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Post by Zipp on Jan 25, 2010 5:42:55 GMT
I really can't see a Lone Wolf film being ANY good AT ALL.
It's true that some things work in a single genre and are not translatable.
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Post by johntfs on Jan 25, 2010 6:04:26 GMT
I could maybe see it in animated form, but realistically a live-action version is going to be "medievalish dude in a green cloak fights guys in rubber suits and bad CGI." Think of those awful Saturday SyFy movies where dark ages folks fight dragons and you get the general idea.
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Post by Zipp on Jan 25, 2010 7:12:10 GMT
Even in animated form I can't really see it. It's like when they did that Choose Your Own Adventure Cartoon show...
One of the reasons because all the emotion is internalized by the reader who IS Lone Wolf. It's a game. It's not meant to be a movie.
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Post by johntfs on Jan 25, 2010 16:25:05 GMT
Have you ever seen "Secret Girlfriend" on Comedy Central? Essentially it's a sex comedy done in the second person. All the action and plot centers around "you," the friend of these goofy guys and horny and/or deranged women.
I wonder if they could do a movie strictly in the second person in which the camera POV is "your" POV. So there'd be no actor for Lone Wolf because the audience would be Lone Wolf.
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Post by Zipp on Jan 26, 2010 3:46:01 GMT
It'd be ridiculous unless it was a comedy.
The only way to do a Lone Wolf movie justice would be to make Lone Wolf a female. Then it develops all sorts of interesting societal connotations that people would be drawn to and it wouldn't be "just another fantasy movie."
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Post by Dave on Jan 26, 2010 5:31:09 GMT
I disagree that it's the "only way", but it definitely would be interesting. The real problem really just stems from the fact that with the exception of Banedon, everyone Lone Wolf has adventures with ends up dying. I think that would keep the audience from actually connecting with the main character, since as soon as they start getting emotionally attached to the sidekicks, they die, so in an unconcious act of self-protection, they distance themselves emotionally from the main character, Lone Wolf. Death for any film.
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Post by Zipp on Jan 26, 2010 6:54:29 GMT
That in itself (someone who gets everyone around them killed) could make a great film, but the point is that a Lone Wolf film would have to be nothing like the books. There could be no scenes of Lord Haakon crying "BRING ME LONE WOOOOOOOLF!!!!!!" without the movie being terrible. And the whole Kai thing would be called a rip-off of the Jedi and it would just be a royal f-ing mess.
So, a movie with Lone Wolf themes is possible, but a direct adaptation of Lone Wolf is not feasible.
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Post by johntfs on Jan 26, 2010 14:49:36 GMT
Yeah, but movies with Lone Wolf themes are common as dirt. Anything from Star Wars, to Braveheart to the Punisher could qualify.
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Post by Zipp on Jan 28, 2010 16:33:26 GMT
Yeah, but movies with Lone Wolf themes are common as dirt. Anything from Star Wars, to Braveheart to the Punisher could qualify. That could be said of most themes. It's not like there's much left to be original about.
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Post by beowuuf on Jan 28, 2010 20:40:47 GMT
I think a fairly faithful adaptation would be easy enough.
Seems to me that you would break the film down into three internal parts (well, as you would anything really, three act structure and all that)
The first part is to start with Lone Wolf meeting Banedon, and LW being asked his name. You'd then cut back to the monastery, where of course all the exposition would be happening, but that would be interspeceded with flashbacks to LW's childhood. In particular, the idea of his brother's death saving him, and his 'withdrawl' from his own identity that led to him being happy.
The first third of the film would of course therefore be the theme of accepting yourself and your place. That LW was, of course, running from his old identity yet not embracing his new one. You would have his mentor point out that he needs to accepting who he is, and connect to those around him . It would also be interesting to see that someone from his life - his brother, his father, someone - used to chop wood, and it is this association that has him chrishing his axe, and of course picking cutting wood as his chore of choice for punishment.
Of course, dilating time by simply cutting out all the rubbish in between, the culmation of the first part would again be going to the firts scene with Banedon asking LW his name, and the narrative cutting in betwee nthat the nassacre of the Kai as a 'revelation' to kick the movie onwards. With the point being that LW of course connects with his fellows only when he realises he is about to lose them, and of course realises who he is - Lone Wolf. And of course, he has further connected with Sommerlund, as a place it is now his sole duty to 'protect' by warning of the doom.
The second act would of course basically have Banedon explain the plot of the rest of the film - Vonotar bad, betrayal, Sommerlund invaded - and then jump to Lone Wolf making it to the king (who needs anything more from book 1!)
Meanwhile, you start cutting across to Vonotar, introducing him and placing him with Zargarna. You set up Vonotar at the heihgt of his powers, and set Zagarna as a 'devli's advocate' always pressing how Vontotar is falling as the plot develops, and of course tempting Vonotar with more and more power in return for his life as LW thwarts Vontar more and more.
Anyway, the start of the second part would really be Lone Wolf presenting himself to the king, and of course refereing back to the off-stage death of the king's son. The king would be stricken by this and the state of the kai and the state of Sommerlund, but then be inspired by the very precence of Lone Wold. And that would kick off the theme from Lone Wolf's side for the second arc - the idea of Lone Wolf embodying the hopes of his country, and of him needing to accept that. As noted, death follows the poor boy, and as we've had the boring debate before about Ryghar's sacrifice before, that would be the finish of that arc. Having LW accept his responsibility to his people, and find the strength in the helghast fight with the spear counterpointed by Ryghar's death, showing the fact Lone Wolf's life - in a way - is no longer his, that he must act for his people.
And of course, we would see Vonotar slowly falling as all his plans to kill lone wolf slowly unravel, and of course he has made greater promises and sacrifices to Zagarna, and of course is being mocked more and more for each thing he loses and how powerless he is to go back.
That leaves the third act, with would be simply the taking of the Sommerswerd (showing Lone Wolf taking on responsibility like an epic hero), and then you would have the final big battle, which of course would lead to Vonotar and Lone Wolf on the ship - showing how each's choice in life to a very simple idea - good versus evil - is counterpointed and leads them to their situation in life. Vonotar of course escaping.
Lone Wolf returns home, and to no musical score blows away Zagarna, weee.
And the sting in the end (which I'm getting shades of the very end of blade for, weird), you'd see Vonotar on the thrown of ikaya, a cold bleak wasteland of ice to counterpoint the year rolling forward of how sommerlund looks after the war (scarred but not forgotten) and of course thre last scene being a green leg and flash of sommerswerd coming into frame, perhaps as Vonotar describes with derision yet obviously fear his pnishment should he be forced back to sommerlund.
Anyway, that stream of consciousness was brought to you by a boring day at work, and like many things it would be great if I could just screen dump my brain. I think I had a vaguely similar idea a while back, but the themes seem to be something new that would really hold the film together well and actually give a reason for the jump cut choices I imagined would be needed
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Post by Dave on Jan 28, 2010 22:34:18 GMT
Hmm. that sounds pretty good... I'd probably still see a Lone Wolf movie, even it it stunk, just so I could know how much it stunk! Anybody a fan of the Dragonlance novels by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman? You probably were as horrified as I was by the atrocity of the movie that was made not long ago... Still, I watched it - twice!
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Post by beowuuf on Jan 29, 2010 0:50:02 GMT
Gave the film a wide birth, might get it cheap just to see it...
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Post by Dave on Jan 29, 2010 4:10:47 GMT
It's available (the Dragonlance film) via Instant Play on Netflix... (sorry to get off-topic, there.)
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Post by Zipp on Jan 29, 2010 8:00:15 GMT
[darn] it, Beowuuf. How dare you type something that long that I actually want to read.
The worst part is, I won't get to read your dissertation until Sunday. The next 48 hours are going to be spent filming. Will post pictures.
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Post by beowuuf on Jan 29, 2010 22:03:20 GMT
Uhuh, you seem to forget how badly my thoughts come out at the best of times.
Anyway, have fun! Yes to pictures!
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