Wheel of Time optioned

[wayfriend]

Universal Pictures has acquired film rights to the late Robert Jordan's bestselling "The Wheel of Time" novel series in a seven-figure deal. [link]

[Cagliostro]

I'll believe this will be a movie when the trailers start coming out. WAY too long and convoluted with a cast of thousands and a huge fan base who will be pissed if this minor character in love with the main character doesn't appear. If I was a filmmaker, I wouldn't touch this unless I just wanted to make it to piss off the fanbase. I would bet money that this will never get made. And I'll bet even more money that if it does get made, that it will be widely hated.

To be honest, I did somewhat enjoy the first book, so I'd probably go see the first movie, but probably not any of the rest.

[Avatar]

No way would they do 1 movie per book anyway. And whatever they did make would be horribly butchered.

--A

[wayfriend]

C'mon ... if you ask me, the fanbase is one which has been proven to keep going for more and more despite mediocrity (that's being nice).

Sort of your dream base if you want to pump out a dozen crappy movies fast and make millions on them. They'll all yell and cry about how bad they are ... but they'll go. And go again. And buy the DVD. And buy the Special Edition DVD. And buy the high-proced Weta sculptures.

[Avatar]

True...they'll watch it. Even I probably would, although not at the cinema.

--A

[balon!]

C'mon ... if you ask me, the fanbase is one which has been proven to keep going for more and more despite mediocrity (that's being nice).

Sort of your dream base if you want to pump out a dozen crappy movies fast and make millions on them. They'll all yell and cry about how bad they are ... but they'll go. And go again. And buy the DVD. And buy the Special Edition DVD. And buy the high-proced Weta sculptures.

haha.

yup.

[kevinswatch]

C'mon ... if you ask me, the fanbase is one which has been proven to keep going for more and more despite mediocrity (that's being nice).

Haha. Sad but true.

Anyway, I'll wait and see. I doubt that they ever actually make anything.-jay

[jacob Raver, sinTempter]

I haven't read WoT...but Jackson pulled LOTR off...is it then impossible to hope?

[Vraith]

I haven't read WoT...but Jackson pulled LOTR off...is it then impossible to hope?

What is it, 12, 13 books? The shortest at over 700 pages. At least 10 major characters? [you can cut Bombadil, but how do you cut a char/story arc that crosses 7 books, hundreds of pages and is central to the plot?] You could do it as the worlds longest mini-series. [if you had the money...actually the best way to do the Chron.'s, too]
{Go ahead....someone ask me why I've read the first 11 books when I hate the way he writes }

[sindatur]

I haven't read WoT...but Jackson pulled LOTR off...is it then impossible to hope?

What is it, 12, 13 books? The shortest at over 700 pages. At least 10 major characters? [you can cut Bombadil, but how do you cut a char/story arc that crosses 7 books, hundreds of pages and is central to the plot?] You could do it as the worlds longest mini-series. [if you had the money...actually the best way to do the Chron.'s, too]
{Go ahead....someone ask me why I've read the first 11 books when I hate the way he writes }

I inherited the fourth book, and tried to read it to see if I might be interested in getting started and the beginning, and it was way too complicated to hold my interest, it took me about a half hour to read 2 or 4 pages due to having to flip back to the glossary every other sentence to comprehend what I was reading, I only got about 120 pages in before I gave up. Kinda turned me off the series. I've heard from many that my experience wouldn't likely be much different if I had started at the beginning though.

[Mysteweave]

I adore the Wheel of Time books. All of them.

I can understand how people lose interest after the third book - it disappointed me slightly when the story stopped focusing so much on the boys from the Two Rivers but I was soon back in the flow again.
I later read an interview with Jordan where he stated that it was never supposed to be solely Rand's story and that he knew the final scene from the final book before he started (Sound familiar?)

Anyway, I'm getting way off track here. I personally never thought the books were badly written. They got a little confusing with all the different characters that were thrown at you, but then, ASOIAF does that too.

Really, I'm back on topic now. I don't like the idea of a movie or movies. It would take an amazing director to pull it off. I don't have that much faith in book to movie adaptations.

[jacob Raver, sinTempter]

I adore the Wheel of Time books. All of them.

I can understand how people lose interest after the third book - it disappointed me slightly when the story stopped focusing so much on the boys from the Two Rivers but I was soon back in the flow again.
I later read an interview with Jordan where he stated that it was never supposed to be solely Rand's story and that he knew the final scene from the final book before he started (Sound familiar?)

Anyway, I'm getting way off track here. I personally never thought the books were badly written. They got a little confusing with all the different characters that were thrown at you, but then, ASOIAF does that too.

Really, I'm back on topic now. I don't like the idea of a movie or movies. It would take an amazing director to pull it off. I don't have that much faith in book to movie adaptations.

Do you think the first three could be filmed as a tril.? Is there enough of a story arch within those three to end at that point?

[Vraith]

I adore the Wheel of Time books. All of them.

I can understand how people lose interest after the third book - it disappointed me slightly when the story stopped focusing so much on the boys from the Two Rivers but I was soon back in the flow again.
I later read an interview with Jordan where he stated that it was never supposed to be solely Rand's story and that he knew the final scene from the final book before he started (Sound familiar?)

Anyway, I'm getting way off track here. I personally never thought the books were badly written. They got a little confusing with all the different characters that were thrown at you, but then, ASOIAF does that too.

Really, I'm back on topic now. I don't like the idea of a movie or movies. It would take an amazing director to pull it off. I don't have that much faith in book to movie adaptations.

Do you think the first three could be filmed as a tril.? Is there enough of a story arch within those three to end at that point?

Not a chance, unless your goal is to leave people wondering when the rest of the story is coming out [or utterly mangle the story]. No wrap up of a significant plotline.
I suppose I should be clear about the series. I like the multiple plot-lines, the interweaving, multiple truly important major/supporting characters. I like the cross-pollination, conflicts, myths vs. actualities of the various cultures, and the backgrounds/reasons those cultures exist. I even like the yin/yang, male/female, separate yet whole, opposite/complementary nature of 'magic.' (I wouldn't be surprised if the inspiration for the whole series was related to him noticing the 'fang' and 'flame' possibility in the symbol) There is just something in the actual sentences on the page that...well...it just bugs me [I'm usually more articulate than that.] And I hate the whole 'King Arthur' thing he incorporates, too. [random off-topicness---there's a terrible 'King Arthur in space' series that is much, much worse]

[Mysteweave]

I adore the Wheel of Time books. All of them.

I can understand how people lose interest after the third book - it disappointed me slightly when the story stopped focusing so much on the boys from the Two Rivers but I was soon back in the flow again.
I later read an interview with Jordan where he stated that it was never supposed to be solely Rand's story and that he knew the final scene from the final book before he started (Sound familiar?)

Anyway, I'm getting way off track here. I personally never thought the books were badly written. They got a little confusing with all the different characters that were thrown at you, but then, ASOIAF does that too.

Really, I'm back on topic now. I don't like the idea of a movie or movies. It would take an amazing director to pull it off. I don't have that much faith in book to movie adaptations.

Do you think the first three could be filmed as a tril.? Is there enough of a story arch within those three to end at that point?

Definitely not. As Vraith already said, too much is going on at the point for it to end cleanly.

There is just something in the actual sentences on the page that...well...it just bugs me

I guess that's just a personal thing. There are some books I absolutely cannot read because the writing style drives me mad, but other people love them, so...

[Kevin164]

The hard part about a WOT movie is that you can't skip the parts about the girls from Two Rivers and their never ending encounters with the Black Ajah and pining over Rand, Lan and Ham. I'll wait for the DVD.

[Vraith]

The hard part about a WOT movie is that you can't skip the parts about the girls from Two Rivers and their never ending encounters with the Black Ajah and pining over Rand, Lan and Ham. I'll wait for the DVD.

You've inspired me! I'm going to start filming the xxx version "Wheel of Thighs"...all about Rand and the three women who...umm..."Love" him. I gaurantee that will make money. [which I swear I'll use to produce more 'artistic' endeavors...no really...I will...]

[Waddley]

If HBO's Song of Ice and Fire series is successful, I wonder how/if that could impact WoT being made?

[Loredoctor]

Wheel of Time movies: bunch of women angry at men. In some ways a feminist dream.

[Wyldewode]

I adore the Wheel of Time books. All of them.

I do too. He may not be the greatest author that ever lived, but he's a damn fine storyteller.

Really, I'm back on topic now. I don't like the idea of a movie or movies. It would take an amazing director to pull it off. I don't have that much faith in book to movie adaptations.

I have mixed feelings about any movies myself. I think movies would lose the finer points of the stories, like the character interactions and subplots.

[Orlion]

IMO, the books could only be decently made into a television series...maybe a book per season (average, 9,10, 11 could all be one season) and movies of really massive plot points... otherwise the story would be fundamentally changed and you end up with something like I, Robot (good movie, but it is NOT I, Robot, dammit!). And on that note....

WOOT!!! 100th POST!!!!