Books I'd Like to See Made Into FIlms

So I'm back from holiday and as great and relaxing and as much as I needed the break, I feel as rough a a badger's arse. I've got a cold (man flu) and Ive got a sore throat and I ache all over. At least my nose has finally stopped running, where does all that snot come from?!!

So I have to get back into blog and list mode. What could my first list back be? I thought about a number of things but it was a present from Sally that made the decision for me, a book we had recently discussed about. On holiday we were talking about books and I said I loved as a kid that I always would make great film and was surprised it hasn't already been made: The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner. As the Booker Prize is announced tonight and it's Alan Garner's birthday tomorrow (a day before mine, hint hint!) here is my list of books I've read that I'd like to see on the big screen (or as television series too):

1. The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner - with all the elements of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and the Narnia series (on an admittedly smaller scale) I think this children's fantasy would make a great, visually stunning and exciting film. Set in Alderley Edge in Cheshire it would make a change from being in a far off fantasy world too.



2. The Straw Men trilogy by Micheal Marshall - serial murders, conspiracy, paranoia, guns, explosions. It's dripping in everything an intelligent Hollywood series needs: staring someone like Robert Downey Jnr or John Cusack as Ward/Paul and Mickey Rourke as John Zandt. Directed by David Fincher or Bryan Singer please.
   
   
   
3. Dead Air by Iain Banks - would make a great TV series, a la Life on Mars. Would need a Scottish version of Jimmy Nesbit as anti-hero radio DJ lead, Ken Nott.





4. Excession by Iain M. Banks (and the rest of The Culture series)- huge ideas in science fiction these are probably unfilmable but Excession is such a great book, though To Look Windward is probably more filmable. A cross between Solaris and Star Trek would be the way to tackle them!
   
   


5. Little Green Man by Simon Armitage - This story of childhood nostalgia, betrayal and the changing nature of friendships would make a great TV series. Skins for people brought up in the 70's.
   
   
6. Body Politic by Paul Johnston (and the rest of the Quintilan Dalyrmple books) - detective stories set in an Orwellian future would make another great TV series. His Alex Mavros, Greek detective books would be quite good too.
   
   
   
7. A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter (and the Sara Linton/Jeffrey Tolliver murder mysteries) - a medical examiner and her on off police cheif boyfriend/husband, along with unhinged police officer Lena Adams, lend them self to a series of dark, disturbing, twisting films. Won't be surprised if these come along soon.



8. Maus by Art Spiegelman - amazing holocaust graphic novel would make a very moving animation if it was kept in Spiegelman's scratchy cat and mouse style.





9. Pompeii by Robert Harris - historical drama with an exposive storyline, would make great cinema.
   
   
   
10. Atlantis by David Gibbins - written like an underwater Indian Jones movie anyway, I'm sure it's already being pitched.

and two already being made:

• Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons - in production, let's hope they don't screw it up.
• I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - soon to be released. Lets hope the new Will Smith version will be better then the Charlton Heston Omega Man, and it's the film I'm looking forward to the most at the moment.

I've just thought of another, Labyrinth by Kate Mosse