Other Science Fiction and Fantasy literature turned into shows and movies:

[Kalvan]

In "That Wacky Redhead," I have mentioned the attempt by MGM/Universal to bring Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant to the silver screen that resulted in a (to massively understate matters) rather large difference in opinion as to how to procede from the material.

But there are several other possible novel-to-film projects in alternate history that just beg to be explored. Here are a few WIs:

1: Instead of Alien, the Scott Brothers decide to pick up a property 20th Century Fox had optioned, Larry Niven's Ringworld.

2: While going over the manuscript of the novelization of Star Wars with author Alan Dean Foster, George Lucas picks up an author copy of The Tar Ayim Kang, pronounces it good, and asks if he could produce a series of Flinx and Pip movies. He himself will be too busy with Star Wars and Indiana Jones to actually direct them, but he's seen this short by this Canadian guy named James Cameron called Xenogenesis that makes him almost the perfect director for this.

3: While brainstorming for the ideas that ultimately created the short lived show Wizards and Warriors, one of the CBS producers got the grand idea of producing a show set in either Terry Brooks' Shannara or Landover, or Raymond Feist's Midkemia/Kelewan. WI he had managed to convince a few more of his fellows?

4: Before landing The Dresden Files, the Sci-Fi Channel (now Sy-Fy) was in heated negatiations for the rights to Glenn Cook's Garrett, PI Noir Fantasy and Robert Asprin's Captain Phule Millitary SF Spoof series. WI they had landed the rights to both Ca. 2005? Farscape was off the air by then, and the only really big shows left were Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica. (Eureka would be next year.)

[AdA]

The Russian night watch saga as a big budget TV series.

[unclepatrick]

Originally Posted by Kalvan

In "That Wacky Redhead," I have mentioned the attempt by MGM/Universal to bring Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant to the silver screen that resulted in a (to massively understate matters) rather large difference in opinion as to how to procede from the material."

But there are several other possible novel-to-film projects in alternate history that just beg to be explored. Here are a few WIs:

1: Instead of Alien, the Scott Brothers decide to pick up a property 20th Century Fox had optioned, Larry Niven's Ringworld."

I working on a Timeline that has the Scifi Channel do tale of Known Space as a TV Mini Series and The First Ring World Novel as a Movie. Latter they would Air the Ring World Movie as a Mini Series with many of the Missing Scenes. Latter they would do the remaining three Novel, Ringworld Throne, Engineers and Ringworld Children as a Big Miniseries

2: While going over the manuscript of the novelization of Star Wars with author Alan Dean Foster, George Lucas picks up an author copy of The Tar Ayim Kang, pronounces it good, and asks if he could produce a series of Flinx and Pip movies. He himself will be too busy with Star Wars and Indiana Jones to actually direct them, but he's seen this short by this Canadian guy named James Cameron called Xenogenesis that makes him almost the perfect director for this.

3: While brainstorming for the ideas that ultimately created the short lived show Wizards and Warriors, one of the CBS producers got the grand idea of producing a show set in either Terry Brooks' Shannara or Landover, or Raymond Feist's Midkemia/Kelewan. WI he had managed to convince a few more of his fellows?"

I just be happy with Wizard and Warriors being a Little better show and lasting a season or Two.

4: Before landing The Dresden Files, the Sci-Fi Channel (now Sy-Fy) was in heated negatiations for the rights to Glenn Cook's Garrett, PI Noir Fantasy and Robert Asprin's Captain Phule Millitary SF Spoof series. WI they had landed the rights to both Ca. 2005? Farscape was off the air by then, and the only really big shows left were Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica. (Eureka would be next year.)

The Sci Channel considered a Miniseries based on the Forever War.
I love to see a Gateway Miniseries base on Pohl novel. A Uplift War Miniseries based on David Birn Novels. Larry Niven Dreampark novel would be interesting.

I also like to see a british series based on Piper's Space Viking and Cosmic Computer.

[scottrich]

Tarnsman of Gor done by the same people who did the Spartacus series(Showtime?)

Warhammer 40,000AD: Band of Brothers HBO series

Ken Burns' Last and First Men

Fringeworthy instead of Stargate

Honor Harrington series instead of Galactica

True Blood crossover to Desperate Housewives

John Carter of Mars

Riddick

At the Mountains of Madness miniseries

[Gunnarnz]

I've always thought "Footfall" (Larry Niven) would make a good movie.

[MattII]

Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress maybe (though getting the low gravity movement right could be tricky).

[Bureaucromancer]

Not really AH per se seeing as the third book is weeks old, but Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London books are begging for something. Not terribly surprising I suppose seeing as he started writing for TV, and apparently originally conceived of the books as a series, but still.

[ccdsah]

How about John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series or Ender's Game series

[histalt]

Well gee, how about a cable TV series or miniseries based on an AH? Adapt, say, Turtledove's Worldwar or TL-191.

Or Card's Tales of Alvin Maker.

Barnes' Lion's Blood/Zulu Heart would be damned interesting on the screen, for the cultural debate it sparked as well as for the awesome story.

[Bureaucromancer]

Originally Posted by histalt

Well gee, how about a cable TV series or miniseries based on an AH? Adapt, say, Turtledove's Worldwar or TL-191.

Or Card's Tales of Alvin Maker.

Barnes' Lion's Blood/Zulu Heart would be damned interesting on the screen, for the cultural debate it sparked as well as for the awesome story.

I tend to think that the first big budget AH production would pretty likely be an ISOT, being more amenable to reasonable scope and closely following small numbers of characters. Guns of the South maybe if we're talking Turtledove?

I could see a Roman Steampunk thing working pretty well all around actually, though it wouldn't so much be an adaptation.

[mattep74]

I would personally love to see 1632 made into a series with Peter Stormare as Gustav II Adolf

Turtledove and Dreyfuss book The two Georges can be a movie produced by HBO.

[unclepatrick]

Originally Posted by ccdsah

How about John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series or Ender's Game series

Yes on Old man War.
Ender game suffer from the same problem that has prevented it being adapted in OTL. How do you do a movie that involved a 12 year old be abused? Also Card demands involvement. Problems would be worst as a TV show.

How about George R Martin tv show Sideways instead of Slider?

[histalt]

Originally Posted by unclepatrick

Yes on Old man War.
Ender game suffer from the same problem that has prevented it being adapted in OTL. How do you do a movie that involved a 12 year old be abused? Also Card demands involvement. Problems would be worst as a TV show.

How about George R Martin tv show Sideways instead of Slider?

Ender's Game hits theaters next year -- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1731141/

[Simon Darkshade]

A few ideas:

- Simon R. Green's Hawk and Fisher as a series of telemovies would be interesting.

- The Dragonlance Chronicles get a live action Game of Thrones style treatment rather than the single rather flawed cartoon of 2007.

- Bio of a Space Tyrant as an HBO series.

- Some of the Forgotten Realms novels would make for interesting films or television, such as the Empires Trilogy, the Finder's Stone Trilogy and the Icewind Dale Trilogy

[Mikestone8]

The Lensman series could be well done with today's special effects.

[Zulufoxtrot]

I remember hearing something about Morgan Freeman wanting to do a Rendezvous with Rama film, it would interesting if that got anywhere.

I personally have also always though that The Great War portion of TL-191 would make for an interesting movie series, but I just know it would be ruined if it were actually done.

As Simon Darkshade, a Dragonlance series done like Game of Thrones would be pretty epic.

Also for Star Trek, I think Peter Davids New Frontier would actually be interesting to see on either the big screen or on as a series.

A Crimson Skies movie would also be nice

[mattep74]

Originally Posted by histalt

Ender's Game hits theaters next year -- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1731141/

But here Ender is played by a 15 year old, not a 7 year old...

Also, since apperantly according to wikipedia the books about Ayla, Earth´s children series by Jean M Auel, is considered speculative alternate history then it should be included here. A miniseries made by HBO starting with a reemake of The clan of the cave bear and ending with The land of painted caves could get done. IMHO HBO are the only ones that could get it done because of all the sex that would need to be included, especially since that was characterchanging between the ending of book 2, whole of book 3 and parts of book 4.

[sharlin]

Saga of the Seven Suns turned into a series would be good.

[T_S_Kimball]

Originally Posted by Zulufoxtrot

I remember hearing something about Morgan Freeman wanting to do a Rendezvous with Rama film, it would interesting if that got anywhere.

Last I heard that's still in limbo. Best we have so far was the game from Sierra, and that's actually based on Rama II. For Clarke, better bets could be 2061 and 3001. Maybe Songs of Distant Earth.

Since gaming has not been mentioned as much, the Diablo and Starcraft franchises would probably work out better today, if Blizzard could find a writer who doesn't mangle their canon (Wing Commander and Final Fantasy come to mind instantly ).

Anything in Niven's 'Known Space' would also make very interesting viewing, but could be cost-prohibitive (given all the CGI needed for various races). Could start with just shows surrounding Gil Hamilton (ARM stories) and see if that gets any traction.

There are also discussions ongoing for a movie based on the Myst/D'ni franchise. That still appears to have traction, and they're working very closely with Cyan on it. It's probably stuck on a backer/producer atm, since they'll probably want keep the rating to PG at worst, G if at all possible (which is difficult to sell these days, unfortunately).

[Edit] Can't believe I forgot Eve Online. Tons of material available there, and would sell very well I think.

[Jellicoe]

Originally Posted by Kalvan

In "That Wacky Redhead," I have mentioned the attempt by MGM/Universal to bring Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant to the silver screen that resulted in a (to massively understate matters) rather large difference in opinion as to how to procede from the material.

But there are several other possible novel-to-film projects in alternate history that just beg to be explored. Here are a few WIs:

1: Instead of Alien, the Scott Brothers decide to pick up a property 20th Century Fox had optioned, Larry Niven's Ringworld.

2: While going over the manuscript of the novelization of Star Wars with author Alan Dean Foster, George Lucas picks up an author copy of The Tar Ayim Kang, pronounces it good, and asks if he could produce a series of Flinx and Pip movies. He himself will be too busy with Star Wars and Indiana Jones to actually direct them, but he's seen this short by this Canadian guy named James Cameron called Xenogenesis that makes him almost the perfect director for this.

3: While brainstorming for the ideas that ultimately created the short lived show Wizards and Warriors, one of the CBS producers got the grand idea of producing a show set in either Terry Brooks' Shannara or Landover, or Raymond Feist's Midkemia/Kelewan. WI he had managed to convince a few more of his fellows?

4: Before landing The Dresden Files, the Sci-Fi Channel (now Sy-Fy) was in heated negatiations for the rights to Glenn Cook's Garrett, PI Noir Fantasy and Robert Asprin's Captain Phule Millitary SF Spoof series. WI they had landed the rights to both Ca. 2005? Farscape was off the air by then, and the only really big shows left were Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica. (Eureka would be next year.)

Would love to see that Ringworld movie, or Dream Park, by Niven. Shannara would be fun. The Plot Against America would make a good "serious" alternate history movie.