4 ms·

I'm now glad Amazon decided not to do a show based on the Culture series by Iain Banks. I can only imagine how horrible that'd be, since they have even less tas

by m0zg 5y ago

I'm now glad Amazon decided not to do a show based on the Culture series by Iain Banks. I can only imagine how horrible that'd be, since they have even less taste than Apple or Netflix. Sci-fi is better for it, just read the books, they're excellent.

lostmsu 5y ago
Don't roll a barrel on Amazon. They kept The Expanse alive (which is certainly better than Dune 2021).
- edgyquant 5y ago
  Yeah but the fifth season wasn’t all that good (despite being based on one of the better books) and they aren’t adapting the last three books which are high fantasy. On a side note I felt the whole first 7 books were kind of just filler getting to Tiamats Wrath and Leviathan Falls (which comes out this month!)
- m0zg 5y ago
  > _Don't roll a barrel_ on Amazon Speaking of, is this a common phrase? This exact phrase ("не кати бочку") exists in Russian as well, but I have never seen anyone use it in English.
  - lostmsu 5y ago
    No, I just literally translated the Russian one, hoping it might stick.
    - pbak 5y ago
      I don't know if it'll stick, but it works.
geenew 5y ago
Iain Banks was famous for (tongue-in-cheek I think) saying he'd wouldn't mind changes Hollywood wanted in order to get a movie made.[1] The machine-machine conversations, virtual hell, etc. parts of his books would probably not translate well no matter who was directing. Otherwise, the material seems as well suited for adaptation as anything else. Consider Phlebas could be fantastic in a ~2hr movie with special effects worthy of the images he paints, a tone weighed towards realism, and an Aphex Twin / Caustic Window -like soundtrack. [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20090715133026/http://www.sffworld.com/interview/2p1.html https://web.archive.org/web/20090715133026/http://www.sffwor... "How would you like to see your science fiction books filmed, if at all?" "With a very, very, very big budget indeed. The one I'd most like to see done is Consider Phlebas; if they kept in the sequence where the megaship hits the giant tabular icceberg, the fist-fight under the giant hovercraft, the bit where the Clear Air Turbulence escapes from the GSV, and the final train wreck, I wouldn't even mind if they changed it to a happy ending!"
- edgyquant 5y ago
  I’d like to Consider Phlebas adapted as well but I think it’s be tricky. A lot of Culture fans don’t like it because the main character is scum and about 1/4 of the way through the book you start realizing that the antagonist machine empire he’s fighting (the culture) are actually the good guys. I think that makes it great, though.
  - gerikson 5y ago
    If readers believe Bora Horza Gobuchul is "scum" they haven't read the book very well. Next I'll be reading that Cheradenine Zakalwe in "Use of Weapons" is a good guy. I don't want to go full Rick-and-Morty copypasta, but Banks' SF is a bit more mature and complex than most others. If you've only read US writers you might miss a lot.
- m0zg 5y ago
  The only director I'd let anywhere near the Culture series (or broader far-future sci-fi in general) is Neill Blomkamp. That dude just _knows_ how to do it, better than anyone else, aliens, robots, everything. And Sharlto Copley would be quite welcome as well in the main roles. His Agent Krueger in Elysium should demonstrate what I'm talking about.
edgyquant 5y ago
Culture would actually be cool, though it’d either have to be an anthology or an original story taking place in that universe. I’d love to see Player of Games adapted as an 8 episode season.

by m0zg 5y ago

lostmsu 5y ago

Don't roll a barrel on Amazon. They kept The Expanse alive (which is certainly better than Dune 2021).

edgyquant 5y ago
Yeah but the fifth season wasn’t all that good (despite being based on one of the better books) and they aren’t adapting the last three books which are high fantasy. On a side note I felt the whole first 7 books were kind of just filler getting to Tiamats Wrath and Leviathan Falls (which comes out this month!)
m0zg 5y ago
> _Don't roll a barrel_ on Amazon Speaking of, is this a common phrase? This exact phrase ("не кати бочку") exists in Russian as well, but I have never seen anyone use it in English.
- lostmsu 5y ago
  No, I just literally translated the Russian one, hoping it might stick.
  - pbak 5y ago
    I don't know if it'll stick, but it works.

geenew 5y ago

Iain Banks was famous for (tongue-in-cheek I think) saying he'd wouldn't mind changes Hollywood wanted in order to get a movie made.[1] The machine-machine conversations, virtual hell, etc. parts of his books would probably not translate well no matter who was directing. Otherwise, the material seems as well suited for adaptation as anything else. Consider Phlebas could be fantastic in a ~2hr movie with special effects worthy of the images he paints, a tone weighed towards realism, and an Aphex Twin / Caustic Window -like soundtrack. [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20090715133026/http://www.sffworld.com/interview/2p1.html https://web.archive.org/web/20090715133026/http://www.sffwor... "How would you like to see your science fiction books filmed, if at all?" "With a very, very, very big budget indeed. The one I'd most like to see done is Consider Phlebas; if they kept in the sequence where the megaship hits the giant tabular icceberg, the fist-fight under the giant hovercraft, the bit where the Clear Air Turbulence escapes from the GSV, and the final train wreck, I wouldn't even mind if they changed it to a happy ending!"

edgyquant 5y ago
I’d like to Consider Phlebas adapted as well but I think it’s be tricky. A lot of Culture fans don’t like it because the main character is scum and about 1/4 of the way through the book you start realizing that the antagonist machine empire he’s fighting (the culture) are actually the good guys. I think that makes it great, though.
- gerikson 5y ago
  If readers believe Bora Horza Gobuchul is "scum" they haven't read the book very well. Next I'll be reading that Cheradenine Zakalwe in "Use of Weapons" is a good guy. I don't want to go full Rick-and-Morty copypasta, but Banks' SF is a bit more mature and complex than most others. If you've only read US writers you might miss a lot.
m0zg 5y ago
The only director I'd let anywhere near the Culture series (or broader far-future sci-fi in general) is Neill Blomkamp. That dude just _knows_ how to do it, better than anyone else, aliens, robots, everything. And Sharlto Copley would be quite welcome as well in the main roles. His Agent Krueger in Elysium should demonstrate what I'm talking about.

edgyquant 5y ago

Culture would actually be cool, though it’d either have to be an anthology or an original story taking place in that universe. I’d love to see Player of Games adapted as an 8 episode season.