Why there will probably never be a TPOTS movie....
...even though I really really want one (with Felicia Day as Katherine, of course!)!
A screenwriter friend in LA recently wrote me*:
A few days ago I was working with a friend (an A-list feature writer-producer, loves fantasy). My first pitch to her was TPOTS. She at once advised me to think television instead of movie. This was strictly from the point of view of selling the idea to a feature studio. "Their demographic is entirely male at this point," she said. She also told me that right now fantasy is a much harder sell than science fiction. (Again, for features. This is not the case in TV at all.) The feature people would have zero interest in a character-oriented fantasy about a girl; they'd far rather have action-oriented SF about a guy. Even if you could sell them TPOTS, she said, it would become all about the guy teaching her swordplay. Who would be played by Russell Crowe. Who would then take over the movie and be given a female love interest, etc.
Aggghhhhh!!!!! (gigglesnort)
Yeah. A Riverside TV series FTW!
Glad we got that straight.
So until that Blessed Time, I'm afraid if you want the Dramatized Version of The Privilege of the Sword - you'll just have to listen to the Illuminated Audiobook!
*Our conversation, btw, was partly sparked by Justine Larbalestier's excellent recent blog post, No, I'm Not Dying For My Books to become Hollywood Movies. I concur.
A screenwriter friend in LA recently wrote me*:
A few days ago I was working with a friend (an A-list feature writer-producer, loves fantasy). My first pitch to her was TPOTS. She at once advised me to think television instead of movie. This was strictly from the point of view of selling the idea to a feature studio. "Their demographic is entirely male at this point," she said. She also told me that right now fantasy is a much harder sell than science fiction. (Again, for features. This is not the case in TV at all.) The feature people would have zero interest in a character-oriented fantasy about a girl; they'd far rather have action-oriented SF about a guy. Even if you could sell them TPOTS, she said, it would become all about the guy teaching her swordplay. Who would be played by Russell Crowe. Who would then take over the movie and be given a female love interest, etc.
Aggghhhhh!!!!! (gigglesnort)
Yeah. A Riverside TV series FTW!
Glad we got that straight.
So until that Blessed Time, I'm afraid if you want the Dramatized Version of The Privilege of the Sword - you'll just have to listen to the Illuminated Audiobook!
*Our conversation, btw, was partly sparked by Justine Larbalestier's excellent recent blog post, No, I'm Not Dying For My Books to become Hollywood Movies. I concur.