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June 21, 2007
Books to Film: When Your Favorite Novel Becomes a Terrible Movie
From time to time, LAist will take a look at the many book-to-film projects underway in Hollywood. We'll explore the books we love and why we're over-the-moon excited or just plain worried about the film projects that bear their name.
When it was announced a few weeks ago that Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson were teaming up to make a film out of Alice Sebold's outstanding The Lovely Bones, we wondered if they'd make it better (is that even possible?) or botch it. We mused on casting options. Who would be good, who would be great, who would surely ruin it. We've been on constant IMDB watch to see what there is to see. Last week, it was announced that Rachel Weisz will play the role of Susie Salmon's mother. This is excellent news. Weisz + Spielberg + Jackson should = a proper version of the book. Right? Remains to be seen. The most critical role, the young Susie Salmon, has yet to be cast. The casting boards are blowing up with speculations.
All this casting hoo-hah and Premiere's recent "20 Movies Not Coming Soon to a Theater Near You" got us thinking about some less-certain formulas that are currently making the rounds all over studio offices in our fair city. A few book-to-film projects that piqued our interest:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. This Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel could be easily botched. Big time. While we loved our comic book artists in print, we can't imagine who might play them properly in film. Or how film might accurately and not-cheesily capture the fantastical comic story they write about the lovely Luna Moth. We were excited when we read that Scott Rudin would produce, Stephen Daldry would direct and both Natalie Portman & Tobey Maguire were on board. Natalie as Luna? Yum. Yet, after some swithcheroos at Paramount, it's all on hold. Botch Factor: Medium to high.
On the Road by Jack Kerouac -- Kerouac's seminal road trip book, the one that came before all others, and the one that defines road-tripping of any sort, it seems that this should be a fairly easy film to make. Right? We envision shades of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with a litle Bukowski: Born into This thrown in for good measure. While Walter Salles is set to direct, the casting remains elusive. Botch factor: Low.
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk - Perhaps the best adaptation of all time in which we loved the book and loved it again after seeing the film is Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club. The good news is that Chuck is busy working on two more film versions of his novels - the hilarious Choke and equally hilarious Invisible Monsters. Sam Rockwell is attached to Choke - which makes us giddy. If anyone can make the fake-choking Victor Mancini come alive on screen, Sam's the man. Botch Factor: Very low. Excitement to see it factor: High, high, high.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - Another Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel that is, well, the bee's knees. Extraordiary in its funny, witty, biting way, this book and it's larger than life character, Ignatius J. Reilly, seems ideal for movie-making. Yet, because the obese Reilly and the other almost-charicature characters are so original, casting could be tricky. Rumored cast includes Will Ferrell and Drew Barrymore, but there's scant mention of it anywhere on IMDB or other boards. Botch Factor: Medium.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- You either love Dave Eggers or you hate him. Yet, if there was one book you'd like him for (besides his latest), it would be this one. A memoir-esque account of his struggle to raise his brother after their parents die, it's both tragic and funny in the way that such moments in life often are. The rights have been bought and sold so many times that it's anyone's guess where it will end up. Rumored cast includes Tom Cruise. Ahem, Tom Cruise? Are you kidding? Oh boy. Botch Factor: Perilously high.
As we look at the long, long list of novels-to-movies that are being bandied about, we can't help but wonder which films will bring new readers to the books and which ones will turn people away forever. Only time and the Hollywood movie-making system will tell. Which novels do you want to see on the silver screen soon?
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Geek Love. Crispin Glover as the eel-boy.
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I understand that Eat Pray Love is going to be made with Julia Roberts. I like Julia, a lot. She's very entertaining. But I was not so excited about her being in this movie from this book. If a big name is needed, why not Kate Winslet? Sorry Jules, I just don't feel you in it. Hey, maybe you'll surprise me.
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When it was announced that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was being made into a major motion picture,I was elated,because it was one of my all time favorite book series.
Yet,when teh movie was released,it was total crap!!!!
I like to think,that if Douglad Adams had not died,it wouldn't have been so "Disneyfied"...
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At the moment i'm concerned about the adaptation of Phillip Pullman's Northern Lights. You know it's going to go horribly wrong when they feel the need to change the title. And the fact that it's massive story on a huge scale and is being directed by Chris Weitz (American Pie, About A Boy). He's fine at what he does but i don't think he can pull this off.
On top of that, they're still taking all mentions of Christianity and God out of it. Not a big deal in the first one but a massive deal in the second and third.
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i'm tired of seeing this gushing fawning over Chuck Palahniuk. He thinks of good ideas but the execution is amateurish and reads like the unfinished product of an adult education creative writing class. He's the poor man's J.G. Ballard.
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I was introduced to Jean Auel's Clan Of The Cave Bear novel in high school, and it quickly became one of my favorites. I've read it many, many times over the years. I beg anyone who sees this comment to NEVER see the horrible movie adaptation. It is one of the worst movies ever made. Just read the book. It's language and detailed descriptions of caveman life, plus herbal and animal lore is breathtaking.
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I would still like to see, one of these days, a real good adaptation of a Dean Koontz novel (theatrically) without being botched, sliced to bits in an editing room, and left to die an ugly death. "Icebound" comes to mind for me rather quickly, as does "Dragon Tears". I'd also like to see an adaptation of F Paul Wilson's "The Select", Fred Sabrehagen's "Empire Of The East", and "Against All Odds" by Chuck Norris. Yes, you heard me right...a Chuck Norris biopic. Why not? Everyone else seems to get one...
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David, Northern Lights was always named the Golden Compass in America. Just thought you should know.
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"I like to think,that if Douglad Adams had not died,it wouldn't have been so "Disneyfied"..."
From what I've heard, most of the "disneyfied" details that people complained about most came from Adams before he died. Apparently as he got older he thought the book was too dark and cynical and wanted more of a happy ending. Ironically, that's one case where the movie may have been better if the author had been LESS involved.
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I agree with the concerns about The Golden Compass, although I think the cast is fairly good. I think that Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig will be able to pull off the complex relationship required, so I'm not too worried about them. However, I keep hearing talk of Eva Green's character of the witch as if she were the major character of the novel and that is worrisome. I just wonder how much they have built her part up for the film.
What has me most worried is the forthcoming version of The Dark is Rising. If Will is not cast correctly, this will be terrible! I don't even see the need to make this into a film. Don't children have imaginations anymore?
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I ran across this link in the IMDB and was motivated enough to speak out on the subject. I've been a major fan of Arthur C. Clarke since I read the novelization of 2001. I had seen and enjoyed (but didn't understand) the film several times before I finally read the darn book several years after the film came out. By sheer luck, the next Clarke book I read was RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA and by the time I finished that one, I was hooked on Clarke for life. Now, 20 plus years later, there is not a word- either fiction or nonfiction- which Clarke has published that I have not read and my opinion of the man hasn't changed.
I keep hearing about a film version of RAMA in the works and I find myself alternating between joy and depression at the prospect of that book making it to the big screen. I am so worried that Hollywood will s**t all over the storyline and ruin the incredible scope and chemistry which Clarke gave the book. I'm almost wishing that it just won't be done so it won't be ruined. My main worry is that the screenwriter will try to combine elements and/or characters from the 3 (unspeakably inferior) sequels into one film and utterly destroy the magic which made RAMA such a joy to read, and re-read, and re-re-reread.
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Easily, easily, I'm most worried about the Will Smith-ing of I Am Legend. Lean, mean, powerful, and dark mid-century Richard Matheson tale, beware! Vincent Price cheese, sure. Charlton Heston in The Omega Man, yes please. Will Smith in New York, even with Ridley Scott involved, hell no.
Worst casting of the year.
Makes I, Robot seem like a decent idea.
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Speaking of Ridley Scott, he's making Blood Meridian. Which is the Number One Spot for Movies That Should Not Be Made Into Films list. I almost feel dread over seeing it.
As for A Confederacy of Dunces, Will Ferrel and Drew Barrymore are the two actors in the history of everything that should NOT be chosen to fill those parts (Barrymore I'm guessing as Myrna?).
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The movie version of "The Celestine Prophecy" was just blah blah. I know that most of the time the problem with book to screen adaptation is the interference of Hollywood, but in this instance, I think the movie could have definitely used the Hollywood treatment. Also the movie version of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was downright atrocious.
My favorite screen adaptations have been the Merchant & Ivory adaptations of E.M. Forster's works, "A Room With A View"; "Where Angels Fear To Tread"; and "Howard's End". I know they made a version of "A Passage to India" but I've not read the book nor seen the film, yet.
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I wonder if I am the only person who laments the loss of Chris Farley, becaude if he could have played Ignatius Reilly it would have been the best move of career.
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Arthur C. Clarke's CHILDHOOD'S END is a short novel (180+ pages) that would blow just any other sci-fi movie ever made off the map. THE WHITE HOTEL would be pretty cool to see on the big screen too.
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To the person who has neither read nor seen "A Passage to India": I have done both, and the movie is even more boring than the book.
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What about children's books turned into horrible movies? Ella Enchanted is one of my favorite books ever, but the movie is completely off. I mean, giant supermodels? The elves turned into lawyer-wannabes? The removal of the main antagonists in favor of a cliche 'be your own special snowflake' storyline?
Frankly, the casting in that movie was fine. It was the screenwriters who should've been shot.
See also: Bridge to Terabithia, The Littles, The Borrowers, Stuart Little(decent movie, but so not the book)
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Phillip Seymour Hoffman would make a most excellent Ignatius. But who for Momma Reilly?