Late last week, news started circulating that Amazon was in talks to do an adaptation of Lord of the Rings. While I’m certainly happy about the bounty of SF/F movies and TV shows currently available, I’m just not too excited about another Lord of the Rings property. Nothing against Tolkien, it’s just that it’s already been done.
It seems like there are certain authors — Tolkien, Philip K. Dick, Stephen King — whose work is constantly being adapted for the screen. And while that’s resulted in some noteworthy properties, I can’t help but feel like maybe it’s time to give someone else a chance. It’s especially frustrating to see late authors like Tolkien and Dick getting so many adaptations when there are a lot of great living authors who deserve a career boost.
So my question to you is… Which book, series, or short story would you most like to see get its own adaptation? And would you prefer to see it on the big screen or the small screen?
I know there’s a few favorites I’d like to see.
-I’m still disappointed that the series based on Chuck Wendig’s Miriam Black never materialized, so maybe someone could pick that one up.
-Now that Grimm has been cancelled, I feel like there’s room for a new urban fantasy procedural. Some might be tempted to give The Dresden Files a resurrection, but I’d rather see a female-fronted urban fantasy series. Although Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series is my favorite, I don’t know if every viewer would be as excited about faeries as I am. Her InCryptid series might feel more familiar to fans of Grimm.
-How about a steampunk property? Cherie Priest’s Clockwork Century universe seems like an ideal setting for a show, and the zombies should give it crossover appeal for viewers of The Walking Dead.
-Want something with a more epic feeling? N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy was incredible. It has a post-apocalyptic setting, a diverse cast, lots of drama, found-family relationships. It could be an ideal replacement for Game of Thrones when that series wraps up.
That’s just a few suggestions off the top of my head, based on some of my favorite series. There’s so much great work being doing in genre fiction these days, and we are seeing some excellent adaptations already being made — I for one really love The Expanse, and I’m excited for the adaptation of Who Fears Death even though I didn’t love the book.
Do you agree with my choices? Have some of your own to offer? Got any fantasy casting ideas for your favorite literary characters? Let’s get a conversation going in the comments!