Let's pitch a Liaden movie

[rolanni]

I mentioned in my last post that July would be perfect to nail down a movie deal, because, yanno, we've got nothing on the schedule except catching up from the rest of the year, whereupon isabellag posed the following cogent question:

Which book are we doing the movie deal for, huh, huh, huh???? C'mon, don't keep me in suspenders!

My own thought is that the trilogy formed by Local Custom, Scout's Progress, and Mouse and Dragon might make good Costume Drama cinema.

So, what do you think? Which book(s) are likely movie pitches?

Comments

[leecetheartist.livejournal.com]

That would be a great trilogy!

[verana1111.livejournal.com]

Agent of Change would be perfect.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

As an "action movie", possibly followed by Carpe Diem (although a lot of the latter involves language stuff which may be difficult to translate to film, I'd love to see it).

Balance of Trade could make a good "young adult" movie, again with enough action to keep interest.

[aspidites.livejournal.com]

My vote's for Agent of Change, because, ya know, turtles!

It could be adapted nicely as a science fiction espionage-thriller, though I suspect none of us would be terribly happy at the kind of cuts that would have to be made to make a comprehensible (to the general public) single-film, stand-alone story.

[baggette.livejournal.com]

ANY of the books would make great movies.
Lets do them all!(please, please, please, please)
But lets start with the authors' choice of the trilogy.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Maybe a mini-series? Who are your casting choices?

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Casting choices is a Whole 'Nother ball of wax. Me, I don't know any of the current actors, though most of them are sooooo pretty that I don't think they'd. . .do.

Steve and I are working our working our way through "Have Gun, Will Travel" (with pleasure, I'll say), and it struck me that how Very Much Not pretty Richard Boone is. I wonder if he'd be able to get work today...

[masgramondou.livejournal.com]

I'd think that the Crystal duology might be a good movie option. Even though I don't really like them as books you've got the whole "save the entire universe" theme running through them.

Realistically a movie mght be better coming from one of the chapbook stories because typically movies work better from shorter stories.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

That's true, if a book takes 3 hours to read it will probably have to be cut as a 2 hour movie.

In that case I vote for Misfits, as being self-contained and having a good amount of action and suspense (probably leaving out the "current day" frame, though, because explaining that would need most of the rest of the series).

[brock-tn.livejournal.com]

I see the trilogy as being TV-miniseries material. For a theatrical release, I'd think that Agent of Change/Carpe Diem would work. The Crystal Soldier/Drystal Dragon duology has too much material in it for a single theatrical film, but would make a lovely mini-series.

For that matter, Balance of Trade would make a GREAT miniseries.

[hapaxnym.livejournal.com]

I agree that AoC would make a great pitch, though the cuts would break our hearts. Plan B would also work -- the basic story of a ragtag group of mercenaries and leftovers throwing out a planetary invasion force -- though you'd have to cut all the terrific backstory.

What's the short story about Natesa's childhood? That would make a lovely film.

But oh, to see on the screen the climax of I DARE, with all of the universe arriving at Liad to claim Balance on the Department of the Interior!

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

Yes, that scene had us giggling as it was discussed *and* as it was written.

Because I like the action flicks

[(Anonymous)]

I would love to see Agent of Change on film. HOWEVER, there
are certain climactic scenes that I would adore on film:

Jon and Clonak bent over the radio as Tower/Orbit Control asks
Aelli to put her nav computer on-line, pretty-please.

Pat Rin facing off with the Department over the skies of Surebleak
and stating, firmly, "Flaran Chementhi" as he fires.

Miri racing to the 'rescue' with the Juntavas at her back and Val
Con engaged with the local LEOs.

I think, after Avatar and the Harry Potter movies, that they can
and will get the Turtles and Tree Just Right. Not to mention Jason
and Beautiful. Now the cats? That depends on the whim of the
cat-actors. :)
Lauretta@ConstellationBooks

[gryphonlsb.livejournal.com]

Damn...my first thought was Agent of Change because its an action romp and many people cant think long enough to get a story with layers

but after reading some of the comments above...a maxi-series would rock. Maybe longer than the 'V' mini series that just started the new series

[angela-n-hunt.livejournal.com]

Agent of Change, hands down. Turtles. Come on! TURTLES.

[sraun]

It would make a good mini-series! As I understand it, the ideal length for converting nearly intact to a movie is the novella.

For a single stand-alone movie - I'd nominate Misfits. Although the short form of Balance of Trade might do nicely also.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

*thinks about Changeling...*

[cailleuch.livejournal.com]

Scripts are 90 - 110 pages --so says Cami the screenwriter.

I just want turtles, ever since I saw the original AoC cover I have wanted 8 foot turtles.

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

Yes, but they are pages with lots of white space

Balance of Trade!

[darkfoxprime.livejournal.com]

Balance of Trade would make a wonderful set of movies or miniseries.

Re: Balance of Trade!

[oberon.livejournal.com]

Balance of Trade is a wonderful universe development / backstory movie. Unfortunately, as written, it's not 'hollywood'.

I LIKE it for this movie concept because it gives enough backstory to grasp the main universe elements and their roles, without losing your average movie-goer. I dislike the fact that the main storyline is going to be totally rejected by hollywood... there's not enough visible conflict, action, or love interest. The 'trader' angle would end up getting downplayed in favor of the love interest and 'illegal clones, forbidden secrets of an ancient empire' bits.

[amm-me.livejournal.com]

OK -- short, with turtles. How about the very first chapbook, I think, that I read -- Val Con as a stripling, on his solo assignment, meeting Edger. And the t'carais'amp (sp?) -- not only turtles, but BABY TURTLES! Add in enough scenes of Liaden life to explain who this kid is, and maybe a prologue of the much later scene where the turtles do in the Juntavas boss, just to show the power young Val Con was messing with. Ooh, I think it could work...

[oberon.livejournal.com]

You know this would end up with an 80's martial arts training montage, set to something energetic, yet soulful.

I personally think that the Crystal doxology would be perfect

[(Anonymous)]

But do it as a Mini-series on HBO or Showtime, Then you could take a week to do one 3 hr show and three 2 hr shows and not leave any of the back story out.

[mardott.livejournal.com]

Since I refuse to choose, I want two movies. Agent of Change (because we must have turtles, and we must have Miri and Val Con... and I think the Crystal stories would also be wonderful.

But I'll go the miniseries route, too - that way you can do 'em all.

[not-croaker.livejournal.com]

Agent of Change could do well, I think... it's fast-paced enough and has enough conflict that it would make a good movie. It'd definitely get chopped up a bit, though.

Balance of Trade doesn't have much of an antagonist to hang a movie on, though; it's more fish-out-of-water story and an exploration of Liaden clan life than anything else. You could cut it up a bit - start with Jethri's initial deal and shipboard bits, then the bits on-planet, and finish with him helping to trap the scam ring; cut out the old-tech side plot entirely - but it wouldn't be a very strong movie.

Conflict of Honors might work well. It's a much more personal conflict, has a bit of starship action for the FX lovers, and has some nice introductions to the universe and to Liaden culture. Plus, it's a shorter story, with less going on than Agent of Change, so it has a better chance of fitting into the 2-hour movie framework.

[oberon.livejournal.com]

Personally for a first screenplay to work in a hollywood environment, I think you need to take the entire set of books, shake 'em in a blender, and keep what floats to the top as the strongest recurring themes, characters, conflict elements, and love interests and basically write a 'made for hollywood' story before you have a chance of getting something accepted that retains enough of the core of the work to be recognizable as YOUR Liad.

[saruby.livejournal.com]

I love the idea, but I'm hesitant only because I HATE it when movies mess up perfectly good books. Having said that, I think the way to go is to pitch a series to Syfy or HBO or Showtime with the AoC arc in mind. Make sure you keep LOTS of control over the final product (write your own scripts or have final authorization. These books could be done well as a short series (say, 1 season). Could be fun! I have no idea about casting, tho'. (Go with HBO or Syfy, I already get them)

[brock-tn.livejournal.com]

It's almost impossible for authors to retain that sort of control over their works once the movie rights have been sold. One of the reasons we've never seen a Pern movie is that Anne McCaffery has always insisted on having final approval on the work, and no one would buy the movie rights on those terms, even though her books have been optioned on several occasions.

Of course, what terrifies authors is that some Hollywood twit will do to THEIR books what was done to Andre Norton's The Beast Master.

[(Anonymous)]

Burton from Montreal

What about do the Crystal books as half hour animated serial like the Star Wars Clone Wars? Don't have to worry about picking actors.

[christymarx.livejournal.com]

Please bear in mind that movies are not really novels. Movies are closer to short stories or maybe a novelette or novella.

There's a reason many movies often fail that try to adapt entire books, or why it might take more than one movie to cover the material.

[ledav.livejournal.com]

I would have to say Conflict of Honor or Balance of Trade would make the best individual movies. If I had my preference though I would just choose all of them!

[hakuen]

I Dare would be so fabulous, and I think it could manage to stand alone fairly well, too? But the entire series would be amazing. (I'm just biased toward Pat Rin. *g*)

[(Anonymous)]

I vote for first film the combination of Local Custom, Scout's Progress, and Mouse and Dragon. Yanno moving from page to screen is going to leave out SO MUCH, but it'll work really well to tackle that arc first, I believe.

THEN, it's time to do the arc from Agent of Change through Val Con and Miri taking up the ring.

AND THEN it's time to bring out all the fireworks and finish the arc through end of I Dare. (Pure thrills and chills as focus shifts to The Department of the Interior, and also threading in the action with Pat Rinn and Natesa (with Cheever, too, of course) as they meet the Department of the Interior and move to Surebleak to build Pat Rinn's "place to stand" to enable the Clan Korval's Balance to go forward. Fast cuts, lots of action everywhere....oh my. The Council of Clans scene....then the Clutch ship riding the horizon, "sampling" the portion of Liad encompassing Korval's valley and the Tree.

THEN extend into the arc of Theo's stories through Ghost Ship! (Back to more stately-building drama and adventure) Intercut little pieces like "The Lord of the Dance" from Surebleak, maybe even Val Conn's return (with Beautiful) to meet up again with Haken...lots of interesting possibilities at this point in storys' arcs....

BUT THEN, it's time to GO BACK, BEFORE Liad, back to the prequel arc from Jela finding the Tree, teaming up with Cantra, and on through the Great Migration, showing all those fantastic computer graphics and weaving in all those interesting story threads as The Luck brings the Clans and other passengers through to what we know and love as the Liaden Universe. Really focus in on all that underlying dramliza talent that keeps showing up, including some of the short stories about Luke and the rest. Such cool possibilities here. The Hollywood types can go hog wild with this arc too, possibly even outdoing their efforts for each of the preceeding films.

And then ANOTHER prequel, Balance of Trade, to tell deeper story than can be included in Theo's arc film about roots of Uncle. I think there'll be more than enough left to tell there to do a very nice prequel film that's both coming of age, and keeping the theater audiences squeezing yet more storyline from their new favorites in the Liaden Universe.

Really need to get Steven Spielberg, or someone nearly as competent, to masterfully mine filmable heart of each of these arcs from your motherlode of stories of the Liaden Universe. Oh, my, they'd sell so well. Just the ticket for this new decade we've started! If I knew anyone in Hollywood, I'd drive over there and hound them until they really listened and read your stories. Alas, I don't know such a point of contact.... ...maybe someone will read all the great comments your fans have left in response to your post.

I can see each of these films now....except I can't keep it all in my head...need someone to make these films real, ASAP...and of course more new stories from you two, too, since we're sure not done with this universe yet! Harry Potter films were all well and good, but your Liaden Universe stories would do much better, if properly backed and managed, as would both David Weber's Honorverse and Eric Flint's Shards of the Assiti (1632...). Oh, my,....just think what Hollywood COULD be producing instead of all that shlock that keeps pouring out of that cesspit.

Thank you for triggering such wonderful dreams of film nirvana!

Jim H.