Rambling, rumbling to a point--a Science Fiction movie I want to see.

[therrin]

A few days ago, essentialsaltes linked to an article 8 Science Fiction and Fantasy novels that should be movies.  The entry got me thinking about stories I would like to see on the big screen (or even as a tv series).

For me, that's a difficult question.  I read far too many short stories and far too few novels to be able to think of things that achieve those

Comments

[darkportent]

I'm pretty sure the version of Stardance I read was the full novel version, and it was good. It seems like the sort of story that could be killed by producer meddling though; I'm worried they'll try to work in hip-hop routines or something. The article you linked does make it sound like trying to do an imax version would have ruined it too, if they had to cut the actual story parts out.

I have not read the rest of the Stardance trilogy, although I have enjoyed most of the other Spider Robinson stuff I've read

[therrin]

I think the novel is named Stardancer, weirdly enough.

OMG, a hip hop scene...in space. I don't have words for the horror. For that matter, a modern dance scene might not be any better! Jazz at least would work.

I'm very leary of novel forms of exceptional short stories after Asimov's Nightfall and Miller's Canticle for Leibowitz, but given the original story had all the acts necessary for a novel for once, it could work well. The aliens are a total footnote in the story, so just expanding everything that happens with them after the dance would probably be sufficient.

Yeah, I've only read a little of Robinsons's work, but I've liked what I've read by and large.

[aaronjv]

Remember: obscure things no one has ever heard of yet are good. Go back in time, or find something that was popular but has since fallen long out of favor. I don't have the money for the big stuff.

[therrin]

Truthfully, I thought a 1970s Hugo Winner that I hadn't seen or heard anything else about (well, until I googled at which point that theory fell apart) was obscure. I guess it makes sense that someone would have optioned all of the Hugos over the years, just for practicality purposes if they had enough money.

[aaronjv]

Just FYI, studios have people on staff that read every book released by a major publisher and often scoop up the rights (and do nothing with them...which is why you have to wait about ten years or more to see if the rights have been returned to the author/publisher) . Any comic book that wins an award (Eisner), or gets a good review from a "hip" source has agents sniffing.

I know someone who works for Fox whose job it is to go to the big YA book sale/release convention (In Italy, she says) and just grab stuff to forward on to development. She gets paid big bucks to do this.

Kinda scary if you think about it.

[therrin]

Very disturbing when you think about it. I wonder if you were doing that woman's job and actually believed in what you were doing at the beginning, if years of buying works to be shelved would grind you down?

Part of me wants to know though (as other than the grinding part, it sounds awesome) how does one get a job like that?