A while back I listed five classic science fiction novels that I'd like to see made into films. Here is a second list of five. I'm trying to limit myself to stories which could easily survive the Hollywood process and still retain some of their original appeal.
• Ringworld, by Larry Niven. The story is properly film-like in structure (Niven himself has said he realized after the fact that it hews closely to the storyline of The Wizard of Oz), and would have plenty of amazing visuals. I believe this one has been "in development" for decades now.
• Santiago, by Mike Resnick. This is a great picaresque story about space bounty hunters, crooks, and various colorful characters. Again, the pitch would be easy: "It's Boba Fett in The Big Sleep."
• The "Berserker" series by Fred Saberhagen. This would require a bit more effort from the screenwriters, as the Berserkers themselves show up best in short stories. I think the short story "Goodlife" could be the spine of a really excellent movie.
• The Titan series by John Varley. One could either do a straight-up adaptation of the first novel, or try to compress the trilogy into a single film. Given Mr. Varley's rocky relationship with Hollywood in the past, this is probably the least likely of the bunch to ever reach the screen.
• Tuf Voyaging, by George R.R. Martin. Again, the book is actually a collection of short stories, but they do form an overall narrative. Since Mr. Martin is currently one of the gods of television, I wouldn't be surprised if there's already a script treatment for this one floating around.
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