Interesting timeline idea! A TV adaptation of a JRPG would probably be most feasible at this time, though the prospect of live-action definitely strikes me as quite the reach. Square seems far too protective of their creative "style" to allow so many foreign hands on their baby. An anime strikes me as far more likely, one that inevitably becomes one of the big crossover hits of the late 1990s. There's a certain artifice to the Final Fantasy world that just doesn't lend itself to live-action. Even anime (as opposed to CGI) seems too organic. But this is very fun thought experiment, and I definitely applaud your tying it in to other pop-culture developments happening at the time (the BBC attempting to get a science-fiction franchise off the ground) and your recognition of practical limitations hampering such grand ambitions.
One serious criticism: the cast roster. It leans too heavily on Young Future Famous People. Virtually everyone is a name, right down to the bit players. A little creative licence to cast some original characters would have been acceptable. But overall, this was a really neat effort! Thanks for sharing it with us
One serious criticism: the cast roster. It leans too heavily on Young Future Famous People. Virtually everyone is a name, right down to the bit players. A little creative licence to cast some original characters would have been acceptable. But overall, this was a really neat effort! Thanks for sharing it with us