Movie Adaption of the Way of Kings

[Yitzi2]

Rather than cut anything, I would make each book into a movie trilogy (at which point the producers would probably realize that a TV series simply makes more sense).  There's a reason they haven't been cut down further into books.

[Vissy]

Just now, Waterbee said:

Maggie Q would make a great Navani, IMO. 

I agree, I can see the similarities.

Honestly if I could cast anyone as Jasnah, I'd get Keira Knightley. With some makeup I think she'd do fine, but the problem is that her ethnicity doesn't match Jasnah's.

[Rhaegar'Elin he/him]

1 hour ago, Yitzi2 said:

Rather than cut anything, I would make each book into a movie trilogy (at which point the producers would probably realize that a TV series simply makes more sense).  There's a reason they haven't been cut down further into books.

Splitting the first book of a new franchise in 2 or more movies would be a major flop: in order to have a sequel, the first movie must sell and, to sell, people must like it. The Movie Business is plenty of Fantasy Series that had an adaptation of the first book and never a sequel (sure, the dropped series were pretty much very generic and the adaptation of very poor quality)... and we don't want SA to be one of them.

All in all, in WoK doesn't happen much: for the most part, the book is about the struggle of a slave, a lord thinking he's going mad and a girl questioning if it's morally right to steal. If the movie will be only about this story, without the characters overcoming their difficulties, chances are it will greatly disappoint viewers (resulting in a flop).

However, I agree that a TV Series would be a more fitting adaptation but SA isn't ASoIaF because it would require a lot of CGI to recreate Roshar (Spren, flora & fauna, Shardblade, Surgebinding...) resulting in an insane budget (very likely a prohibitive cost) or a poor quality. All in all, I think a (single) movie adaptation would be the best choice for WoK.

---

Now, on the casting, reading only the books I always imagined Alethi like caucasian (I would never guessed they weren't) so I will stick to that in the following choices:

- Annalise Basso as Shallan Davar: since I saw her in Captain Fantastic I thought she would make a great Shallan. She's a natural redhead and very young (actually 18) and around Shallan's age. Plus, she really looks like how I depicted Shallan in my mind;

- Russell Crowe as Dalinar Kholin: true, he seems to have gained some weight for his role in The Mummy but this is a problem "easy" to resolve for an actor and he could give a more imposing presence like he had in The Gladiator. He's 53 and Dalinar should be in his fifties: the age should fit well but make-up could make he look slightly older if needed (and do something for the broken nose);

For other roles, I have a few ideas but I'm not entirely convinced: I was thinking Natalie Portman as Jasnah Kholin (but maybe she isn't tall enough so Keira Knightley could be a good compromise) and Jennifer Connelly as Navani Kholin (she's 46, around the age of Navani I guess... but she could result "too young" depending on who will be cast as her daughter). Plus, Mickey Rourke as Sadeas (but maybe he's way older) and Anya Taylor-Joy as Sylphrena... but I'm undecided and still thinking.

[Guest]

18 hours ago, Rhaegar'Elin said:

Splitting the first book of a new franchise in 2 or more movies would be a major flop: in order to have a sequel, the first movie must sell and, to sell, people must like it. The Movie Business is plenty of Fantasy Series that had an adaptation of the first book and never a sequel (sure, the dropped series were pretty much very generic and the adaptation of very poor quality)... and we don't want SA to be one of them.

All in all, in WoK doesn't happen much: for the most part, the book is about the struggle of a slave, a lord thinking he's going mad and a girl questioning if it's morally right to steal. If the movie will be only about this story, without the characters overcoming their difficulties, chances are it will greatly disappoint viewers (resulting in a flop).

However, I agree that a TV Series would be a more fitting adaptation but SA isn't ASoIaF because it would require a lot of CGI to recreate Roshar (Spren, flora & fauna, Shardblade, Surgebinding...) resulting in an insane budget (very likely a prohibitive cost) or a poor quality. All in all, I think a (single) movie adaptation would be the best choice for WoK.

---

Now, on the casting, reading only the books I always imagined Alethi like caucasian (I would never guessed they weren't) so I will stick to that in the following choices:

- Annalise Basso as Shallan Davar: since I saw her in Captain Fantastic I thought she would make a great Shallan. She's a natural redhead and very young (actually 18) and around Shallan's age. Plus, she really looks like how I depicted Shallan in my mind;

- Russell Crowe as Dalinar Kholin: true, he seems to have gained some weight for his role in The Mummy but this is a problem "easy" to resolve for an actor and he could give a more imposing presence like he had in The Gladiator. He's 53 and Dalinar should be in his fifties: the age should fit well but make-up could make he look slightly older if needed (and do something for the broken nose);

For other roles, I have a few ideas but I'm not entirely convinced: I was thinking Natalie Portman as Jasnah Kholin (but maybe she isn't tall enough so Keira Knightley could be a good compromise) and Jennifer Connelly as Navani Kholin (she's 46, around the age of Navani I guess... but she could result "too young" depending on who will be cast as her daughter). Plus, Mickey Rourke as Sadeas (but maybe he's way older) and Anya Taylor-Joy as Sylphrena... but I'm undecided and still thinking.

You made me realize of an added difficulty when it comes to the casting. I have been worried about casting actors which could realistically be father/son for Dalinar/Adolin, but I had not thought of Dalinar needing to be a realistic uncle to Jasnah, unless Gavilar was much older which we know wasn't. Obviously, this is also true for Navani whom ought to be a plausible mother for Jasnah, so not too young. Navani is actually closer to 55 than 45, so I'd say the casting ought to reflect it.

For the rest, while it is common for readers to view Alethi as Caucassian due to it not being extraordinarily obvious within the books, we know they aren't. I feel we wouldn't be respecting the ethnicity of SA if we were to cast all roles with Caucassian actors. This being said, I am not convinced Asian is the right choice, I am leaning more towards Middle-East and I do think some Caucassian actors are best to portray characters such as Adolin and Shallan (because of the hair coloring). 

I unfortunately cannot support the choice of Keira Knightley or Natalie Portman as Jasnah, especially not the former. Not only does she not have the right coloring, she doesn't have the poised, elegant and refined vibe Jasnah does carry around her. She also is a white British actress which I think is exactly what we want to avoid for Alethi, especially full blooded ones considered to be the perfect representation of the physical ideal of Alethi. Also, Jasnah is curvaceous, not skinny: Alethi are curvaceous which is why willowy Shallan thinks she is an ugly duckling among them. Jasnah has to carry on an air of authority about her, she ought to be tall, imposing, even and utterly beautiful. Older than the younger characters (so she cannot look younger than Adolin and since female actresses often look younger, Adolin cannot look like he is 30), but young enough to be Navani's plausible daughter.

Russel Crowe is not a bad choice for Dalinar, perhaps a tad conventional, but it definitely is a role he could pull off. He has about the right coloring, though he isn't ethnic, but may he could work. After all, the was "The Spanian" in Gladiator. Obviously, he'd have to put himself back into shape, but actors do it all the time, I see no issues here. I have also been advocating dropping in a few known names within the older roles could help the movie and well Dalinar is a prime candidate for this. Someone like Russel could be a nice compromise. They'd have to tan him some, but Russel tans easily, so a beach somewhere ought to do it.

[Tesh Any pronouns]

I think that a TV series would be best, maybe a chapter or two for every episode.  Each book as a season. I wouldn't be able to stand it if they cut out ANYTHING!!! That's my problem with them making SA into a TV thing. And then no one would read the book because they could just watch the TV series instead! I don't know what to think.

[Jondesu he/him]

2 hours ago, Tesh Kholin said:

I think that a TV series would be best, maybe a chapter or two for every episode.  Each book as a season. I wouldn't be able to stand it if they cut out ANYTHING!!! That's my problem with them making SA into a TV thing. And then no one would read the book because they could just watch the TV series instead! I don't know what to think.

That's always a risk with turning a book into either a TV series or a movie, but if the pacing and arrangement was the same as the book, no one would follow it as a TV show.  It has to be changed to include at least most of the main characters in each episode.

I just figure we'll get a movie series hopefully along the lines of LotR: True to the original story while cutting where possible and necessary.  They left out huge portions of those books at points, but at the same time, it's been one of the best movie trilogies of all time while remaining very true to Tolkien's overall story.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Tesh Kholin said:

I think that a TV series would be best, maybe a chapter or two for every episode.  Each book as a season. I wouldn't be able to stand it if they cut out ANYTHING!!! That's my problem with them making SA into a TV thing. And then no one would read the book because they could just watch the TV series instead! I don't know what to think.

I have to agree with @Jondesu: the books cannot be adapted integrally because what makes a good story to read won't necessarily make a good story to watch. The series cannot jump from one protagonist from the other, with episodes focusing on interlude characters: it has to follow the main cast which means and, within WoK, the main cast is small enough all characters should be seen within each episode. Also, the interludes are hard to adapt: a change of focus is hard to do and while it is possible to have one episode or two, in later seasons, which focuses entirely on a minor character, it can't happen as often as it does within the book. For instance, why show the Purelake interlude? What purpose would the viewers have to glimpse three characters they are never to see again which plays no role whatsoever within the narrative?

Also, there is a lot of fat within WoK: many of Kaladin and Shallan's chapters can be condensed into shorter episodes. When you trim it down, the story isn't so big but it does require quite an exercise. Still, I do agree TV series would be preferable.

[Tesh Any pronouns]

@maxal True. It would probably just be best to not make a TV adaptation at all. But this is really interesting to read. 

[Andy92]

The thing is that there is an entire market of movie watchers who simply don't read 1,000 page novels. I don't see a movie adaptation as a substitute for the books, I just see them as a nice compliment for a different market. LOTR was done amazingly well even though they had to cut out chunks of the book like @Jondesu mentioned. A movie or TV show of SA to me would be successful based on on how accurately it portrays the main story of the books, not that it contains every last detail (which is impossible to expect). 

[Guest]

I think every one agrees a TV series would be best to present the story we have. The issues remain the same, can the budget be large enough to accommodate the required special effects in order to make it a high quality series and not some low-level B series which would be a tragedy. Movie, at least, will ensure decent budgeting which is about the only advantage I see it has. 

[Vissy]

You pretty much have to start with a movie, unless you get super lucky like GoT did. See the Marvel stuff for an example. TV shows can come later.

[Athena]

As others have pointed out, I hope if a movie is made, the Alethi aren't whitewashed. Black Panther has proven that a cast largely dominated by people of colour can sell well.  Like @maxal I also think Alethi being cast as middle-eastern would suit how they have been portrayed in the book quite well.

[Vissy]

These seem like very promising times indeed for a WoK movie. 

[Eccentric Hero he/him]

On 2/28/2018 at 11:25 AM, Athena said:

As others have pointed out, I hope if a movie is made, the Alethi aren't whitewashed. Black Panther has proven that a cast largely dominated by people of colour can sell well.  Like @maxal I also think Alethi being cast as middle-eastern would suit how they have been portrayed in the book quite well.

I'll admit that, like others, I also initially imagined all the characters as white. Being of Indian (not Native American) heritage, I feel that most Arabs and Asians are really pale, and my definition of tan seems quite darker than yours.

[The Thrill]

i feel like middle eastern is definitely the way to go for the alethi...

 

for Dalinar...may I suggest Kenan Imirzalioglu:

 

For Adolin I would go with Alexander Uloom

 

And Burak O for Kaladin:

 

 

Edited March 3, 2018 by The Thrill

[Vissy]

IIRC they are supposed to look more asian.