Three Page Turners to Screen Burners

If you sat down most movie fans and asked them if they had a list of books that they would like to see developed for film, I'd guarantee you'd have a wide range of answers. Unlike movies, readers tend to have a more distinctive taste in the books they choose than the variety of movies they'll sit down and watch. That's probably because reading a book is more of a personal commitment to the material than it is in a movie.

That personal commitment is also why when asked about changing their favorite books into films, those same people can likely break down those films how they would want them filmed and who they would cast in each. As a reader and a film buff, I'm no different, and as such, I have a specific list of my own.

The Thief Of Always by Clive Barker

The Thief of Always is a fable written by Clive Barker that tells the tale of a Harvey Swick, a 10-year-old that needs a change in life. When he gets presented with the Pinocchio offer of going to a house that will give you everything your heart desires, it is just too good for him to turn down. Harvey runs away and opts to live at the house for a month. He meets various other denizens of the home, other children who made the same choice, and everything is great, until he starts to realize that this is too good to be true. Harvey eventually escapes from the house, only to find that he's time in the real world has progressed one year for every day he spent in the Holiday House. The story wraps itself up when Harvey and his friend Wendell have to confront the magician running the house and try to get back the years they've lost.

The book has already been optioned as a film and has been in development since 2004. Although it is slated for release in 2010, production has yet to start and no cast has been finalized as of this writing.

This film is kind of Pinocchio meets Hotel California, so it would need to be made in a way to endear itself to old kids as well dark enough to pull an adult audience in. Although it has been optioned as a live-action film, I could see it being made similarly to Coraline, as many fans could tell you Barker and Neil Gaiman are cut from a similar cloth. In regards to casting, it's always difficult when casting young actors. Personally, I'd like to see Max Records, who wowed fans as Max in Where The Wild Things Are, take the role of Harvey Swick. For the casting of the magician Mr. Hood, you'd have to cast the role with someone who can be both ominous and endearing. If I were making the call, I would cast Hugo Weaving, who most movie fans know for his roles as Agent Smith in The Matrix and Elrond in the Lord of The Rings trilogy, as well as his casting as The Red Skull in the upcoming Captain America film.

The Long Walk by Stephen King

The Long Walk is a novella by Stephen King, written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, and published in the collection aptly titled The Bachman Books. Of the four stories in that collection, The Long Walk has taken a seat behind two of more famous stories; The Running Man, which was loosely made into a film starring Arnold Swartzenegger and Rage, which has since been pulled from print after its association with multiple high school shootings.

The Long Walk takes place in a dystopian future, where 100 boys join a contest called the Long Walk, where the winner is granted anything he asks for. The boys start walking and must maintain a speed of four miles per hour or be issued a warning. When a contestant reaches three warnings, he is "ticketed" or shot on site and left there. The contest will continue until one contestant is left standing. The story revolves around Ray Garraty, although the boys eventually form friendships and allegiances, introducing many supporting characters.

Like Thief Of Always, The Long Walk has already been optioned as a film by Frank Darabont, who made the film adaptation for Shawshank Redemption, but he has no timeline for production.

It is easy to see this as a cross between Logan's Run and The Body, another King coming of age story adapted into the film Stand By Me. Obviously, the nature of the story in its own right is much darker than Stand By Me, although the running themes of friendship and loyalty, and the competition to face death run hand in hand.

For casting purposes, there are two characters in particular I would like the chance to choose. First is Ray Garraty, who I would have played by Daniel Radcliffe. Like Radcliffe's Harry Potter, Garraty goes from the eagerness of participation and acceptance to the horrors of realization of fate.

For the second role, I'd like to cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the role of Stebbins, the antagonist. Specifically, I'd like to cite the brooding, survivalist that Levitt played in the film Brick to characterize the way I see Stebbins, a gamesman and driving force for Garraty.

100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso

Now here is my favorite selection on this list. 100 Bullets is actually a comic book series written by Brian Azzarello for DC/Vertigo. The story revolves around a man named Agent Graves, who approaches assorted people with questionable pasts or undeniably sad circumstances in their lives. Agent Graves presents each of these people with a attaché case filled with an unregistered hand gun, a supply of one hundred, untraceable bullets, and a file on a target with ties to the chosen person. The file contains evidence as to why the person should have revenge enacted against them. The shooter will have then total immunity if they choose to take the opportunity. However, the real story is behind the scenes; why does Graves provide this "service", what connection do the victims and shooters share, and who else is involved in the conspiracy.

The mood in the comics, and subsequent graphic novel collections, is very gritty. It has a classic noir style to it, and one could easily see Martin Scorcese sitting behind the helm for this film. However, it would be easy to see how this story arc would be better told in serial form rather than in a feature film. The graphic violence, seedy nature of the stories and lives of those chosen make it difficult to create a franchise around, and whereas the full grasp of everything taking place may make it difficult to do in one film, this may be best done as a miniseries or weekly drama on HBO. This would necessitate a full R-Rating if done properly. Anything less wouldn't do the source material justice.

Casting would need to be a heavily involved process, as so many characters play prominent roles in the telling of the entire story. Particularly, the following characters would need to be cast with care:

Agent Graves - For this role, I see using Terry O'Quinn, who plays John Locke on Lost. However, I see Quinn's role as Peter Watts on Millenium as a better gauge for this character.

Dizzy - I have to go with another Lost character here and select Michelle Rodriguez for this role. She's a take no crap from anybody sort of character and Rodriguez has never played anything but that role.

Augustus Medici - The Trust kingpin would have to be played by a man who is believable and has experience playing the head of a crime family. I could see Al Pacino doing his final sendoff in this role, perhaps melding his roles as Lefty Ruggiero in Donnie Brasco and Don Michael Corleone.

Loop - The second of the newly recruited Minutemen, Loop is a kid that walked away from the streets only to be pulled back in. I could see the role played by someone like T.I., who worked on a similar project in American Gangsta. He's young and he's got the cred to play Loop to a tee.

As always, there could be countless books to adapt, as well as countless people to star in and produce these films. Picking the right project is important, and rest assured, these three films would make for a great group of projects.

Sources:

The Thief Of Always, Wikipedia.com

The Long Walk, Wikipedia.com

100 Bullets, Wikipedia.com