10 Unrealized Book-to-Film Adaptations We'd Like to Have Seen

From Flavorwire:

When Universal announced last year that an epic adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower was in the works, which would include a trilogy of feature films directed by Ron Howard and a two-season television series, it sounded like a massive undertaking — from both a creative and financial perspective. This week, the studio decided it was too massive and pulled the plug on the project, breaking the hearts of fanboys and King readers the world over.

From the beginning, some had wondered if Howard was the right director for the project — now, unless the filmmaker attempts to set the project up elsewhere (unlikely, as both Howard and his Imagine production company have a long history with Uni), we’ll never know. It seems that we can add The Dark Tower to the long list of proposed book-to-film adaptations by famed directors that never saw the light of day. We’ve assembled ten of them after the jump; add yours in the comments.

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Comments

[kinogod]

01:03 PM on 07/28/2011

I hope and pray down on my cine-skinned knees that frank's stepping back from "walking"means that stephen king/grazer/Howard realize that frank darabont must and should step forward as director behind "The Dark Tower"....if ever there was a case of "duh" in the movies and "duh" in the case of king adaptations and "duh" in the case of Howard hawks genre understanding -- it's that frank should be manning this enterprise. He should be bringing his run and gun approach to this bloated Howard/grazer misfire. Both H&G are great producers and have impeccable taste, so get'er done and send out the press release saying "TDT welcomes FD aboard!" I can't stay in this supplicant prayer pose forev!

[colonelsun68]

09:26 AM on 07/24/2011

"The Dark Tower" ? Didn't care for the book, don't care about the movie. "The Stand"? I read the first version, but thought it was a huge comedown from "Carrie", "Salem's Lot", and "The Shining". Then it was re-issued with another 300 pages or so added! I refused to reread it and didn't care for the mini-series they made from it either.
But, a Jerry Lewis version of "Catcher in the Rye"? Now THAT would be a horror film! I'm shuddering just thinking about it!

[c-tom]

10:24 PM on 07/23/2011

'The Stupidest Angel' because we really need one more Christmas movie.

[colonelsun68]

09:20 AM on 07/24/2011

A great book! Could be one hilarious movie!

[Gronkie]

06:10 PM on 07/23/2011

I'm very disappointed in the collapse of The Dark Tower project. Frankly, I thought it was too big for the screen anyway.

[SeanMartin]

03:29 PM on 07/23/2011

I wished for years that there would be film adaptations of THE SUMMER QUEEN by Joan Vinge and DANCERS AT THE END OF TIME by Michael Moorcock. Both have the potential to be lavishly visual and thought provoking at the same time.

[ShinjiIkari]

02:29 PM on 07/23/2011

For a while there it looked like every minor work by William Gibson (Johnny Mnemonic, Neuromancer) was going to be (a) made into a movie (b) starring Keanu Reeves. But I still fantasize in the theater of my mind about the truly amazing film that could result if Gibson's masterpiece "Mona Lisa Overdrive" was animated by Japan's Production I.G. and directed by Mamoru Oshii, creator of "Ghost in the Shell". (There was an attempt to base an anime on Gibson's "Idoru" that didn't get off the ground.)

[Paul Baack]

01:22 PM on 07/23/2011

Theodore Roszak's "Flicker" would make a splendid movie about movies.

My dream project of all time used to be (like, 30 years ago) Brian de Palma directing Sean Connery and Helen Mirren in "Macbeth."

[Debru]

11:33 PM on 07/22/2011

I have some issues with the 90s miniseries based on THE STAND (mostly with some of the casting) but to call it "hugely compromised" is a bit absurd. It's actually quite faithful to the book, at least as much as any adaptation gets.

[Chaucerian1400]

05:02 PM on 07/22/2011

Mikhail Bulgakov's, The Master and Margarita, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. There is an obscure Russian television production, but this book screams out for a Hollywood version in English.

[Mockingbird1961]

03:06 PM on 07/22/2011

Slaughter House Five. This may have been done but I'd like to see it now. Martian Chronicles, tho I don't know how, because it's essentially short stories, and since comics are so popular now, how about cartoons - Johnny Quest. How about Stranger In A Strange Land (the entire trilogy at that) and the trilogy of A Swiftly Tilting Planet.

[MarionMoy]

09:57 AM on 07/22/2011

Definitely the novel "Deep Creek" as directed by either Ang Lee (because of the action, and also the Asian angle) or Clint Eastwood (because no one does a bloody/transcendental Western better.) I keep seeing Michael Kitchen as Joe Vincent and--so shoot me--Harry Shum Jr. of Glee as Lee Loi. Grace Sundown is tougher to cast; a real love-her-or-hate-her female lead. (Fallback choice: Angelina Jolie.)

[BrynHills]

10:21 AM on 07/22/2011

I loved that book. Scary as hell; also got me all choked up and ready to go out and fight for justice and the American Way. Nice to read a novel about racism that never condescends or simplifies. Ang Lee would be excellent to direct the movie, or maybe Tom Hooper.

[zenju2]

02:17 AM on 07/22/2011

Childhood's End and Rendezvous With Rama, both by Arthur C. Clarke.

[M4dwoman]

09:01 PM on 07/22/2011

Don't know...read both and was very disappointed with the endings. It's like Clarke knows how to tell a good story, but looses steam at the end.

[MJinCanada]

11:49 PM on 07/21/2011

IF someone could do it well and not screw around with it (like they did with Steven Gould's "Jumper"), I would like to see "The Sardonyx Net" (1981) by Elizabeth A. Lynn as a movie. It's one of my favourite science fiction stories and I think it would work very well as an action movie and love story. Even the bad guys have depth.

[Queso Grande]

10:37 PM on 07/21/2011

Apocalypse Now was adapted from Heart of Darkness.

[Mum]

06:12 AM on 07/22/2011

I think they know that.  Their book-to-film adaptations are linked to "dream" directors.

[Skyhawk]

09:11 PM on 07/21/2011

As Time Goes By by Michael Walsh. A sequel of sort to Casablanca.