Movie Q

[stormblade]

Read some of the movie threads on this site and was thinking...

Why would the movie have to follow the plot of the books? Besides the PC from the NO series there are 4 other GMs. Why not write on original script starring 1 of them?

No worrying about a scriptwriter mangling Mr Dever's work, and you could add a group that he travels with, circumventing the problem of a movie about a lone hero.

Sounds good to me, anyway.

[Doomy]

I don't think the producers would be keen on a film called Lone Wolf which starred a group of heroes, none of them Lone Wolf.

Welcome to the forum!

[Taryn]

Well, a lot of movies based on books deviate from them, although usually it's because of time constraints. Sometimes it's weird though, like in 2001: A Space Odyssey, their destination planetary system was changed from Saturn to Jupiter in the movie, then the book sequels were written as if it was Jupiter all along, so if you're reading all the books you have a continuity error. That always bugged me.

[stormblade]

May 7, 2008 17:12:21 GMT Doomy said:

I don't think the producers would be keen on a film called Lone Wolf which starred a group of heroes, none of them Lone Wolf.

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the welcome.

I hadn't thought of that, but what if the name of the film was something similar to World of Lone Wolf? (though of course not exactly that, since it's taken)

And LW could have a role in the film, just not the central one.

[Doomy]

May 8, 2008 8:05:15 GMT stormblade said:

I hadn't thought of that, but what if the name of the film was something similar to World of Lone Wolf? (though of course not exactly that, since it's taken)

A movie would still need to introduce this "Lone Wolf" guy to a large potential audience who've never heard of him. Start with a film called "World of Lone Wolf" and people will assume it's a sequel to something they've missed.
You could maybe broaden the focus for later instalments or a TV spin-off, but the quickest and probably best way to establish the setting and main plots would be to have at least one film concentrate on telling Lone Wolf's story.

[stormblade]

Hmmm... Yeah, I concede the point.

[beowuuf]

Nah, it is doable, you would just need to be very tight

You would probably condense books 1 and 2 together as that is a good arc. The trouble is, the basic structure for a film would need to be act 1 - warn the king, act II - journey to hammerdal, act III - the big return, fight with the death hulks, etc

However, you would also want some backstory too - hence, you would probably need to have the original story in flashback (LW flashing back to lessons giving exposition on the kai and the sommerwerd/darklords) while he races to see the king. You might even dump meeting banedon, or have the banedon meeting exist merely to have the exposition revelation the kai are dead and the existence of vonotar the traitor. Really ,the only point on the journey that would be good for the film (remmeber, action scene every ten pages or so) to the king is fighting the gourgaz and meeting pelethar. You'd probably want his meeting with lelethar to allow a short circuit right to the king somehow.

This would be old school LW, none of that new end of the FFTD wandering around more and so forth.

Second part of the film would need to condence the ship voyage (probably utting out kelman, etc to a bit part and hitting right to the storm), and I'm not sure what you would need to cut out of the journey to hammerdal. Instinct says that the vonotar through line is stronger, though you would have a more obvious less involved set of assassination attempts. You would probably then have LW travel directly to Hammerdal with Helghast at his back, and drop rhygar and port bax (or marginalise him).

Act III - woohoo the sommerswerd, vanguish Vonotar in the death hulks, bang, bye bye darklord

It could work, especially give nthe length of time action films are being allowed now - two hours, trimming the nice flavoured fat of the books we love into a leaner meaner whole could work.

I know this was specifically argued against, but sadly the point that the world of magnamund is not strong enough to base a film franchise on, you really want Lone Wolf in it.

[Doomy]

I mainly agree with the above, but with this being an action film Lone Wolf would have to fight and kill the focal villain, be it Vonotar or Zagarna. Offing Vonotar creates storyline problems, so presumably we'd need to increase Zaggy's profile and have a climactic showdown, rather than "tent go boom".

[beowuuf]

Nah, other franchises have the villain get away. Zaggy and Vonotar have to get screen time together thoughm I agree, Zaggy would need to be a constant menace sparing with Vonotar as Legends played it, so that his tent go boom = something noteworthy (let's face it, it's what happened to tarkin and vadar in star wars - luke kills tarkin from afar and vadar gets away)

I don't think kalte would do it for a sequel - sequal would need to jump right to shadow o nthe sands, so personally i would have a cool little 'tail' to the first film have vonotar plotting in his lair in Kalte, and the exit scene be footsteps in the snow, and then LW drawing the sommerswerd or somehting

Kinda liek a 'he's gunna get it, but you won't see it - is this the sequal or not' kinda thing

[Doomy]

And then, five minutes into the sequel, Lone Wolf could get eaten by a Kalkoth.

1,000 posts, oh yeah!

I've wasted my life.

[Taryn]

I think Kalte would work as a sequel. I would have the initial trilogy (movie people like trilogies, LOL) as follows:

Movie I: Book 2 with a little of Book 1 at the beginning
Movie II: Book 3
Movie III: Book 5

They're all in very different settings this way so it won't be repetitive.

[beowuuf]

Book 3 has nothing to it though Sequels need to be more complex really since you know the character. Book 4 works well on it;s own, alot of stuff happening, just it is disconneted with the rest of the series

[Doomy]

Book 4 could be quickly glossed over by just having the final confrontation portrayed like the pre-credit sequence in a James Bond film, followed by a "briefing scene" in which Lone Wolf is sent to Vassagonia.

[section350]

Wait.

Just had a better idea that caused me to delete my first post and start over...

Books 1 and 2 are the first film, most likely with a Legends #1-inspired preamble to establish Zagarna as really really really really REALLY bad guy, perhaps throw in a brief "Vonotar turns traitor" scene.

Book 3, reduced to a short scene where Lone Wolf captures Vonotar in the depths of Kalte (by himself, no need for Loi Kymar in THIS version) would go at the END of the first film, perhaps after all the credits. Or perhaps just cut out Kalte completely, and have it just be Lone Wolf with Vonotar in custody, marching into the guild hall, and Vonotar banished into the shadow gates as the last image we see.

Then, for film 2, you have book 4 reduced to a pre-opening credits montage where he busts in on Barraka and rescues the damsel in distress. Then, in a bit of out-of-orderness, you have LW back at court and getting the military promotions and command of that company of rangers. Then the Vassagonian envoy busts in and, from there we start in with book 5, which makes up the rest of the second film. No Gwynian the Sage this way, unfortunately, but he can pop up later.

[outspaced]

TBH each of the first five books is different enough to merit a separate "film". Thing is, I would think it best if, rather than a cinema release, they were 2-hour TV films, as with Sharpe or Hornblower. Five 2-hour episodes would cover the Kai series.

Reasoning: "Film" 1 needs to cover an awful lot of exposition, not just about the plot, but also the background, history, and geography of Magnamund. That's why Flight from the Dark was split over two Legends books. The first hour would probably cull a lot of background and character material from Eclipse of the Kai, while the second hour would be a non-stop rollercoaster ride covering Mongoose's revamped Flight from the Dark.

Film 2: Actually, much of Book 2 is quite repetitive, so again, it would be an idea to use some material from the Legends Book 3: The Sword of the Sun--but no Alyss or Q-heifer.

Film 3: This is so different to the previous films it deserves its own film. It ties up all loose ends from Book 3, but Loi-kymar is a must--otherwise, how do you justify Lone Wolf and Vonotar making it back from Ikaya to the Ice Shelf without Vonotar escaping? You would probably need to introduce a plucky sidekick--perhaps one of the guides doesn't die, but travels with Lone Wolf through the Caverns of Kalte.

Film 4: A real departure, but actually, a clever piece of plotting. Lone Wolf is sent on a simple mission that quickly spirals out of control. I disagree with other posters--this film is vital for explaining what happens next, but also to introduce the threat of Vashna, and his Dagger--which Lone Wolf will need to use later!

Film 5: Totally different setting again, some exposition on Haakon being Zagarna's successor, but mostly a rip-roaring adventure through a desert realm culminating in a desperate battle in the heart of the Tomb of the Majhan where a more skilled Lone Wolf defeats Haakon with Vashna's Dagger. The Book of the Magnakai is retrieved.

It's the Magnakai books that I think would be a bit repetitive, truth be told. The Kingdoms of Terror stands up as a 2-hour adventure (see The Lorestone of Varetta), but Castle Death and The Jungle of Horrors seem rather samey throughout, and so probably wouldn't. The Cauldron of Fear is another chance to see the Dagger of Vashna is action, and also to tie up the loose ends of Shadow on the Sand, but not necessarily for 2-hours; the whole beginning section of travelling to Tahou could be cut without losing anything important or interesting. The Dungeons of Torgar would stand up to a 2-hour treatment, IMHO, and so would the remaining to Magnakai adventures.