Why does everyone get so excited about potential Sanderson movies?

[vineyarddawg]

I don't mean for the title of this post to come across too strongly, but I just don't get all the excitement about Sanderson's books being potentially made into movies.  Far more often than not, I hate it when great books get made into movies.

 

You've all heard the phrase, "Yeah, but the book was waaaay better," after watching a movie, right?  Well, how much moreso will that be the case for some of the best books around?  Off the top of my head, I can think of the following list of movies which were, in my opinion, better than their corresponding books:

 

- The Shawshank Redemption

 

That's it.  That's the list.

 

People who make big-budget movies don't "do" story-telling anymore, and certainly not epic tales. They make movies where people blow things up, stitched together with a superficial plot structure. And if there's one thing that Brandon Sanderson is an expert at, it's telling an epic story.  Even a story that he admittedly wrote with a movie in mind, Steelheart, wouldn't be the same on the big screen.  Some of the best laughs I got from that book were from David's horribawful metaphors, and I just don't think that would translate well on-screen. They'd go over about as well as gasoline on a waffle.

 

The only way to do "epic" story-telling nowadays is with a TV series, but would you trust any company with, for example, the Mistborn epic story?  I generally consider HBO the best at telling stories on TV currently, but they'd have to "HBO it up" by giving Kelsier some love scenes with some noble he actually ended up brutally murdering in Luthadel and by having things like one of Vin's crews stealing from a few dozen naked men & women in a brothel. And let's not even get into where they would put certain hemalurgic spikes. I mean, heck, they somehow made the Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire series even more graphically violent and sex-filled than the books, and I wouldn't have thought that was possible.

 

I guess I'm just jaded on the whole movie and TV industry. The most recent prime example of this phenomenon came with the Ender's Game movie.  OSC fans had waited 30 years for a movie version of that book to get made, and Card even (eventually) got a deal where he could have some measure of editorial control over the product. And even though they bent over backwards to try to keep the movie relatively close to the book, it still ended pretty badly. I mean, the movie wasn't horrible, but so much of the nuance and soul of the two books (Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow) were lost. Even if they wanted to make a sequel after the movie flopped at the box office, they had changed so much about the Enderverse world that the sequels would practically be impossible to pull off with a straight face.

 

Don't clamor for a movie about your favorite Brandon Sanderson book to get made.  Enjoy the visuals and the world that you create in your imagination based on the vivid descriptions Brandon gives us in the books!  That's the best possible movie (to me, at least).

[Kobold King he/him]

Good point! I have little to say in response, but I will say that you're forgetting the perverse joy some of us take in criticizing movies and complaining about which parts of the books got left out.

 

If they made a Mistborn movie, there could probably be an entire board devoted to people picking it apart, with threads like "What would you have filmed differently" or "Which of your favorite characters did they leave out."

[vineyarddawg]

Good point! I have little to say in response, but I will say that you're forgetting the perverse joy some of us take in criticizing movies and complaining about which parts of the books got left out.

 

If they made a Mistborn movie, there could probably be an entire board devoted to people picking it apart, with threads like "What would you have filmed differently" or "Which of your favorite characters did they leave out."

 

Ha!  Good point!  As another good analogy to that point, I quote Niles Crane: "What is the one thing better than an exquisite meal?  An exquisite meal with one tiny flaw we can pick at all night!"

[Who Sharded?]

When I was younger I subscribed to the "everything I like should be turned into a movie" theory, but I grew out of that.  I'm mostly happy to have the books I like just stay books.  While I think Steelheart would make a good movie, the other books would be harder to adapt.

 

The only book I love that I think would make an awesome movie (with the right talent involved) is Heroes Die.

[Gagylpus he/him]

I like to imagine what the movies could be, if they were created by someone who loved the books, was trying to adapt them as faithfully as possible, had an unlimited budget, and didn't care about making money. Who also was a great storyteller in their own right, and was collaborating with Team Sanderson, and had the ability to pull perfect actors for the roles out of the woodwork.

 

Sure, it's never going to happen, but the hypothetical is awesome. So that's why I get excited about the potential for a movie of one of Sanderson's works. Because even if it wouldn't be perfect, there's a chance that it could approach that awesomeness.

[Argent he/him]

Raised awareness and elitism.

 

Any adaptation, even a mediocre one (note: doesn't work for bad ones!) makes the original piece of art more popular. The HBO Game of Thrones might be a cliched example by now (and an extreme one too), but these days, years after its first season, I see people reading the books all the time when I take the public transportation; before the show's release and rise in popularity, I would be giddy to see one person reading any fantasy book every few weeks. The Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit were in a similar boat, and so were The Hunger Games and (to a lesser extent) Ender's Game. And many more, I am sure. 

 

That alone is a reason enough in my eyes, but there is also the added benefit of being able to walk around and rub my hipster "I read it years ago" in people's faces. 

[king of nowhere]

I think the main reason for most people to be excited about a sanderson movie is that, as sanderfans, we'd get excited over everything concerning sanderson's work.

I mean, I am an italian working in finland and reading sanderson's books in english because I like them better than the translated version. But still every time I go to buy food I stop by the library that is along the way just to see if they translated words of radiance in finnish. I don't even speak finnish, but I'd get excited to see sanderson's books translated into it. And when I go to vacation in italy, if I stop by a library I go in just to see if they have sanderson books inside. even if I don't care to read them in italian. Even if I already own them.

So, I'd definitely be excited about a sanderson movie, even if I proobably won't like it, and that probably applies to most of the fandom.

 

But my main personal reason for liking the idea is that I'd like to see the graphical aspects of the stories. It's like the drawings inside words of radiance, but a thousandfolds. I'd like to see on a screen the spren, the highstorms, the palaces, the breath auras, all that stuff...

then yeah, the plot would suck, it would almost be unrecongizable from the books, they'd have to put in love stories and fanservice and greatly expand on the stuff blowing up  while sacrificing character depth...

but I don't care. I already read the books for the story. I am watching the movie only for the visual representation of it. they could make a movie of the characters of the book doing nothing but sitting and drinking tea, I'd still appreciate it because I'd be able to put faces on them (well, ok, that's an exaggeration, but it conveys the point).

 

myself, I've grown disillusioned with the movie industry some ten years ago, when I started to really notice the common cliches and pitfalls, and how the plots were either shallows or too over-the-top and handwaved. And then there are movies who attempt to tell a story, but a book is better for that. nowadays I only watch comedies. the only movie that is not strictly a comedy and that I still enjoy is back to the future.

Still, I'd like to see sanderson movies. MY only worry is that they may suck so much that many people will not want to try reading him after that.

[ROSHtaFARian2.0]

Well there's also the fact that Brandon's books (and the worlds and magic systems contained within) are VERY visually oriented.  There are a lot of fantasy books out where the worlds are standard Western European derivatives, or the magic is something very subtle or literary-oriented.  Brandon's worlds and magics are crafted with spectacle in mind - thus they'd translate well onto the big screen.

 

Hence a lot of people's excitement for potential movies is just as simple as wanting to see Vin spinning through the mist shrouded air in MISTBORN, Awakeners letting loose in WARBREAKER, Windrunners and Soulcasters in combat in THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE.

 

Sure, elements of story might be lost in the translation and the movies might not ever be as good as the books, but for everyone whose already read and enjoyed the books and can always continue to do so regardless of how good or bad the movies end up being, they can still find elements of the visual spectacle to enjoy despite that.

 

Edited:  Realized king of nowhere said much the same thing, but well, our point stands!  LOL.

Edited January 7, 2015 by ROSHtaFARian2.0

[Argent he/him]

[vineyarddawg]

(Sidenote: Man, I LOVE this MultiQuote feature.)

 

I think the main reason for most people to be excited about a sanderson movie is that, as sanderfans, we'd get excited over everything concerning sanderson's work.

 

...

 

I can definitely appreciate that. It's a good thing to see your favorite author get more publicity, no matter how it comes about.

 

 

Raised awareness and elitism.

 

Any adaptation, even a mediocre one (note: doesn't work for bad ones!) makes the original piece of art more popular. The HBO Game of Thrones might be a cliched example by now (and an extreme one too), but these days, years after its first season, I see people reading the books all the time when I take the public transportation; before the show's release and rise in popularity, I would be giddy to see one person reading any fantasy book every few weeks. The Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit were in a similar boat, and so were The Hunger Games and (to a lesser extent) Ender's Game. And many more, I am sure. 

 

That alone is a reason enough in my eyes, but there is also the added benefit of being able to walk around and rub my hipster "I read it years ago" in people's faces. 

 

I can also appreciate a good reason to gain some solid hipster cred. 

 

Game of Thrones is an extreme example of sticking to the books, it's true... but even then, some major things were changed that had fans of the books (myself included) all hot and bothered when it came about. Spoilers below for those that haven't read GoT the books and have only watched the show:

 

I actually really like the way they've simplified the "Mereen Knot" somewhat for Dany so far, though I'm interested to see what direction they'll take in the upcoming season.  But I hated what they did to Robb Stark. (Quite possibly the only part of the entire series that I have hated with a passion.) In the books, the thing that got Robb killed was, ultimately, that he was too unwaveringly honorable, just like his father. Jeyne Westerling "innocently" seduced him (if such a thing can be "innocent") in a moment of weakness, and his unwavering sense of honor demanded that he married her, and that marriage is what ultimately caused his death at the hands of Walder Frey. Having Robb just be a stupid child and marry some spunky tart from Volantis completely ruins his character.  But don't get me on my soapbox for that... 

[traceria she/her]

Sorry...I kind of didn't read all the responses above due to lack of time at the moment (maybe later), but I think it's more the fun of discussing who we think would be good in a certain role than actually wanting to see a movie of it.  Don't get me wrong, IF someone made a fabulous film version of a Sanderson book, I'd be super excited.  That said, the movie threads, to me, are just a way to have fun talking about: What if someone made an awesome movie of [insertbooktitle], who would be part of that dream cast?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Adding a theory to those that have already been added….

 

I think part of the excitement over a potential film adaptation stems from the longing to be recognized. Back when Lord of the Rings was first made into a movie, fantasy wasn't quite respected by the mainstream. There were certainly fantasy movies, and some of them did very well. But the LotR movies were not only good, they were beautiful. The attention to detail was such that in night scenes, or scenes where the temperature is low, you can see the characters' breath. A lot of love went into those movies, and it shows. They don't follow the books perfectly (if you want to start a vigorous debate, just tell a die-hard Tolkien fan that you think cutting Tom Bombadil from the movies was a wise choice) but they captured the spirit of the books, and made Middle-Earth a place viewers wanted to visit. 

 

The Hunger Games movie adaptations were the same way. They don't follow the books perfectly, and fans have plenty to complain about. However, the filmmakers did their best to remain faithful to the source material. They kept the dark and brooding tone of the books, the sense that the Capitol is always watching, always waiting to strike. Katniss' flaws are just as prevalent in the movies as they were in the books. 

 

Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy is another adaptation that did its job well. While the most flaws seem concentrated in the third movie, the fact remains that the Gotham he created is one that stands faithful to the spirit of the comics. He took the Batman mythos so seriously that he managed to create plausible, real-world explanations for all of Batman's gear, and terrifying real-world versions of his most well-known villains. 

 

I could go on about the two Tobey Maguire Spiderman movies (there is not a third, there was never a third, why are you posting clips from a movie that doesn't exist?), The Avengers, and other films I loved, but I won't. The point is: Those movies I mentioned were not only as faithful as a Hollywood adaptation could be, but they made their source material cool. You can, of course, argue that The Hunger Games was already a juggernaut of a bestseller, and that LotR was already such a respected high fantasy epic that Tolkien's imitators created an entire genre. What those movies have in common is the element of recognition. What those producers said with each of those adaptations was, "These books are popular enough, and good enough, to warrant an adaptation. There are enough fans of the series that a movie would make money." 

 

That, I think, is what Sanderson fans want from a movie adaptation. They want to see their heroes on the silver screen, and they want to see their favorite worlds come to life, but more than anything, they want Hollywood to recognize them. Not only do they want Hollywood to recognize them enough to make a movie from their favorite book, but they want to be recognized enough for Hollywood to make a good movie. Maybe not LotR-caliber, but something with good actors, excellent special effects, and a score you can listen to again and again. A cheesy Eragon-type adaptation would be like Hollywood saying, "Eh, this'll make money. Here's a six-week project, kids. Pay up." But a Hunger Games-type adaptation would be like Hollywood saying, "We know you love these books, and we love them too. We've taken care with this to make it as good as we can, and we hope you enjoy it." 

[taveren he/him]

while most movies aren't as good alot of them have parts that capture perfectly and are great i wouldn't mind a movie i would probably see it

as an example the bolrog scene was great in the fellowship even though that movie could have been better

 

and as for movies that are better or at least as good i would say scott pilgrim was great in all its 3 forms

[gjustice99 she/her]

I would be happy if the screenplay was written by Brandon himself and the Director was a devoted fan. If things were changed then we would know it to be the will of the author, which would make it ok. I don't think Warbreaker would translate well into a movie due to this SPOILERS

There is writing from Siri to Susebron and that would translate very poorly into a movie as it would get boring for non fans.

But having been a devoted fan of the Percy Jackson books, I know how bad movie adaptations can be. But I feel that if a fan produces them it will be amazing.

Edited January 8, 2015 by gjustice99

[Angsos]

Hearing about a book adaptation has more than once gotten me to try the books. Hunger Games, divergent, Jurassic Park and others. So even if it's bad, it will more than likely spark interest in the real thing, as others have said.

[Twenty@20 he/him]

Interesting discussion everyone. I have a pretty selfish motive in fantasizing about movie adaptations of Brandon's books. Its just that none of my friends are into leisure reading (feels more like compulsion to me) and I am the odd one out all the time. If Brandon's books ever get made into movies then I would enjoy watching them with my friends- it would be like showing off a prized possession- and perhaps they would understand why I am so crazy about Brandon's work.

[Phin he/him]

I think a fan could do a movie and make it work. I had heard, and I have no idea were to even look for the source, the most of the cast of LoTR had copies of the books where they could access them quickly during the filming. (And, no, Tom Bombidil should not have been cut from the movie) 

 

It would have to be a cast and crew of mainly fans of the books for the movies to work. I do believe that there must be someone high up in the crew, i.e. assistant producer, that has never read the books so that there is an unbiased person that will see that an explanation of something is not complete. I believe that this mistake was made in LoTR. Who here hasn't had to explain Gandolf the White vs. Gandolf the Gray?

 

I can agree with most of the posts for the reasoning for wanting the movies. I want Sanderson to be given the respect the he deserves moreso than the ones that are getting it due to movies that are being made from god-awful books. I won't name those, just to be somewhat politically correct. 

 

I have a cast in mind for Mistborn: The Movie, but I believe that a lot of people here would disagree with some of my choices (especially Kelsier, I might get killed here for my choice in Kelsier, though he would be awesome) and Sazed, though after seeing a comment for Ben Kingsley I may be changing my mind.

[gjustice99 she/her]

Hearing about a book adaptation has more than once gotten me to try the books. Hunger Games, divergent, Jurassic Park and others. So even if it's bad, it will more than likely spark interest in the real thing, as others have said.

Like the Phantom of the Opera for me. I first saw the play on Broadway when I went to New York in 2013 (it was absolutely AMAZING). I am not someone who likes musicals but the Phantom is beautiful! I just bought the 2004 movie version (yay Gerard Butler!) so I can watch it all the time. I got the book for Christmas and am now planning to read it because I saw an astounding play during my trip to NY.

 

Also I read the all the books to the movies you mentioned before I saw the movie versions. (it is part of my moral code to read to book before seeing the movie) 

Edited January 12, 2015 by gjustice99

[Sdg10]

I have to agree somewhat with the OP. Books, especially longer, complicated books like what Sanderson writes, are so difficult to translate properly. However, this doesn't me I don't want to see a film adaptation. Instead, I think it would amazing if Brandon wrote and new Cosmere story specifically for film. In my opinion this would be best done with a TV series. It's be important to limit the number of episodes and seasons so it doesn't drag out or become to cumbersome. I would love to see Sanderson write soecifically for a show, and think that he could pull it off quite nicely.

[The Shadow he/him]

- The Shawshank Redemption

 

That's it.  That's the list.

 

Well, I can add Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Goldfinger and The Spy Who Loved Me too the list off the top of my head. Besides, there's a difference between "Not As Good As The Book" and "Completely Worthless".

 

People who make big-budget movies don't "do" story-telling anymore, and certainly not epic tales. They make movies where people blow things up, stitched together with a superficial plot structure. And if there's one thing that Brandon Sanderson is an expert at, it's telling an epic story.  Even a story that he admittedly wrote with a movie in mind, Steelheart, wouldn't be the same on the big screen.  Some of the best laughs I got from that book were from David's horribawful metaphors, and I just don't think that would translate well on-screen. They'd go over about as well as gasoline on a waffle.

 

This is a joke right? We've never lived in a better time for epic stories (Lord of the Rings, Narnia) . Even those with explosions and action are better about story than they used to be 10-20 years ago.

 

The only way to do "epic" story-telling nowadays is with a TV series, but would you trust any company with, for example, the Mistborn epic story?  I generally consider HBO the best at telling stories on TV currently, but they'd have to "HBO it up" by giving Kelsier some love scenes with some noble he actually ended up brutally murdering in Luthadel and by having things like one of Vin's crews stealing from a few dozen naked men & women in a brothel. And let's not even get into where they would put certain hemalurgic spikes. I mean, heck, they somehow made the Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire series even more graphically violent and sex-filled than the books, and I wouldn't have thought that was possible.

 

One way but far from the only one. I have faith.

 

Don't clamor for a movie about your favorite Brandon Sanderson book to get made.  Enjoy the visuals and the world that you create in your imagination based on the vivid descriptions Brandon gives us in the books!  That's the best possible movie (to me, at least).

 

No

 

More seriously, I object to the impliction that because I'd like to see the movie, I'm incapable of using my imagintion.

 

But having been a devoted fan of the Percy Jackson books, I know how bad movie adaptations can be. But I feel that if a fan produces them it will be amazing.

 

Funnily enough, I like the Percy Jackson movie a lot more since reading the book.

[king of nowhere]

This is a joke right? We've never lived in a better time for epic stories (Lord of the Rings, Narnia) . Even those with explosions and action are better about story than they used to be 10-20 years ago.

 

You know, know that you mention it, and I think about it, it's actually true.

However, I've become much more picky about plots in those years. My taste for better plots has advanced more than the movie industry. As I've said in many other places, I blame jordan and sanderson for doing this to me. After all, when you said that a plot is good or bad, you are comparing it to some internal standard. If we'd never read a good story, we'd enjoy the bad ones and never think they could be better. It''s true for everything. and that's why we're rarely satisfied with what we have.

[The Shadow he/him]

.

You know, know that you mention it, and I think about it, it's actually true.

However, I've become much more picky about plots in those years. My taste for better plots has advanced more than the movie industry. As I've said in many other places, I blame jordan and sanderson for doing this to me. After all, when you said that a plot is good or bad, you are comparing it to some internal standard. If we'd never read a good story, we'd enjoy the bad ones and never think they could be better. It''s true for everything. and that's why we're rarely satisfied with what we have.

 

Well, I disagree, but I'll concede it largely comes down to opinion.

 

I guess I'm not too picky when it comes to movies. I've consumed enough stories in my life that I'm rarely surprised anymore, so as long as a movie entertains me and doesn't insult my intelligence, I'm usually satisfied enough.

 

That's part of why I like Sanderson. There's always at least a handful of things I wasn't counting on.

[JTolman he/him]

IF, and I say if with a lot of Sauce, Sanderson were to have one of his Prime books made into a TV series or Movie, ( Lets say Mistoborn or Way of Kings) I would want it done by one of the Prime Aisian Film Companies.

 

I think they could do the Best Justice to his work and give it the right feel.

 

American Film companies are to much about the Flash, bang and Glam. They rush the story and try to Flash you with to many special effects to hide the fact that they are short on story and character.

[vineyarddawg]

Well, I can add Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Goldfinger and The Spy Who Loved Me too the list off the top of my head. Besides, there's a difference between "Not As Good As The Book" and "Completely Worthless".

 

 

This is a joke right? We've never lived in a better time for epic stories (Lord of the Rings, Narnia) . Even those with explosions and action are better about story than they used to be 10-20 years ago.

 

 

One way but far from the only one. I have faith.

 

 

No

 

More seriously, I object to the impliction that because I'd like to see the movie, I'm incapable of using my imagintion.

 

 

Funnily enough, I like the Percy Jackson movie a lot more since reading the book.

 

 

I apologize if my comment came across as implying that you couldn't both have a vivid imagination and be looking forward to a movie about a Sanderson book... that was not my intent.  Rather, it was to encourage Sanderfans to enjoy the pictures we create in our own imaginations without asking the Hollywood filmmakers to tell us what the "real" image should look like (which, I suspect, would almost always fall short of the rich descriptions Brandon gives us in the books).

 

I would go so far as to say that Lord of the Rings is not just an exception, but that it's practically a one-time event in the history of cinema (or certainly a once-in-a-long-time event), so I don't think it's fair to use that as a representative sample of how Hollywood tells epic stories in today's world. After all, Peter Jackson followed up that masterwork with The Hobbit, which is far more representative of the kind of story-killing, special-effects-heavy, money-grab form that most "epic" movies take nowadays.

 

As for the Narnia series, I thought the first movie was so bad in comparison to the book that I never saw any of its sequels, so (speaking solely for myself, of course) I wouldn't want to use that series as a model for how I'd like to see a Sanderson book translated onto the silver screen.

 

I don't hold any malice or judgement towards anyone who looks forward to seeing a movie made out of one of Brandon Sanderson's novels. In fact, I hope Brandon does get a movie (even multiple movies) made at some point, because he deserves to be able to cash in far more than some of the hacks out there that rake in the dough on the back of pure drivel.  My point was that it's almost inevitable that the movie will not be as good as the book, so I don't see the point in getting overly excited about it.

[waiting4morning she/her]

I think part of the excitement over a potential film adaptation stems from the longing to be recognized. Back when Lord of the Rings was first made into a movie, fantasy wasn't quite respected by the mainstream. There were certainly fantasy movies, and some of them did very well. But the LotR movies were not only good, they were beautiful. The attention to detail was such that in night scenes, or scenes where the temperature is low, you can see the characters' breath. A lot of love went into those movies, and it shows. They don't follow the books perfectly (if you want to start a vigorous debate, just tell a die-hard Tolkien fan that you think cutting Tom Bombadil from the movies was a wise choice) but they captured the spirit of the books, and made Middle-Earth a place viewers wanted to visit.

 

This exactly. I think it's easy to make the mistake of "movie must be the same as the book or it's horrible." There are plenty of cases where thsi is true, but the best adaptations are just that: adaptations where the spirit of the book is captured by the movie even if some things are changed for the sake of adapting it to a visual medium. I've been listening to a podcast by a Tolkien scholar talking about the LotR adaptations, and though he has some issues with the movies, he's always quick to point out that the films are NOT the books. They are a visual medium and by that simple switch, they have to be different than the books. The trick, as I said before, is remaining faithful to the source material in spirit and esssence.

 

I don't think I would want Brandon as the screenwriter until he's had some experience doing screenwriting. Screenwriting - adapting an epic fantasy novel into a 2.5 hour movie - is probably not the best task for a novelist who routinely pounds out nearly 3,000 words a day.