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What book should I turn into a movie?
December 12, 2005 10:14 PM   RSS feed for this thread Subscribe

I'm a professional screenwriter. I have $5000 to option a book to adapt into a movie. That means it can't be a past or present best-seller, or have been previously adapted for stage, TV or screen. It should have a strong narrative, preferably in a clearly defined genre (eg thriller, love story, crime story, horror, coming-of-age) but NOT science fiction. It should also NOT be a classic which everyone will complain I've ruined. What books (or short stories) meeting this description have you read that you thought would have made a great movie?
posted by unSane to media & arts (50 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
There's this short story by Annie Proulx, I think it's called "Brokeback Mountain," and it totally sounds perfect for you!

Sorry. My vote is that you go for short stories of moderately-well-known authors, because they'll be more likely to accept those terms, particularly for a short. Sadly, I don't have any specific recommendations.
posted by booksandlibretti at 10:16 PM on December 12, 2005


An adaptation of Geek Love would probably set you up for life on royalties if you did it right.
posted by cmonkey at 10:23 PM on December 12, 2005


The Deceivers. You'll have to work to get through the book, but there is a ton of fantastic material in it. "Based on a true story!"
posted by precipice at 10:30 PM on December 12, 2005


Oh, yeah. How could I forget? Interface. Please. It would make a fantastic movie, and there's nothing science fiction about it.
posted by precipice at 10:32 PM on December 12, 2005


If you wanted to take a shot at producing a HUGE children's novel, I'd love to see "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix and then the rest of the "Among the..." books. There are five, and these turned into movies would be an instant hit, IMO. This series is very gripping for boys and girls alike and parallels modern day societies with some rather unique similarities.
posted by thebarron at 10:37 PM on December 12, 2005


horror--The Tain, by Mieville (vampires come out of everyone's mirrors--they look just like us because they've been trapped there when we look)
posted by amberglow at 10:38 PM on December 12, 2005


or take a public domain folktale and pocket the money (i just finished Anansi Boys) : >
posted by amberglow at 10:39 PM on December 12, 2005


Though it doesn't come out until next month, I read an ARC of "Company" by Max Barry and think it would make a great screenplay. Really, any of Max Barry's books would work, with the exception of "Jennifer Government" which is somewhat sci-fi.

The pitch? Office Space meets Fight Club.
posted by drezdn at 10:46 PM on December 12, 2005


Jennifer Government was optioned by Clooney and Soderbergh so I imagine there'll be some bidding for Company. How about Daniel Handler's The Basic Eight? It's like a much darker Mean Girls. Or would it be too expensive since he's also Lemony Snicket? Hmm hard to find great stuff cheap...
posted by nicwolff at 10:59 PM on December 12, 2005


I'm just reading a lovely book right now: The Summer Country, by James Hetley. Celtic folklore, woven into modern times (think along the lines of Kay's Fionavar Tapestry, kind of), but with a really grim and brutal edge. Lovely book, and I'm already reading the second. Touches on all sorts of themes: victim empowering herself, rape, Catholic sin and guilt, magic, monsters, action, Byzantine plots within plots, nature of reality versus insanity, etc.

Obligatory full disclaimer: Hetley is a close friend of a very close friend of mine; I received the books from said friend for Christmas.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:07 PM on December 12, 2005


I was going to suggest The Crimson Petal and White but ... doh!
posted by Dag Maggot at 11:10 PM on December 12, 2005


[Interface] would make a fantastic movie, and there's nothing science fiction about it.

Except for all the science-fictiony parts, of course...
posted by kindall at 11:25 PM on December 12, 2005


American Gods, by Neil Gaiman.. but it might require some rockin' special effects to be pulled off unless you're really creative... Not because of much crazy action, but.. because gods can do cool stuff.
posted by twiggy at 11:28 PM on December 12, 2005


Thomas Maeder - The Unspeakable Crimes of Dr. Petiot
It's the true story of a serial killer in WWII era france. It's a truly mad story, and would make an excellent film of any length.
posted by shanevsevil at 11:29 PM on December 12, 2005


Sorry, do "gods" being in a story make it count as science fiction? I didn't really view the book as Sci Fi at all...
posted by twiggy at 11:29 PM on December 12, 2005


Whoa. You wrote Sylvia and you’re asking MetaFilter for advice on an option to adapt? Sometimes I love this place.

Ellen Kushner’s fantastic comedy of manners, Swordspoint, cries out for smart adaptation to the screen. Its neighborhood: Dangerous Liaisons crossed with Damon Runyon. Richard St. Vier and Alec are our heroes; there’s conspiracy and nobles and intrigue and sex and wit and blood and real love.
posted by cgc373 at 11:44 PM on December 12, 2005


Camus' L'Hote, set in the US 1880s far west, Utah or New
Mexico
posted by mwhybark at 11:54 PM on December 12, 2005


I've always wanted to see Alas, Babylon turned into a movie, but there are likely several obstacles to your doing this. It hasn't been adapted for the screen or the stage as far as I know, but it was turned into a radio play. Also, it would likely require some modernization, as the mostly rural Florida of the 1950s (along with the Soviet Union) doesn't exist anymore. That, and it strays dangerously close to science fiction even though it's speculative history.
posted by oaf at 11:59 PM on December 12, 2005


Before he hit the big time with the graphic novel Road to Perdition, Max Allan Collins did several different series of mystery/tough-guy novels. It's possible some of them have not been optioned. I know they definitely haven't found their way onto the shelf of my local Barnes And Noble; they've been strictly 'B' titles since their original publications, though they did win the occasional Shamus award. My personal favorites are the Quarry novels which concern a hitman who decides to take a slightly different career path. Other contenders would be the Mallory series, about a young, smart ass mystery writer and the Nolan series, which concerns a thief and his apprentice.

I don't know what Max's status is these days. Maybe five grand would be peanuts to him and he wouldn't even talk to you. On the other hand, as far as I can tell, there's zero interest from Hollywood in his older stuff. So might be worth a look.
posted by Clay201 at 12:07 AM on December 13, 2005


$5k is not enough to option the rights to the kinds of books people are naming. Michael Faber? Neil Gaiman? Katherine Dunn? Not a chance.

It would have to be a little known book by a smallish publisher or at the very least something so challenging to adapt that the difficulty dissuades others from attempting it (to that end, Faber's Under the Skin would be perfect but for the psuedo sci fi aspect).

I would recommend checking out books by Jim Munroe or some of the less popular work by Arthur Nersesian, maybe Dogrun or Manhattan Loverboy.

Tod Goldberg's work may also work, particularly Living Dead Girl or Fake Liar Cheat. John Biguenet's Oyster also would be good, though probably out of your price range.

David Gilmour's Sparrow Nights (but in my opinion the ending sucks and the character has no arc) or Lost Between Houses or might also be worth checking out.

Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower may be too pricey but is worth checking into if you want an ace teen story (though SC does some screenwriting of his own so rights might be hard to get).

Others:
On preview: ack! Sorry for the long list. I'm a wannabe screenwriter and these are some I flagged while reading. (You'll never get my dreamlist, however, as I plan to do them myself some day!)
posted by dobbs at 12:12 AM on December 13, 2005


Tod Goldberg's site.
posted by dobbs at 12:18 AM on December 13, 2005


TC Boyle's Drop City
posted by Dag Maggot at 12:46 AM on December 13, 2005


Skeletons on the Zahara, one of Abraham Lincoln's favorite true stories.
posted by geekyguy at 12:57 AM on December 13, 2005


Have you considered obscure lit journals? Memento was orginally a short story by Nolan's brother.

Lydia Millet. A short story she wrote might have some pretty good material "The Perly Gates" -- it's about copy editors at a porn mag (and as it turns out, is quasi-autobiographical). In the same issue of Hermenaut (#16) there's a faux journal of a Burning Man that I found hilarous. "Dunking Booth at Burning Man."

Millet's written a few books, one about a woman infatuated by the President's father George Bush, Dark Prince of Love, another about woman locked in an ayslum and forgotten and one about Oppenheimer returning as the messiah.
posted by raaka at 1:09 AM on December 13, 2005


The HAB Theory is an awesome thriller - and although the book is perhaps a tad long, I'm pretty certain that it could be chopped down quite significantly without much impact...
posted by Chunder at 1:31 AM on December 13, 2005


Long shot - and I can't recall the name so might not help - but Alfred Hitchcock released a book of short stories (written by others) way back in the 50s I think... maybe pull one of the stories? They are all cleverly written with nice twists and could easily be adapted to the screen.

This was before his Mystery Magazine so some of the stories might have been republished.

Can't find it anywhere on the 'net. If your interested get in touch and I'll dig it out from my bookshelf.
posted by snowgoon at 1:51 AM on December 13, 2005


If graphic novels are OK, Paul Has a Summer Job would be great as a coming of age story. Plus, it's somewhat obscure in the U.S. so it might come cheap.
posted by drezdn at 2:35 AM on December 13, 2005


I second The Insult, by Rupert Thomson.

I'd be amused to see if you could adapt Tom Ligotti's My Work Is Not Yet Done.
posted by Sticherbeast at 2:49 AM on December 13, 2005


Snowgoon, there was a whole series of those Hitchcock collections, not just one. (And, yes, they are generally pretty good.) I probably have about 7 of those paperbacks around here somewhere.

I like the suggestion for Alas, Babylon someone mentioned above, but it is really dated now.

Actually, I was going to suggest The Towers of February by Tonke Dragt, which is very obscure (in the US, anyway) and would make a wonderful film, but being an "alternate dimension" story, I guess it's probably too science fiction for your requirements. (The plot is described on this page, but you'll have to scroll a way down to read it.) There's something almost Memento-like about it, with the way the boy has to learn about himself from journals he has written for himself.
posted by litlnemo at 2:50 AM on December 13, 2005


Monster Island. Monster Nation. Monster Planet.
posted by Alt F4 at 3:06 AM on December 13, 2005


Minotaur Takes A Cigarette Break is something I would love to see on the screen.
posted by stavx at 3:26 AM on December 13, 2005


Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart. Not scifi, slightly fantastic, and a really good read. It's also been out of print for awhile.

"As She CLimbed Across the Table" by Johnathan Lethem would be nice, but he's taken off of late and so would not make a cheap choice.

"Boyos" by Richard Marinick is a good modern crime tale set in Southie. I think it's a regional read, so you may be able to get it cheap.

"Flashman" by George Macdonald Fraser, an adventure set in Afghanistan starring a quirky, lavacious antihero, would be cool.

"Bloodsucking Fiends" or "Practical Demonkeeping" by Christopher Moore would be good. He really took off after "Lamb" but I think his earlier stuff would still be affordable.

"The Drawing of the Dark" by Tim Powers. A fantasy featuring the salvation of the West via beer. It's one of his older, out of print works. I'd also suggest "On Stranger Tides" if the story hadn't been looted for Pirates of the Caribbean.

"Flynn" by George Mcdonald, the author of Fletch. Flynn, a detective story set in Boston, never took off the way Fletch did.

Dewey Lambdin has a series of nautical sea adventures in the style of O'Brien and Forrester, except instead of an introspective captain, you have the boisterous Alan "Tom Cat" Lewrie.

Laura Joh Rowland has a series of mysteries set in feudal Japan featuring Sano Ichiro who must uncover the guilty admist a web of intrigue that surrounds the Imperial Court.

More as it comes to me..
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:19 AM on December 13, 2005


Horror: Into Whose Hands, Karl Edward Wagner.
posted by cardboard at 6:18 AM on December 13, 2005


The answer is Things my girlfriend and I have argued about.

Here's a link to the book page.
posted by odinsdream at 6:33 AM on December 13, 2005


The Ultimate Rush by Joe Quirk would make an awesome movie.
posted by dgeiser13 at 6:59 AM on December 13, 2005


Morte d'Urban. Drama with lots of humor throughout.

And with Lake Woebegon coming out, Minnesota Americana is hot stuff right now.
posted by unixrat at 7:17 AM on December 13, 2005


I seem to remember thinking that Snooty Baronet and Self Condemned by Wyndham Lewis would make good films,and given his current obscurity (and deadness) they are probably cheaper properties to pick up.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 7:31 AM on December 13, 2005


The Magician's Study by Tobias Seamon.
posted by gai at 7:47 AM on December 13, 2005


Some ideas: the fermata, untangling my chopsticks, people of the paper, unchosen: the hidden lives of hasidic rebels, the holy spirit of life: essays written for john's ashcroft's secret life, coming through slaughter, in the skin of a lion, not a chance: fictions, a lovely tale of photography, and this handy list of great books that never became bestsellers.
posted by cior at 8:20 AM on December 13, 2005


Kings of Infinite Space, by James Hynes. I just finished reading this and enjoyed it immensely. (Even the first sentence is great: "One brutally hot summer's morning, Paul Trilby—ex-husband, temp typist, cat murderer—slouched sweating in his t-shirt on his way to work, waiting behind the wheel of his car for the longest red light in central Texas.")

Or Slab Rat, by Ted Heller. It came out a few years ago, but it would make a wonderful screenplay.

Both books are hilarious and biting and dark.
posted by youarejustalittleant at 8:38 AM on December 13, 2005


Practical Demonkeeping

This was bought by Disney before it was even published and they've renewed annually since.

Things my girlfriend and I have argued about.

I believe Hugh Grant's company owns the rights already, but this suggestion reminds me of Girlfriend 44, by Mark Barrowcliffe.
posted by dobbs at 9:00 AM on December 13, 2005


The World of Wonders by Robertson Davies.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 9:26 AM on December 13, 2005


The Basic Eight would be so, so, so rad.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower seems ripe for a movie adaptation, though it's epistolary format might make it a smidge challenging.
John Barth seems to have fallen completely off the popular radar screen; maybe the rights for The End of the Road or A Floating Opera could be had cheaply? I think either of those would make a splendid film.
posted by willpie at 9:37 AM on December 13, 2005


If magical realism meets weird romance, lost cats and stilted sex scenes aren't too weird for American audiences, most of Haruki Murakami's short novels would make terrific films, I think.
posted by luriete at 10:10 AM on December 13, 2005


Can it be a true story? When I saw this story in the Washington City Paper last week, I immediately thought it would make a great movie. Plus, the protagonist is a dead ringer for Billy Bob Thornton.
posted by Wet Spot at 11:01 AM on December 13, 2005


Currently reading "The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas: Stories" by Davy Rothbart.

Amazingly great stories.
posted by sugarwater at 11:12 AM on December 13, 2005


H. Beam Piper was known for his sci-fi stuff but I loved his two short stories: Time and Time Again and Dearest, both were (republished) in The Worlds of H. Beam Piper.
Time and Time Again, the story of a soldier who wakes up back in his 9 yr old body & time, was adapted for radio in '51 & '56. Dearest, which is sort of a ghost story, doesn't appear to have been adapted in any way.
Jerry Pournelle has the rights to write in Piper's universes & might know who has the options.

I also like Josh Aterovis's Killian Kendall murder mystery series.
posted by jaimystery at 3:51 PM on December 13, 2005


I have no idea how you'd cast it,* but A Confederacy of Dunces is so vivid and larger-than-life in its imagery, it might adapt well. The neat trick would be to pick episodes, or to prune such a sprawling mother judiciously. Since Toole died before its publication, perhaps its rights could be purchased for less than your average Pulitzer winner?
*Well, maybe Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brenda Blethyn, Steve Buscemi, Mira Sorvino, Tyne Daly, Jamie Foxx, Marisa Tomei...
posted by rob511 at 7:34 PM on December 13, 2005


rob511, I guess you didn't hear. CoD was supposed to be filmed last year. I forget who the cast was for the most part but do recall it made me groan. Will Farrell and Woopie Goldberg were among them. David Gordon Green was to direct and Steven Soderbergh was producing. The project got canned in pre-production.
posted by dobbs at 11:48 PM on December 15, 2005


Paul Ford's funny hipster novel Gary Benchley, Rock Star
posted by donovan at 1:07 PM on December 29, 2005


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