I didn’t read this series when I was a kid, but I finally got around to reading Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber.
Given it’s an older series, I wasn’t sure how much I’d like it (some of those older series age horribly), but it was actually REALLY good still, and the few minor things that’d aged too much wouldn’t be hard to update for a modern audience.
But the concept of Amber is fantastic, Corwin’s behavior and arc perfect, and I think a TV series could do it justice nowadays. Man, some CGI artists could do some beautiful work depicting a hellride through shadow.
I also would really, really love to see Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern adapted…but there’s a few parts that have aged pretty badly, so it’d need careful handling of things like Lessa and F’lar’s relationship and such. And maybe, you know, keep Jaxom the hell away from Corana.
But I think the whole idea of threadfall, and Impressing dragons, could be done beautifully on the screen. I think a run from Dragonflight to All The Weyrs of Pern (including the Harper Hall Trilogy) could be done. (Then leave the later books out, they don’t really add much, lol.)
The series would need a top-notch composer scoring it, though. I’d vote for Natalie Holt. She did wonderfully with Loki, and it’d be a nice touch having a woman score the series that’d have the Harper Hall Trilogy included in it.
Red Rising would be a phenomenal TV show.
Mistborn and Stormlight Archive from Sanderson would also be incredible.
Technically a book series, warhammer 40k. It’s being made too and I’m as excited as I’m afraid.
Ann Leckie’s Ancillary series would make a fantastic space epic, if handled properly.
Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards series.
Still waiting for a Mistborn adaptation.
It won’t work as live action, and Sanderson is probably a little cagey after working on Amazon’s WoT. He would need to have absolute control over the writing.
Wax and Wayne in the style of Fullmetal Alchemist would be amazing though. Comedic but also serious.
All of Cosmere. Do a Marvel with it.
Just started it but Deathworlders would be very cool.
I haven’t heard of that series. Who is the author?
Phillip R. Johnson aka HamboneHFY. Its a free novel.
I’ve long wanted Terry Pratchett’s Discworld to be made into a series. I used to think it wouldn’t be possible because of how much the humour relies on the narrator, but after seeing the (IMO successful) Netflix adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, I think it is possible.
Good Omens showed how well his work can translate to the screen. Just focusing on Ankh Morpork and Vimes could be a great series.
My entry into Discworld was Guards! Guards! and I’d love to see a really good rendition of that. I know a lot of people loves Vimes, and I do too, but I also love Carrot and his werewolf girlfriend and I’d like to see Carrot being Carrot.
I think Susan’s story as the grand-daughter of Death could be great, too.
I know Neil Gaiman has a great deal on his plate shepherding his own works onto the screen, but I wish he magically had a bit of extra time and energy to do something (besides Good Omens) of Pratchett’s.
I’d like to do a series that takes place after the books where Vimes son goes to the Assasins academy and befriends a fellow student who doesnt realize he is a born wizard. I envision five seasons with each season taking up about 3 to 5 years in story. This allows the actors to age gracefully and gives time for quality writing instead of rushing to get a season out before someone gets pregnant or starts balding.
Each season would follow them through their late teens and 20s as they live and thrive in Anhk-Morport. First season would be them at the academy. Second would be them in the Watch. Third would have them part ways as young Sam advances in the Watch while the other starts working covertly for the Patrician.
It’d generally be villain of the week with some over-arching storylines, showing them solving the same mystery from different perspectives, while mostly having each others back even when its not obvious.
Eventually it would culminate in young Sam taking over the watch from Carrot, while his friend finally faces the music and joins UU.
I’d like to throw Carrot and Angua’s daughter in there too, but that might get in the way of one of the potential storylines. Also I don’t want it to be a Harry Potter clone.
I think it’s possible, but that none of the attempts so far to do so have had the type of success I’d like to see.
Some of the BBC for-television adaptations have been ok. And some series haven’t.
I’m pretty sure there have been a few books adapted, nowhere near enough though! More, more please.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Discworld_films_and_television_series
I think RA Salvatore’s Forgotten Realms books would be awesome. We need a live action Drizzt!
The Kingkiller Chronicle
I’m in but only if Rothfuss finishes it first.
Agreed. And only if the movie or show is not produced by Netflix.
Good call.
World War Z. It needs to be adapted as an HBO limited series.
The movie made me so fucking mad when I saw it. Nothing like the book whatsoever grrrrr.
Will never forget seeing a promo for it starting “only one man can save the world”. Literally the exact opposite of the book
Still blows my mind that it was written by Mel Brooks’ son.
The Scholomance series by Naomi Novak could be great.
Philip Jose Farmer’s Riverworld series could be a fun series/world to adapt to a series, but also infuriating if they cut it short after two seasons.
The Caves of Steel quadrilogy. Especially now that we’re on the eve of AI mates, this one would be fitting for the times.
During the pandemic nadir I kept thinking about “viewing” and “seeing” and Zoom and Gladia.
For the longest time, I wanted to see the Percy Jackson series adapted. (I’m not counting those movies!) Thankfully, it is and the first book/first season will be coming out in December. I hope they are able to expand to the entire universe that Riordan made. There are so many stories that would be great to see.
Piers Anthony’s Incarnations of Immortality series of books. The first book alone, where a guy who was about to unalive himself accidentally kills death instead as he walks in the door to take his soul, would make an awesome series. Each book takes on a different aspect of Immortality (Death, War, Time, Nature, etc.) and how they overcome Satan by not being used for ultimate evil.
That last sentence may seem religion-forward but the author, Piers Anthony, is not a religious writer by any means. Another series of his, Bio of a Space Tyrant, could be an ultra gritty R rated Sci-fi epic with the right director.
It’s unlikely Hollywood will ever touch Piers Anthony with a ten foot pole after some of the stuff he’s self-published in his later years. Like Marion Zimmer Bradley, the SFF world has decided it’s wisest to quietly forget him.
I need to look into this, I was heavily invested in the Adept and Xanth series, and finding book 2 of Bio of a Space Tyrant, physically, is near impossible. I had no idea he was wrapped in any kind of controversy, but to be fair I haven’t kept up with him in over a decade.
Firefly is a stand-alone novel of his with a character who was enthusiastic about her sexual abuse as a five year old. It is more fucked up than it sounds.
