Best Sci Fi Books not Tranlated to Screen (The Great Rejects)

[Ignatzmonster]

The Register is going to list the top fifty science fiction books Hollywood has yet to sully. Happily before it does it made a list of those books that didn't make the cut from lack of votes. There are some good books in that list. You may recognize a couple.  


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/19/sci_fi_poll/

[strontium71]

What about Stainless Steel Rat? Crying out for at least a trilogy!

[satchmo]

There was a TV adaptation of Caves of Steel by the BBC with Peter Cushing (I think), I don't think it still exists but I would love to see that.

Lack of The Forever War and Way Station on that list, does that mean they aren't even rejects?

[Ignatzmonster]

There was a TV adaptation of Caves of Steel by the BBC with Peter Cushing (I think), I don't think it still exists but I would love to see that.

Lack of The Forever War and Way Station on that list, does that mean they aren't even rejects?

Don't know about Way Station but I would put good money on Forever War making it to the long Short List. I am baffled they haven't made that one yet. I've mixed feelings about the list anyway. Do I really want to see Will Smith in an adaptation of Tiger, Tiger?

[The Adventurer]

Ridley Scott has the film rights to The Forever War. Which means its going to be ASTONISHINGLY amazing, or ASTONISHING Terrible.

I so want to see a good Caves of Steel adaption. But after the travesty of I, Robot not for a while.

[Ancient Otter]

Quite a few on the list I've never heard of before must have a look on Google.

Also on a side note, did you know The Forever War was adapted into a French Comic in the eighties? There was a collected edition a few years ago:

http://www.dupuis.com/catalogue/FR/al/2573/la_guerre_eternelle_edition_integrale.html

[JOE SOAP]

There was a TV adaptation of Caves of Steel by the BBC with Peter Cushing (I think), I don't think it still exists but I would love to see that.

Couple of clips exist:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3HXyJhXpPo

[JOE SOAP]

Ridley Scott has the film rights to The Forever War. Which means its going to be ASTONISHINGLY amazing, or ASTONISHING Terrible.

Scott isn't a good choice, give it to Duncan Jones.

[The Adventurer]

I'm not sure it's physically possible to adapt Ubik into a feature film.

I notice Neuromancer isnt on the list, does someone have the film option rights?

[JOE SOAP]

I'm not sure it's physically possible to adapt Ubik into a feature film.

They're giving it a go nonetheless. I don't think 'physicality' is the problem but the dialogue, there's too much of it and could sound 'wanky' on-screen. Works on the page though.


http://www.slashfilm.com/michel-gondry-adapting-philip-dick-ubik/

I notice Neuromancer isnt on the list, does someone have the film option rights?

I think Neuromancer's cultural-time has passed.

[The Adventurer]

I notice Neuromancer isnt on the list, does someone have the film option rights?

I think Neuromancer's cultural-time has passed.

Maybe. Cyberpunk has become rather dated as presented in Neuromancer, but Transhumanism is alive and well. And Neuromancer, and by extension cyberpunk, touches on that sort of thing.

I'm actually reading Neuromancer for the first time and it's sort of great. Did it really create the cyberpunk genre whole-cloth? Because most, if not all of the genre's conventions and terminology seem to be present.

[I, Cosh]

I notice Neuromancer isnt on the list, does someone have the film option rights?/quote]
I think Neuromancer's cultural-time has passed.

Maybe. Cyberpunk has become rather dated as presented in Neuromancer, but Transhumanism is alive and well.

You guys appear to have missed the point that this is a list of things that didn't make it into the top fifty. And it's headed by Ace Trucking!

Better read people than me will be along to tell you exactly what short story was the first cyberpunk fiction but I'd say: Neuromancer was the first big cyperpunk novel, but it signposted what a few writers had been playing with. It couldn't seem anything but dated, but ask yourself one question. If you were talking about the book to someone who didn't read any sci-fi, how much of the hard techy infrastructure of the novel would you really need to explain in the depth the novel does. Not much I'd say.

[Bat King]

What about Stainless Steel Rat? Crying out for at least a trilogy!

Well it was optioned quite a while back... http://www.iol.ie/~carrollm/hh/n02-ssrmovie.htm

[clavell]

Hi.

It would be okay with me if they never make any of these. Hollywood just dilutes and dumbs down so much of a good work, it's best if it's left alone.

- C

[Bat King]

Often so with Hollywood.  They also stink at historical films.

But sometimes films work out ok.