The 10 Best Sci-Fi Books That Should Be Box Office Blockbusters

90 comments

It seems as if Hollywood is entirely bereft of fresh material. Next year, three different live-action Snow White films will be released in the States. Disney is still terrorizing audiences with the threat of fifth and sixth Pirates of the Caribbean flicks. The undoubtedly abysmal ninth Hellraiser film was released this year. And yet the dudes with the deep pockets can’t find it within themselves to fund adaptations of some of the greatest sci-fi novels of all time? Producers, if you’re out of ideas, please allow me to help. I work for beer.

The Book of the Long Sun

Gene Wolfe’s saga (first installment published in 1993) tells the story of Patera Silk, a young priest on a quest to save his manteion, the poorest church on the planet, from a savage crime boss. Silk interacts with the deities of Viron, ventures to the underworld and risks everything, including his own morality, to save his home.

Why it would make a great movie:

Silk becomes a revolutionary leader, a prophet, a lover, and a politician on his journey. The books feature gods, prostitutes, and sentient robots called “chems,” and that makes about seven different awesome movies combined into one hot property!

Casting suggestion:

 Paul Bettany as Silk

 

Ender's Game

Orson Scott Card’s 1985 book is actually in development in Hollywood, but they’ve been teasing us with this project for far too long. Ender Wiggin is a bullied little genius sent for elite military training at the Battle School after he injures a fellow student while defending himself. Ender’s success in the training program makes him unpopular with other kids but highly prized by school and government authorities. As his siblings at home, Peter and Valentine, maneuver for power in the global environment of war, Ender is promoted with frightening rapidity through the mysterious ranks of the Battle School.

Why it would make a great movie:

Themes of violence versus diplomacy and a thrilling, significant subplot involving video games make Ender’s Game even more relevant today than when it was first published. And the merchandising tie-ins would be huge!

Casting suggestion:

Chandler Riggs as Ender

 

Fahrenheit 451

It’s hard to believe that Ray Bradbury’s riveting dystopian novel of 1953 hasn’t been made into a film since 1966. That film (by François Truffaut) is great, but I can’t help but think that a modern update is justified. Guy Montag is a “fireman” whose sole job is to burn books for their propensity for making people think. Damn troublemaking books! Montag meets a free-thinking teenager and then reads a beautiful line from a novel he is meant to burn, and he soon begins to question his profession, society, and the entirety of existence as the world around him prepares for war.

Why it would make a great movie:

Dystopian futures are always inherently cinematic, and while a world that embraces debauchery over intellectualism may be disastrous, it’s super fun to watch!

Casting suggestion:

Cillian Murphy as Montag

 

Flatland

Edwin Abbott Abbott’s 1884 novella was made into a short, straight-to-vid movie in 2007, but this story would make a wonderful, big-budget animated film. Flatland is a two-dimensional world inhabited by geometric shapes. The narrator is A Square, who dreams of a one-dimensional world called Lineland and tries to convince the occupants there of a second dimension, but the lines simply cannot conceive of it. He is then visited by a sphere that he perceives as a circle, and the sphere attempts to educate him in the existence of a third dimension and the world of Spaceland.

Why it would make a great movie:

The clever conceit would be beautifully demonstrated through animation, and the film actually creates a genuinely cunning use for 3D, unlike the random pointlessness of most 3D movies.

Casting suggestion:

Voice actor Billy West as A Square

 

Neuromancer

William Gibson’s classic 1984 cyberpunk masterpiece features scam artist and former hacker Henry Dorsett Case, whose central nervous system has been damaged as punishment for having embezzled from his employer. The punishment leaves Case unable to interface with the global cyberspace system called the Matrix, making him a pretty lackluster hacker. Case teams up with street cutie Molly Millions and her boss, hacker crime chief Armitage, who works to cure Case as payment for some hefty mercenary work.

Why it would make a great movie:

Ultimately, it’s a typical heist story with all that entails: the recruiting of a ragtag team of brilliant misfits, the use of newfangled gadgetry and the high stakes race against time. Who doesn’t love a good heist flick? The cyberpunk aspect just gives it an original edge.

Casting suggestion:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Case

 

Slaughterhouse-Five 

Kurt Vonnegut’s 1969 satire is another book that’s been already been made into a movie (the 1972 film helmed by George Roy Hill), but that could use a contemporary update. Scrawny optometrist Billy Pilgrim makes a shockingly inadequate soldier, so his capture by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge comes as very little surprise. He is stored in a slaughterhouse and then kidnapped by the extraterrestrial Tralfamadorians, who teach Billy about the fourth dimension. Billy learns the secret of time travel and becomes “unstuck in time,” experiencing life events from the past and future non-linearly.

Why it would make a great movie:

The combination of war film and time travel adventure call for a big-budget spectacle with lots of laughs and thrills, if deftly and intelligently handled.

Casting suggestion:

John Krasinski as Billy

 

Snow Crash

The 1992 book by Neal Stephenson introduces us to the adorably named hacker Hiro Protagonist, who finds his friends and colleagues falling prey to a new meta-drug called Snow Crash. As Hiro dives deeper into the mystery of Snow Crash at the behest of his hot, brilliant ex-girlfriend Juanita, he becomes further immersed in the dangerous world of hacking.

Why it would make a great movie:

It’s a cryptic conspiracy story that slowly unravels to expose a deeper mystery within—and it’s got a romance angle to boot. It’s like a well-written The Da Vinci Code, and people love that shit.

Casting suggestions:

Boris Kodjoe as Hiro

And because Party Down suggested it first: Ryan Hansen as Vitaly Chernobyl

 

The Stars My Destination

The gripping 1956 novel by Alfred Bester essentially boils down to The Count of Monte Cristo in space, which is to say: rad. In a world where teleportation within a planet (called jaunting) is possible, blue-collared Gully Foyle is the last survivor of a merchant spaceship that was attacked in the interplanetary war, and he waits passively for months to be rescued. After a ship named Vorga intentionally passes and leaves him to die, Foyle finds himself truly motivated for the first time in his life. He undergoes extreme physical and mental transformation in order to craft an elaborate revenge against the Vorga and its captain.

Why it would make a great movie:

Didn’t you hear me? The Count of Monte Cristo in space! Revenge, romance, painstakingly exacted schemes, teleportation, telepathy and crazy face tattoos: this book’s got it all.

Casting suggestion:

Jason Statham as Gully Foyle

 

Stranger in a Strange Land

Of all the books on this list, I am most surprised that Robert A. Heinlein’s 1961 novel has never been made into a movie. Stranger in a Strange Land tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, who is the son of astronauts from the first expedition to Mars. The space crew died, leaving orphaned Mike to be reared by Martians. Twenty years later, a second expedition results in Mike’s return to earth. Heir to a vast fortune, Mike is unfamiliar with Earth’s ways—materialism, religion, war, women, wearing clothes, stuff like that—but deeply intelligent, with psychic abilities and the capacity to grok learned from his adoptive Martian family. Mike bonds with a nurse named Gillian, travels the world and starts a church based on Martian principles—all while closely tracked and jealously guarded by the political villains of Earth.

Why it would make a great movie:

The story is poetic, enthralling and filled with intrigue. Mike is an incredibly complex character, and his education in the despair and beauty of Earth and its inhabitants would be fascinating to watch onscreen.

Casting suggestion:

Mischa Collins as Mike

 

A Wrinkle in Time

Other than a 2003 Disney TV movie, Madeleine L’Engle’s classic 1962 novel has never graced the silver screen, and that is a tragedy. Querulous, mousy teenager Meg Murry finds herself overshadowed in her successful family of scientist parents, athletic twins, and her super-genius brother Charles Wallace, aged five. When Meg, Charles Wallace and Meg’s classmate Calvin embark on an adventure to find Meg’s missing father and learn the meaning of the tesseract, they travel to other planets and discover the ability to fold the fabric of space and time.

Why it would make a great movie:

Some of the greatest adventures of all time tell the story of seemingly ill-equipped kids who demonstrate profound bravery when circumstances demand it. Plus, the vastly different planets visited by Meg and her cohorts are richly described and would translate beautifully to the big screen.

Casting suggestion:

Maisie Williams as Meg

So there you have it! Ten great stories ready to be adapted into huge blockbusters, and not a vampire or pirate in sight. Each of these novels represents nuanced characterizations, resonant landscapes, and deeply compelling stories, and I honestly believe that if well-made, they would translate into serious box office business for the powers that be.

But I must have neglected some titles. What sci-fi classic would you adapt into a big-budget feature film? 

To leave a comment Login with Facebook or create a free account.

Comments

Serg's picture
Serg October 1, 2011 - 2:38pm

I think, Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk it ready scenario.

Mark Henson's picture
Mark Henson from United Kingdom is reading Fahrenheit 451 October 1, 2011 - 3:44pm

I would love to see a contemporary version of Slaughterhouse-Five. I think the suggestion of John Krasinski as Billy is inspired - I hadn't considered him playing that role, but he would be so perfect.

Farenheit 451 would also be a wonderful modern remake, handled correctly of course.

Joshua Chaplinsky's picture
Joshua Chaplinsky from New York is reading Library Books October 1, 2011 - 4:37pm

Recently re-read A Wrinkle In Time and it just did not hold up for me as an adult. I would love to see a Slaughter-house update, but don't really dig Krasinski. Stranger would make an awesome movie. I think Michael Fassbender should star. Hell, Fassbender for ALL these roles! Even the ones he isn't right for.

Kirk's picture
Admin
Kirk from Pingree Grove, IL is reading The Book Of The New Sun October 1, 2011 - 4:54pm

I would love to see Snow Crash hit the screen, but I think it is probably too much for a single movie, if they wanted to do it right.

Of course, Hollywood would probably be fine just making a movie that covers only the most basic plot-points. And Hiro would be Leonardo Dicaprio.

Levi Haag's picture
Levi Haag from All around is reading Game of Thrones series October 1, 2011 - 5:03pm

I would absolutly love to see a Brave New World movie. I first read it as a teenager and all these years later it is still a favorite story of mine.

Vinny Mannering's picture
Vinny Mannering from Jericho, VT is reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow October 1, 2011 - 5:28pm

Brave New World is an excellent addition to this list. There's rumors of an updated version of Dune in the works in Hollywood. I hated David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of my favorite novel, so that will be interesting to see.

Joshua Chaplinsky's picture
Joshua Chaplinsky from New York is reading Library Books October 1, 2011 - 5:39pm

Love the book Dune, love David Lynch. Should have been like chocolate and peanut butter, but sadly it wasn't. I do have a fondness for the film, though.

Howard_Rue's picture
Howard_Rue from Mount Dora, Florida is reading Heart-Shaped Box October 1, 2011 - 7:59pm

Oh, how I loved the original Ender's Game.  Not a fan of the myraid of sequels and offshoots.  I've heard that Hollywood has tried to get it made before. I wonder where that went.

And John Karsinski would be perfect for Billy.

A Wrinkle in Time is a wondeful text, but, really, a movie? I think the nature of it would have to be reconstructed for the shortened format that film represents by its very nature. Still, I'd go buy tickets.

Peace,
Rue

John Newall's picture
John Newall October 2, 2011 - 3:29am

The SOS THE ROPE trilogy by Piers Anthony? Enough there for a couple of sequels.

 

elizaeffect's picture
elizaeffect from Cleveland is reading Why I Left Harry's All-Night Hamburgers October 2, 2011 - 11:02am

Two separate film versions of Flatland came out in 2007. (Even Wikipedia knows this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland#Feature_films ) I saw the 98-minute independent one and thought it was great. They even updated the Victorian satire with a more modern slant. I don't know what's left to cover, there, though I'm sure other filmmakers will try at some point.

Razvan Teodor Coloja's picture
Razvan Teodor Coloja October 2, 2011 - 3:35pm

Ubik by Philip K. Dick or The Man In The High Castle by the same author would make great movies.

Jen Todd's picture
Jen Todd is reading your lifeline and all signs are good October 2, 2011 - 11:59pm

I will agree with you-- Slaughterhouse desperately needs a remake.  Farenheit, on the other hand, is like... a high school lit class staple!  I can't fathon the slick Hollywood reimagining of this timeless work.

Ender's Game, though... forgeddabowdit.  I heard somewhere that Orson was not very plussed about Hollywood getting their hands on Ender's.  I'd be surprised if it really happened in his lifetime.

Wing Foil's picture
Wing Foil from Earth is reading The Book of English Magic; Game of Thrones & Dexter is Delicious October 3, 2011 - 1:08am

I think the series The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant would offer a lot, both for dramatic characterisation and special effect eye candy... who doesn't love a self hating leper..?

razorsharp's picture
razorsharp from Ohio is reading Atlas Shrugged October 3, 2011 - 4:29am

This is a funny list. Stranger in a Strange Land would make a horrible movie. The first half of the book is interesting. The second half is destroys everything the first half worked to set up. It basically preaches hedonism, a religion founded on swinging.

Vonnegut doesn't work well on film. I doubt a remake of Slaughterhouse-Five could do much better than the fantastically mediocre original. The best Vonnegut movie is Mother Night and it's probably due to the fact that it has no sci-fi whatsoever. If I were to put together a sci-fi flick based on a Vonnegut book it would be Sirens of Titan or Player Piano. 

Neuromancer has a movie loosely based on it - it's called The Matrix. The funny thing is that if someone made Neuromancer into a film everyone would think it's a Matrix rip-off.

A Wrinkle in Time could be promising in the hands of the right director or disastrous in the hands of the wrong one. I haven't seen the Disney adaptation.

The problem with Fahrenheit-451 is that it's no longer distopian: it's about what is now present day. Very few people see the horror of abandoning intellectualism for XBox Live.

I haven't read the others.

Jerome's picture
Jerome from Elmhurst IL is reading REAMDE - Neal Stephenson October 3, 2011 - 7:37am

For an interesting (though not at all sci-fi) read on an author's perspective of the nature of Quality and being wooed toward allowing a screen adaptation of a great 1st book (Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) to occur, check out Robert Pirsig's 2nd book "Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lila:_An_Inquiry_into_Morals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance:_...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_M._Pirsig

 

Kate Winters's picture
Kate Winters from Toronto is reading James Rollins' Sigma Force series October 3, 2011 - 2:08pm

I personally have been waiting for someone to actually *make* Neuromancer into a movie since I first read it in high school (and read it at least another dozen times since--I have 3 copies of it). Ender's Game is another series that would've made a great Sci Fi saga.

The problem I see with all of this, is that while these books are absolutely fantastic, and would make for an interesting movie premise, the room for disasters is simply too great. There have been a lot of really good books that were adapted for film, but had done terribly because of various reasons. At the end of the day, it is not the original author's or the screenwriter's or the director's or the actors' abilities that matter, but the bottom line of the production company and the ability of the audience to appreciate the work. It is incredibly difficult to take some of the nuances of a book and realize it on screen. It requires good writing, good direction, good ACTING (which is severely lacking in "blockbusters" these days) and good post production. And after all that, you present it to the masses who have no appreciation for sci fi and rather be watching yet another plotless remake of Transformers... I'd rather them not even try it. (Don't get me wrong, I love the original Transformers, but my head shakes for the remakes.)

I still mourn the lack of box office sales for Danny Boyle's "Sunshine". It is such a beautiful movie, people simply couldn't appreciate the beauty of the movie because they get all caught up on the fact that it's sci fi. And I mourn the adaptation of "Johnny Mnemonic"--why, oh why, did they have to cast Keanu Reeve?! (But Dina Meyer is lovely :)

Richard Welter's picture
Richard Welter from Amsterdam is reading REAMDE October 3, 2011 - 3:42pm

A Neuromancer movie now seems to finally be moving forward, Vincenzo Natali (Splice, Cube) is attached as director.

 

kwolfhard's picture
kwolfhard October 3, 2011 - 4:18pm

I'd love to see books like Neuromancer and Ender's Game get adapted to film, for sure.

One not listed that I think would also be great is The Stochastic Man. Or Frederik Pohl's Gateway,

Chorlie's picture
Chorlie from Philadelphia, PA is reading The Rules of the Tunnel October 4, 2011 - 8:41am

The Dark Tower series.

CJ Roberts's picture
CJ Roberts from Salem, MA is reading goodreads.com/cjroberts_dmm October 4, 2011 - 12:21pm

Alastair Reynolds's stuff would make a great tv series. Instead of Neuromancer ANY of Gibson's work from the Sprawl would be fantastic. Pattern Recognition maybe. Or John C. Wright's Golden Age trilogy.

Caleb Crotzer's picture
Caleb Crotzer October 4, 2011 - 10:47pm

I would love to see a Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.  Though I guess it would have to be about 20 parts to be complete.  Somebody even put together their dream cast for it already here.

Vinny Mannering's picture
Vinny Mannering from Jericho, VT is reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow October 5, 2011 - 1:52pm

The problem with Fahrenheit-451 is that it's no longer distopian: it's about what is now present day. Very few people see the horror of abandoning intellectualism for XBox Live.

@razorsharp - I understand your point, but I think it's a bit close-minded. Sure, you're spot on when it comes to a bunch of 13 year old playing WoW who only know one adjective ("gay") and one noun ("noob"), but it doesn't take into account a lot of thoughtful and well-constructed video games. For example, Fallout 3 is simultaneously one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had and one of the best distopian stories I've ever experienced. Similarly, the Assassin's Creed franchise is an excellent work of historical fiction AND an excellent gaming experience.

Plus, we haven't figured out that home-fireproofing yet.

Tina's picture
Tina is reading Drive, James Sallis October 5, 2011 - 4:59pm

I'd actually love to see Stranger in a Strange Land because of its social commentary and how perfect it suits. And I agree with Josh (Fassbender for everything, ever!) but have a heavy caveat: Ryan Gosling. In all of the movies. Tell me this wouldn't sell SciFi to the unwashed masses!

Joshua Chaplinsky's picture
Joshua Chaplinsky from New York is reading Library Books October 6, 2011 - 9:21am

Oh man, Tina, good choice. Gosling would also make a great Michael. But no Ryan Reynolds!

Joshua Chaplinsky's picture
Joshua Chaplinsky from New York is reading Library Books October 6, 2011 - 9:26am

@Chorlie:

It seems you will have to continue pining for The Dark Tower. Last I heard, Universal passed and the project was in turnaround.

Joshua Chaplinsky's picture
Joshua Chaplinsky from New York is reading Library Books October 6, 2011 - 9:32am

Another good one would be Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama. Fincher was trying to get an adaptation off the ground for years, with Morgan Freeman starring. That would have been ideal. I'd love to see Fincher take another shot at sci-fi.

In 2001, an NYC college student made this short film based on the beginning of Rama, and it's actually really good.

Meredith's picture
Meredith from Houston, Texas is reading His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman October 6, 2011 - 9:41am

Tina, it's so funny you should mention it, but Ryan Gosling was totally my first choice for Mike in Stranger! I just second-guessed myself and started thinking Mischa Collins because he's already nailed the wise, sublime being who is still naive in the ways of the world as Castiel in Supernatural.

Thanks for all the great comments, everyone! These suggestions are all spot-on and I could have easily made this a top 20 list. So much material rife for adapting here! 

bryantunick's picture
bryantunick from New York, NY is reading The Shining October 6, 2011 - 10:36am

I agree on the Dark Tower series... so cinematic.  I've been waiting for an Oryx and Crake movie for a long time as well.

Joshua Chaplinsky's picture
Joshua Chaplinsky from New York is reading Library Books October 6, 2011 - 11:03am

Oryx and Crake. That would be great. We just reviewed Atwood's latest (HERE). You know she's writing a third book in the series?

Jessica Beck's picture
Jessica Beck from Portland, OR October 6, 2011 - 11:08am

Of all the Heinlein books that should be made into movies (there are lots), Number of the Beast is first on my list. The Cat Who Walked Through Walls is a close second. Stranger in a Strange Land, though iconic, is closer to the bottom - it's just too dense to translate coherently into film, and the message could too easily turn into something trite and saccharine.

TOTALLY AGREE about A Wrinkle in Time, though.

Klassy's picture
Klassy from San Francisco is reading Reamde by Neal Stephenson, and Supergods by Grant Morrison October 6, 2011 - 1:59pm

I'd love for World War Z to be adapted into a high-production TV series, not as a movie.

Vikio's picture
Vikio from Odessa, Ukraine. Also New York City. And Hawaii. And San Francisco. is reading "Fragile Things" by Neil Gaiman October 6, 2011 - 6:53pm

Ok, as a Russian I must mention "Hard to be a God" by the brothers Strugatsky. It's had some attempts at adaptation in Europe, but I think it would rock as a Hollywood-type movie. Summary - On another planet, which is in it's Middle Ages, "experimental historians" from Earth live pretending to be natives. The main character, known as Don Rumata, is disgusted by cruelties he observes on an everyday basis but is prohibited by his superiors from interfering and thus changing the natural course of history of the planet. The only thing the historians have a right to do is to protect and help few individuals who seem to be different from everybody else and can benefit the entire planet through their knowledge and ideas. Rumata has to find one of these people, Budakh, and rescue him from the hands of Don Reba, a grey cardinal ruling for a weak king and later, an insane tyrant.

It's horses and spaceships, and swordfights, and secrets, and moral catch-22s, you can't lose! (GULP, I suddenly remembered about "Firefly")

That said, something from Anne McCaffrey would be cool to watch - Dragonriders and Telepaths! Although it may work better as a TV-show, considering there's hundreds of years of material. It would be cool if every season covered a given time period, and the next season jumped forward 100-300 years.

And Also Diane Duane's "So You Want To Be a Wizard" series has a special place in my heart, and I was always confused why Harry Potter is more famous and got the movie deal. No. Seriously - Why?

Sandy Stelzig Darst's picture
Sandy Stelzig Darst November 23, 2011 - 3:55pm

I can't believe nobody has mentioned The Legacy of Heorot!  It's by Niven, Pournelle & Barnes, and it reads like an action movie.

Hetch Litman's picture
Hetch Litman from Somewhere in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest is reading The Violent Bear it Away by Flannery O'Connor December 24, 2011 - 9:07am

I grok stranger. For sure.

vladamirxx's picture
vladamirxx December 29, 2011 - 1:03am

Am I crazy or does no one realize that Equilibrium staring Christian Bale is an adaptation of Farenheit 451?
Also I would love to see Hiro Protaganist on the Big Screen.

eblair2389's picture
eblair2389 December 29, 2011 - 10:58pm

Are you kidding? from what I see here, no one has mentioned Dune. I mean you want a story about a prophet's becoming, set in a brutal world, with exciting technologies and unconventional and interesting themes? and with the way that CGI has advanced it would be a far improvement on the original, not to mention the potential for trilogy.

 

eblair2389's picture
eblair2389 December 29, 2011 - 11:02pm

and by the way, "The Book Of The Long Sun" sounds like it's themes were lifted from my aforementioned suggestion, "Dune." which was written years before in the sixties. Besides, who's going to go see seven movies in one series? I think that's asking a little much of the general public.

 

harmlessjoyce's picture
harmlessjoyce December 30, 2011 - 5:47am

I've never seen a movie of C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy and I LOVE that series. Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and/or That Hideous Strength would each be an amazing story for the big screen. Does anybody agree?

Joshua Chaplinsky's picture
Joshua Chaplinsky from New York is reading Library Books December 30, 2011 - 6:33am

@harmless: I do, yes.

mpathy's picture
mpathy February 24, 2012 - 2:49am

I fact you didn't know:

Neuromancer is already in pre-production, it is directed by Vincenzo Natali of "Splice".

And hey its funny that every website I see who is talking about the main actor they say Joseph Gordon-Levitt - hope Vincenzo Natali makes that true. If he is in mind for that role by everyone who read the book it shouldnt be a bad choice.

Alternatively I would say Emile Hirsch or Ben Whishaw because of the way how deep they can get into the roles, or for a sure cost recovery a girl magnet like Robert Pattison, with short black hair. :)

Bryn Tilly's picture
Bryn Tilly from Sydney, Australia is reading A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin February 25, 2012 - 12:45am

Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan would make a phenomenal movie. Directed by David Fincher perhaps. It is the best hard sf novel since Neuromancer.

Zackery Olson's picture
Zackery Olson from Rockford, IL is reading pretty much anything I can get my hands on March 10, 2012 - 7:05pm

I am a huge fan of a lot of these novels. In the case of "Ender's Game," "Neuromancer," and "Snow Crash," I think the novels are almost too good to be made into big-budget Hollywood films. Unfortunately, yes--I am one of those jerks. The psychological complexity of "Ender's Game" would not translate properly to the big screen. The gritty noir sensibility of "Neuromancer" is something that I think may be lost on today's movie-going audience. In the case of "Snow Crash," I feel like it would just be turned into another movie about hacking.  I do like the idea of "A Wrinkle in Time" as a movie, maybe because I have never been a huge fan of the book.

Kurtis Doerfler's picture
Kurtis Doerfler April 13, 2012 - 4:24pm

Stainless Steel Rat

Deathworld

Mockingbird

Ubik

Incarnations of Immortality

A Canticle for Leibowitz

ReneeAPickup's picture
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig April 14, 2012 - 1:42pm

Well, Fareinheit 451 was already made into a movie, so it would be a reboot and an adaptation (and oh yes, the first one was awful). Just like Dune has been made (twice) so a new Dune would be just that--a new version of a film that's already been made.

I'd love to see Hollywood save the reboots for the films that really deserve it (Fareinheit 451, for example) and ditch the rest. I am not sure that Dune needs a third try. Sometimes you just gotta admit it isn't going to be done "right" and leave it.

Danny Collins's picture
Danny Collins April 14, 2012 - 5:12pm

No, John Krasinski cannot be Billy Pilgrim.

Erectitudes of the Universe's picture
Erectitudes of ... from Roswell, Georgia is reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress April 14, 2012 - 8:31pm

I don't know if this is true or not; my dad always told me that David Bowie was supposed to play Valentine Michael Smith though something happened and "The Man Who Fell to Earth" was made. Keep in mind he was a hippie and did a lot of LSD.

Clara Lombardi's picture
Clara Lombardi June 3, 2012 - 2:14pm

They are making a movie about Enders Game, they already have the cast with the kid for Hugo playing Ender, Harrison Ford playing Graff, Haliee Steinfred playing Petra, and Abigal Bresland playing Valentin the movie is in production and is coming out November 1, 2013

 

Dena Ellison's picture
Dena Ellison from Currently Fairfax, Virginia is reading Voyager (again!) June 10, 2012 - 7:35am

Poul Anderson's The High Crusade would make a great movie.  I do love the idea of a far superior race getting their asses kicked by a bunch of barbarians, and it would be a fun movie to watch if done by the right team with the right cast - especially if none of them take themselves too seriously.  (Being a SCAdian, I am ashamed to say that this is the only one of his books that I have read.)

 Hard to be a God as described above by Vikio, also sounds extremely cool.  It would be great for a more serious movie. 

Larry Wasil's picture
Larry Wasil July 7, 2012 - 5:26pm

The Foundation series by Issac Asimov would make for a great adaptation.

Kevin Maddox's picture
Kevin Maddox from Melstrand, Mi is reading Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut July 9, 2012 - 12:59pm

I hope this prompts some filmaker to do a Slaughterhouse 5 or Fereinhiet 451 remake.