by A.J. and Lani
This weekend, Hasbro - the company which brought Transformers, Transformers 2, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon to the big screen - releases another film based on one of its classic toys, Battleship, a.k.a Transformers: Gone Fishin'. This summer we'll also get the G.I. Joe sequel no one asked for, followed by several more toy-based films over the next few years including Candy Land (possibly starring Adam Sandler), Ouija, Stretch Armstrong, and a Monopoly movie produced by Ridley Scott. But what about the tried and true source material for hundreds of great films - books? Here are our picks for books which we'd like to see adapted to the screen.
A.J.'s Picks
April 1865: The Month That Saved America by Jay Winik
Like
most Americans, I thought that the Civil War ended with Lee surrendering to
Grant at Appomattox. Then I saw a History Channel special called April 1865: The
Month That Saved America, and learned that the War actually ended a few weeks later after continued fighting in the Carolinas and even a Confederate victory at Galveston. While it never fully escapes
being a history lesson, the book on which the special was based tells a very interesting story full of key players, such as Cofederate General Joe Johnston, that I don’t think many people know about.
I’m not afraid to say that Gettysburg (based on the historical
novel The Killer Angels by Michael Sharra) is the best made-for-TV movie
out there. Gettysburg’s production
values, casting, and dialogue far outdo its big screen prequel Gods and Generals and I would like to see April
1865 get at least the same treatment that TNT gave to Gettysburg. The most important role in April 1865 would be Confederate
General Robert E. Lee. He was the son of a Revolutionary War hero, his wife was
a descendent of George Washington, he was the first choice to command the Union
army, and far more important to the Confederacy than its president, Jefferson
Davis. The other lead roles would be Union generals U.S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. Grant and Sherman had seemingly opposite
personalities (Grant was shy, Sherman was volatile) and a complex friendship. I
didn’t imagine actors when I read the book since the characters are oft-photographed historical figures. After seeing what British director Tom Hooper
did with the John Adams mini-series on HBO it would make sense to hire him; or perhaps Christopher Nolan, who’s shown us he knows how to focus on character, but also
handle a big production. Having a British director would give an objective
distance to the story of how the United States went from being a union of
states to a single nation.
Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker
Known as a master of horror, Clive
Barker's work in print and on film is admittedly not for everyone. However, his near-700 page novel Coldheart
Canyon, which has the tagline “A Hollywood Ghost Story,” sets its fantastical elements in the familiar (to movie fans) world of Hollywood moviemakers, making it a very accessible story.
After a simple
plastic surgery goes wrong, Todd Pickett, an action star whose best days and films are behind him, moves into a secluded mansion in a
forgotten part of Hollywood called Coldheart Canyon. The mansion’s previous
owner, silent film actress Katya Lupi, once held decadent parties there with other movie
stars of the time. Todd discovers that Katya still lives in the mansion and has not
aged. There is also a mysterious room where the walls, floor, and ceiling are
a single-tiled painting that seems to come to life. It would be a very ambitious, and therefore unlikely, book to adapt to a movie given the real-life silent
movie star names used; the debauched and perverted acts that Katya hosted at her mansion; and
the monstrous, fantastical creatures still lurking there. While Barker has
directed three movies adapted from his own work, the director that would be perfect
to bring this phantasmagoric and highly sexual story to screen is David
Cronenberg. Coldheart Canyon would be right in line with his films like Shivers (They Came From Within), The Brood, Videodrome, and Crash. He’s
the one to hire if you want to effectively portray the repulsion and attraction of the
body and sexuality.
Lani's Picks
Jennifer Government by Max Barry
In this satirical look at a world in which the free-market rules, American government has been privatized; employees take the last names of the companies they work for; and The Police and NRA are publicly-traded security firms. When the hapless merchandising underling Hack Nike unwittingly agrees to assassinate teenagers in order to build up street cred for a new sneaker line, he sets off a chain of events involving The Police, the NRA, and eventually the feared government agent of the title.
The film rights were originally bought by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney's production company. However, a film adaptation has been "in development" for a decade, but doesn't seem to be getting any closer to being made. The casting of Jennifer could be a challenge; she is a tough, experienced investigator, but also a loving mother to her young daughter. Right now my choice might be Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, The Adjustment Bureau). She's never played a character like this before, but she has the face of a stone-cold killer. In light of the recent rise of the "Tea Party" in American politics and the ongoing debate over government programs vs. privatization, this story of capitalism in the extreme seems increasingly relevant.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susannah Clarke
I can't be the only person who'd like to see this unique story of magic during the Napoleonic Wars brought to the screen. The book follows two magicians (the only ones left practicing in England, if not the world), first as teacher and pupil, then as rivals. At the time of its publication, Clarke's novel received numerous accolades and the idea of a "Harry Potter for adults" seems too good for anyone in Hollywood to pass up. However, the story is also extremely complex with important characters numbering in the double digits and a large special effects budget would be required for many of the magical set-pieces. With such a large cast of characters, there are juicy roles for scores of actors. (One of the joys of reading the book was imagining which actors would be best suited for which character!) I always imagined the secretive, arrogant Mr Norrell as portrayed by Ian Holm and I could see Benedict Cumberbatch (TV's Sherlock) or Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class, Jane Eyre) as Strange, the younger magician who finds himself drawn towards ancient dark magic. My fantasy cast also includes Paul Bettany, Hayley Atwell, Tom Hollander, Richard E. Grant, and Rhys Ifans. Because Jonathan Strange is such a dense novel (this is a story which includes numerous footnotes after all), it seems almost better suited for a cable mini-series than for a conventional film.
So, which books would you like to see adapted for the screen?
