though I prefer 2-d done well over a 3-d done well. Mainly it has to have really good voice actors, and fantastic editors.

ETA: Though I understand a lot of people aren't into animation, I think it's a lot better than throwing in cheap CGI out of people hands, ect whenever something supernatural happens.