A lot of mainstream movies that come out are based on some other source such as novels, comic books, short stories or TV shows. With all these adaptations it can be hit or miss, especially in the comic book and TV show realm. I often think about the stories I’d like to see adapted for the big screen and below is a list of 10 of them. Some of these might actually be planned already but they are either in development hell or they are waiting to be made. These are in no particular order.
1. Metal Gear Solid (Konami)
I remember playing this game about 10 years ago. It was challenging in many aspects (looking at you second battle with Vulcan Raven) with a good story and even better characters. Now there have been a few sequels since the original hit the original Playstation but I am talking about the original story. Now I have heard that this one is actually in development at the moment but I have heard rumors that Solid Snake will not be involved in the story and all I can say is “What?!” I just don’t see how you could make a movie out of this long running series without the character that has been in the most games.
2 and 3. George Carlin and Richard Pryor biopics
George and Richard makeup what is two parts of what is widely regarded as the “holy trinity” of comedy. The third leg is Lenny Bruce but he died in the 60’s and many people living today do not remember him. The point is George and Richard pushed the limits of what comedians can do on stage. Without them there wouldn’t be the wide array of stand-ups as there are now. The Carlin movie could be based on his own “sortabiography” “Last Words” and the new book “7 Dirty Words” which is about the counterculture of the 50’s and 60’s put through the scope of Carlin and his comedy. Pryor’s movie has been in and out of development for a while now and comedians like Eddie Murphy and Marlon Wayans have been attached to play him. Personally, if these movies are made, I would like to see an unknown.
4. “The Silmarillion” by J.R.R. Tolkien
Now this one is different from the other Middle-Earth tales from Tolkien in that is was published after his death and edited by his son Christopher. “The Silmarillion” is comprised of five parts and it tells the story of the creation of Middle-Earth through the events leading up the “The Lord of the Rings”. Now because the stories are not complete it may be hard to make a full length movie or two from this book. They would probably work better as a series of short films.
5: “Guns of the South” by Harry Turtledove
Being the history nut that I am, I enjoy reading alternate history. The story revolves around a group of time-travelers who travel back to the American Civil War and supply Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia with AK-47’s and other modern supplies. Well you can imagine that gives the Confederacy quite a boost and they quickly win the war. That part doesn’t take long in the book but what happens after is what makes the story fascinating. I don’t want to ruin it so I’ll just say go and read the book. Harry Turtledove is a master at it and even though he has better series of books this is the only one from his alternate history collection that could be made into a movie. The biggest reason being that the other series are quite long and I would hate to see them start a series and not be able to finish.
6: “The Odyssey” by Homer
The fact that they haven’t made this follow-up to Troy staring Brad Pitt is amazing. “The Odyssey” is the story of how Odysseus, king of Ithaca, struggles to get home after the fall of Troy. “The Odyssey” more then “The Iliad” is the story that people enjoy more. Everyone has yearnings to just get home and they all feel the pain when it doesn’t happen. Now there was a good mini-series based on the book starring Armand Assante that was on TV in the late 90’s but it would be cool to see it made with some Hollywood magic. “Troy” didn’t do as well at the box office as the studio would have liked but it more than made its money world wide, so I don’t see a problem with financing the movie. A key thing though is that they bring back Sean Bean to play Odysseus.
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