Would this work as a television series?

[king of nowhere]

Or, we could already do it right now with low budget and a little drop of expectancies on quality.

We take a camel and put some cardboard onto it and pretend it's a chull. and since we only can afford one camel, we say something like "gancho, we'll march in a single file to fool the hated enemy" and have the same camel walk over the camera over and over.

To mimic the spren we can throw some glitter of the appropriate color in front of the camera.

When szeth is walking on walls, we turn the camera around. you may think, but then the soldiers would be the ones on the wall and we still would have the same problem; well, we use cardboard figures for soldiers and szeth will say "with stormlight i can move so fast the soldiers seem to be standing still".

When someone is drawing stormlight, we put a neon lamp under his shirt.

 

I'm sure a few chumps with a limited budget could produce something like that. Fans of the stormlight archive will still go to watch it,  and hey, you only need to sell a dozen tikets to repay the production cost. And if it really is so horribly even diehard fans won't pay, then it's pretty much guaranteed it will become a cult movie among trash estimators. there are plenty of horrible movies that people watch just to laugh at how bad they are.

 

So,  it's a win-win scenario.

Edited July 12, 2014 by king of nowhere

[Chrono]

OK, you've got me. Disney musical is the way to go but not the Saturday Morning Cartoon, I would see it more as the Saturday Morning Disney's how ala Hannah Montana and the other one I can't remember her name .

 

It could be called Shattered Plain's Academy.

 

You would have your lot of wanna be kids trying to get into the selective academy, but since they are not lighteyes they can only attempt to it providing they earn their places through a series of trials. The darkeyes go to a lower classed Academy such as the Bridge Academy (big rival to the Shattered Plain's Academy) who makes their students run bridge to keep in shape in order to try to win themselves a place into one of the high end Academy.

 

Of course, most of the said trial take place, outside, on the Shattered Plains themselves. There, Bridge Academy's superstar Kaladin Stormblessed constantly try to win himself a place but is always bested by Adolin Kohlin, the Scattered Plain's all star athlete. Popular, rich, handsome, son of a powerful senator, Adolin strikes envy and jealousy in poor frustrated Kaladin. They clash a lot, especially when it comes to love interest Shallan Davar, the one girl Adolin cannot get to date him and whom he is crazy about.

 

Shallan Davar is a straight A student, being tutored by professor Jasnah Kohlin herself, and an accomplish artist who snugs on the trials. She thinks the darkeyes are a scruffy lot until she meets Kaladin....  One day, she gets ask to tutor Adolin who is having trouble with his grade. She is annoyed as she thinks he will be nothing more than an idiot brute, but it turns out he is charming, sweet and not as dumb as she expected. He was just raised in a family that never valued academic accomplishments much to the dismay of younger brother Renarin, head of the school's chest club.

 

Of course, at some point, Adolin will get into some big trouble as he is betrayed by all his friends and abandoned to a sure death only ot be rescued in-extremist by Kaladin. Kal comes to his aid not because he likes him (he hates him), but because he tough it was unfair and unhonorable to leave a comrade in distress. They will bond and become best friends as they discover they have more in common, especially a deep hate for the school's principal, Torol Sadeas and the school vice-principal Amaram. From now then, Adolin will work very hard to get Kal into the Shattered Plain's Academy.

 

Torol Sadeas is very jealous of Dalinar Kohlin, senator. He wishes to take his place and get elected in his steed so he does everything he can to undermine the whole Kohlin family starting by making trouble with his sons who both attend his school.

 

This is fun, I could ramble like this for hours... I agree, this is money

 

Edit: Changed Scattered for Shattered, dumb me

 

For some inconceivable reason, this sounds almost exactly like the plot for Ouran High School Host Club, minus the Host Club. Just switch Tamaki for Adolin and Haruhi for Kaladin and you have the perfect show! Adolin could make a huge fuss over Kaladin's poverty (despite being from a well-to-do darkeyed family) and constantly dote over him, while Kaladin sourly laments that he's been caught up in all this nonsense and sarcastically mocks everyone who's rich. Meanwhile, those from the higher end academy both fawn over and hate him because he managed to get in and make his life miserable. 

[Left]

Ehhh......I guess there's sort of a resemblance..........

[Fifth of Daybreak]

The gratuitous sex scenes added from HBO won't be a problem if they adopt Vorin sensibilities. There will just be a scene every episode where the women take off their gloves.

[IDK]

This would need CGI galore, may as well go with anime. It may work 10 years from now but as of right now? No way. I would definitely watch it if its anime.

[The Count]

Maybe we can convince Hayao Miyazaki to spend his retirement animating the whole thing.... In fact, just get Studio Ghibli to do it full stop!

 

I would definitely watch that.

Edited July 15, 2014 by The Count

[Baine]

After much consideration, I have a counter-offer for a Stormlight adaptation.

 

Disney musical.

 

Blah Blah Details

 

No. Just... no. I know it's all in jest, and it is pretty hilarious, but my desire to upvote the joke and downvote the monstrosity have cancelled each other out.

 

My brain is screaming in agony from accidentally imagining all this. Remind me to have it flogged.

[Chrono]

Maybe we can convince Hayao Miyazaki to spend his retirement animating the whole thing.... In fact, just get Studio Ghibli to do it full stop!

 

I would definitely watch that.

 

Isao Takahata could definitely get together Studio A and do it. He's a very competent director and really good at ripping out your heartstrings (Grave of the Fireflies, anyone?). Miyazaki animating Stormlight Archive would be beautiful, however. Just think of the scenery porn!

[traceria]

Shivertongue, despite the 15 upvotes you already had (when I read it) for that glorious post, I gave you another anyway!  XD  I also was crying from laughter!

 

 

Edit to add:

 

I'd also vote anime (heck yeah to Studio G!) before TV series.  Or, honestly, if it were to be given the proper attention and length of screen time, I would totally go see multiple installments as theatrical films (and buy all the various length cuts as they released just as I did with LotR).

Edited July 18, 2014 by traceria

[missionaryofgod]

Now I'm picturing a delegation of fans asking sanderson to include more sex in the sa to increase chances of it being turned into a tv show

 

If it turns in to a tv-series I really hope they will not to that. I like when it´s more classy romance like Sanderson or Tolkien and don´t care much for that George Martin perverted sex.

[the winter system]

Okay, so the fantasy genre is witnessing a bit of a revival for book-to-screen adaptations, with the success of the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and A Song of Ice and Fire, just a few off the top of my head. So, bearing that in mind, would the Stormlight Archive have the potential to make a good television series?

 

Now, let's just get this off the bat. I know talk of a screen adaptation is a little premature right now as there are only two books released from a planned ten. But it's something to bear in mind, no? Also, note how I said television series, because I honestly don't think you could accurately adapt SA into a series of films. Television should be the go-to visual medium for getting your books adapted. With television, the storytelling improves, the character development is enhanced, and the overall plot benefits from extra screen time as you're not required to take shortcuts or miss things out and so the setting of the world improves and, for something as diverse and with the scope of SA, television should be the preferred option.

 

If anything, the success of Game of Thrones proves you can take a sprawling, ambitious series of books, previously considered 'unfilmable' (a ridiculous concept in my opinion) and turn them into a television programme, with some entertaining, critically-acclaimed ten-hour series. So why can't SA master that translation? Sanderson's writing seems fit for a screen adaptation. While the show isn't as graphic or vulgar as ASOIAF, which may put off HBO, there's no reason why American stations like ABC or AMC take up the option.

 

What would you prefer to see? Will SA make for a good television series or would it work better as a film saga? Maybe it's better-suited to an anime? Maybe you wouldn't want it on the television or big screen at all.

 

Note: I know the Mistborn Trilogy is supposedly set for a film release with the rights up for sale, but I'd prefer talk of that to be limited somewhat on here because I have just started reading the first book.  

AHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! 10 BOOKS!!! WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME THIS? I thought it would be like a trilogy or something. Not a TEN BOOK SERIES!!!!! AHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kobold King]

AHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! 10 BOOKS!!! WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME THIS? I thought it would be like a trilogy or something. Not a TEN BOOK SERIES!!!!! AHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Fear not, pir2h. Teams of dedicated Sharders are working around the clock to unlock the power of cadmium Allomancy. With this power unleashed, we will all be able to literally waste years of our lives in the mad pursuit of these future publications.

 

For further information about Allomantic research here on the 17th Shard, I suggest you consult the Denizens of the Dark Alley. And if you're interested in assisting in their studies, you'll be happy to know that they employ a lot of crowdsourcing in their work.

[Kyats Rani]

Movie series is a definite no - they always cut too much from the movies.

 

TV series - it would be really cool, but I realise the budget would be a big problem. No matter how much I'd like to see it. But then, every season would have to take more than 10 episodes - there's too much going on in the SA to fit it in 10 hours. They barely managed to pull it off with GoT, and it still leaves much to wish for.

 

Anime - no. I like anime and all, but I wouldn't want to see SA turned into anime. I cringe at the very thought of huge-eyed Kal and kawaii Syl

 

I was thinking more about something like animated series - you know, the kind of those of DreamWorks. No problems with budget, characters looking exactly the way they should and so on. Dragonlance was made into cartoons and it's a very good adaptation. So why not SA? I'd love to be able to watch it

[maxal]

TV series - it would be really cool, but I realise the budget would be a big problem. No matter how much I'd like to see it. But then, every season would have to take more than 10 episodes - there's too much going on in the SA to fit it in 10 hours. They barely managed to pull it off with GoT, and it still leaves much to wish for.

 

I think SA can be condensed within 10-12h without losing to many good aspects... GoT is a more complex series with a heavier background and a cast the surpassed imagination by it sheer number... So far, SA follows four main characters and a few secondary ones that often evolves in close contact the main ones.

 

I could see it being done with a format that starts with a 5 minutes prelude that follows interludes characters and such before launching the music and the main show that covers the rest.

 

The budget may not turn out being too much of an issue if they muster a large enough audience. Special effects are not as expensive as they used to be.

 

Bottom line is on a pure personal level of enjoyment, live TV action series would be the best, even if it does present complications.

[WeiryWriter]

Anime - no. I like anime and all, but I wouldn't want to see SA turned into anime. I cringe at the very thought of huge-eyed Kal and kawaii Syl

 

I was thinking more about something like animated series - you know, the kind of those of DreamWorks. No problems with budget, characters looking exactly the way they should and so on. Dragonlance was made into cartoons and it's a very good adaptation. So why not SA? I'd love to be able to watch it

 

I would consider these two things to essentially be the same thing. I know for me, and I believe the others in the anime camp feel the same way, when I say it should be made into an anime I just mean a serialized animated adaptation, what I don't mean is "oh it should be sent to Japan and they should animate it in the traditional anime style".  It should definitely have its own distinct look.

 

Anime and cartoons are essentially the same thing, however the names have different connotations.  Cartoons tend to be more episodic in nature, there really isn't a cohesive long-running story and little, if any, character progression.  Anime does have longer story arcs, and there isn't a reset button pressed on character progression from one episode to the next.  The term "anime" also has less of the "it's for children" thing going for it than the term "cartoon".

 

Basically anime is more than just the style, it has its own format for telling stories.  It is the format, not the style, that I/we mean when I/we say "anime".

[Kyats Rani]

I would consider these two things to essentially be the same thing. I know for me, and I believe the others in the anime camp feel the same way, when I say it should be made into an anime I just mean a serialized animated adaptation, what I don't mean is "oh it should be sent to Japan and they should animate it in the traditional anime style".  It should definitely have its own distinct look.

 

Anime and cartoons are essentially the same thing, however the names have different connotations.  Cartoons tend to be more episodic in nature, there really isn't a cohesive long-running story and little, if any, character progression.  Anime does have longer story arcs, and there isn't a reset button pressed on character progression from one episode to the next.  The term "anime" also has less of the "it's for children" thing going for it than the term "cartoon".

 

Basically anime is more than just the style, it has its own format for telling stories.  It is the format, not the style, that I/we mean when I/we say "anime".

 

I guess you're right. But still my first thought when I hear the word anime is big eyes and so on (typicall Japanese kind - but I admit, some of the original manga/anime drawing styles are really cool). As for the format - I agree completely Just not the anime-style

[Shaggai]

Movie series is a definite no - they always cut too much from the movies.

It could work. Look at the LotR movies.

[Kyats Rani]

It could work. Look at the LotR movies.

 

There is much less happening in LotR in fact, the book is in a big part descriptions. They actually added things to the movie to make it more interesting. And they did cut off the whole scourning of the Shire part from the last book (and few other things, like the Rangers and Elrond's sons helping Aragorn). Besides I don't think of it as a good adaptation (mostly because of Arwen doing the job of Glorfindel).

[Mckeedee123]

I've actually thought about this a little myself. The series is organized very episodically, with several different plots going on at the same time. I could see each book being split into ten episodes, with a season finale that includes the big battles. As a movie, it would lose a lot (since the interludes wouldn't translate very well and it's so LONG). The problem with TV, of course, as has already been mentioned, is budget. With all of the special effects and extras (Huge armies, makeup for the parshendi, shardplate and its properties), the production simply couldn't be produced well without some studio sinking in a few hundred million dollars, which is ridiculously high for TV.

[maxal]

I've actually thought about this a little myself. The series is organized very episodically, with several different plots going on at the same time. I could see each book being split into ten episodes, with a season finale that includes the big battles. As a movie, it would lose a lot (since the interludes wouldn't translate very well and it's so LONG). The problem with TV, of course, as has already been mentioned, is budget. With all of the special effects and extras (Huge armies, makeup for the parshendi, shardplate and its properties), the production simply couldn't be produced well without some studio sinking in a few hundred million dollars, which is ridiculously high for TV.

 

Huge armies and make-up for the Parshendis are not required. In GoT, many of the large armies fighting were rendered through special effect: no actors involved. For Parshendi, they wouldn't need to personify them: they could be fully animated with actors to do the voices.

 

There are possibilities that would turn SA into a very good decent product without being too costly, but it is clear it would cost at least as much as GoT. It is therefore required it reaches large audiences, but it is doable. Not now, though, but in 5 or ten years, yes, definitely.

 

 

It could work. Look at the LotR movies.

 

There is much less happening in LotR in fact, the book is in a big part descriptions. They actually added things to the movie to make it more interesting. And they did cut off the whole scourning of the Shire part from the last book (and few other things, like the Rangers and Elrond's sons helping Aragorn). Besides I don't think of it as a good adaptation (mostly because of Arwen doing the job of Glorfindel).

 

LoTR is a simplistic story of good against evil. There is not much character development involved, you only to tell how they made from point A to point B. SA involves internal struggles, betrayals, several settings and a larger crew that needs following. You need to spend some decent amount of time to properly exploit each major character.

 

The background story for LoTR is also quite easy to tell, you only need a few minutes of screen time to render it probably. SA is another beast... You need to tell the story of Galivar's assassination as it is the launching point of all events, the interludes and many other things. The breaking of the Oathpact also needs to be featured and even with the TV format, they would have to abandon a few things... Axies and some of the interludes would probably have to go... unless they are being proven to be crucial to further plot development.

 

Kiat is right in saying they did left out a few things in LoTR despite it being an easier to tell story. As for Arwen's increased role, I can understand why they did it. LoTR was written in the 40s at a time where female characters mostly were placeholders. Modern times call for better protagonists from both sex. Based on this, they needed to develop furthermore Arwen. I personally was not over-shocked by it as I thought LoTR was a decent adaptation.

 

The fact they managed to pull of decently something as complex as GoT gives me faith they could pull of SA.

[Kyats Rani]

Kiat is right in saying they did left out a few things in LoTR despite it being an easier to tell story. As for Arwen's increased role, I can understand why they did it. LoTR was written in the 40s at a time where female characters mostly were placeholders. Modern times call for better protagonists from both sex. Based on this, they needed to develop furthermore Arwen. I personally was not over-shocked by it as I thought LoTR was a decent adaptation.

 

The fact they managed to pull of decently something as complex as GoT gives me faith they could pull of SA.

 

I also believe that LotR was a good adaptation, but as for real female protaginists they already had Eowyn (who is much better and much more belivable in her role than Arwen was in hers).

 

Yes, they could possibly pull of SA, we only have to hope they will