Thursday DE: but do you change the ending

[tu_vas_triompher]

Veering in a meta direction after watching a less-than-awesome production of something a couple of weeks ago: If you got to direct the movie of your canon (and/or produce the TV show, write the musical, make the comics, put on the puppet show, author the best-selling novelization) what would you want to do? What's your dream casting, your bits of canon you want to highlight or cut, is it an AU adaptation...? Tell me about the awesome version of your character's canon that you want to happen.

Comments

[manofbusiness]

Athelstan's canon felt so rushed in the second half of the last season. I'd have drawn out the Judith storyline quite a bit more.

[2goodarms]

Funny you should say that, because, uh...that might be happening? (Minus the "I'm directing it" part, obviously.) I can't see it getting too far, which is fine by me, because if I were in charge I'd say NO, BAD PRODUCERS, THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA and whap them on the nose with a rolled-up script treatment.

(Gee, it'll be nice to play in a closed canon, I said! It'll be fun to fill in the blanks and do my own world building! Skfhslksjdla *drags hands down face*)

[the_lioness]

I am absolutely not laughing at you. Nope.

On the plus side, I was a huge Sarah Connor Chronicles fan! So maybe it would be... um.

Well.

:D?

[never_shall_yield]

I might be doing this for Les Mis so I have ALL THE IDEAS, and they involve updating it for the latter 20th - early 21st century, and the Algerian war and change the focal religion, etc...but I don't want to jinx it by talking a lot about it, so.

If I could have free reign over visual reinterpretation, I'd probably go TV over movie at this point, because TV is now The Place for in-depth storytelling, with lots of intertwining characters and plotlines. I always thought I'd love one with the world based on Hugo's own style of art, but then they kind of did that for the Broadway production so I feel Jossed. It would give it all a kind of other-worldly air too, which I like aesthetically but am not sure would work with the story. But other than that, it would be a script that
a) focuses on how society created these characters,
b) properly captures Fantine, rather than making her one-dimensional oppressed, or worse, timid (lol wtf), or as a vehicle to highlight Valjean's transformation,
c) let Javert be the bad guy, without also taking away his role as one of the oppressed
and d) give the Amis their screen time, damnit (even Bahorel!), and link the revolutionary politics with the characters that are not the Amis (I know what I mean in my head, don't ask me to explain). I would also put in scenes from earlier in the Amis characters lives, like when they met, and have that in earlier episodes which are focused on the other characters so that even though it might look wtf at first, by the time 1832 rolls around then we'd fully love and be invested in those characters, and would get the full impact of their deaths without them being background cannon fodder while Valjean saves Marius.

So anyway yeah, it'd be good.

(Dream adaptation: kill Marius, save Valjean. And Javert, obvs. Obvs.)

[merryeccentricities]

Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter, citizen. (and oh gosh I am NOT gonna talk about canon adaptations here when I have a whole blog for this fandom, but: ahahah yyyeah.)

[maid_of_tarth]

I soooo want your Les Mis adaptation! It sounds like it has everything I could want in it.

[genarti]

This tv show would be THE BEST adaptation oh man. Yes please.

[rudderless]

LOL I'm all for your dream adaption.

(Eponine would be very NO but I'm very YES)

[aberration]

Hannibal basically is an AU adaptation of its source canon, so keeping that in mind:
- This is a magic universe where I presumably don't have to worry about who owns what, so: I want a Clarice so fucking bad. If nothing else, if the show were to continue into something Silence of the Lambs-esque, I really wouldn't want Will Graham to be the protagonist for that, it's so central to the story that the main character is a woman when it comes to those crimes. (That being said I also feel like I'd want SotL to be ... different, at least enough to not play into quite so many transphobic narratives. But the point is the story was designed for Clarice, not for Will.) But most of it is that I just want Clarice-Will interaction really badly. Like, point-of-having-an-AU-adaptation-in-the-first-place badly. As much Clarice stuff has been used with Will, they compare and contrast in really interesting ways and I'd really like to see that. And maybe I'd like to see Mads Mikkelsen!Hannibal say "Clarice" once but, I mean. Still. Why do you have to hold out on us ... studio that I guess isn't MGM anymore but whatever???

- I guess sort of on dreamcasting, I use Erica Tazel in my head for Clarice.

- That being said because it's already an AU adaptation it does a lot of the things you'd write fanfic to do anyway. Hannibal-as-a-psychiatrist backstory! Make Alan Bloom a bi woman and have her marry Margot Verger! Deer! wait.

- I still kind of want to make Will's stepson a stepdaughter. Mostly for my own weird reasons and that it means really nothing to anyone else, but also because I want to name her Billie to play off the book stepson being named Willy. And on that point, while on the one hand I get that it's kind of weird, it also amuses me that every screen adaptation has changed that kid's name because despite how often it happens in real life, we can never have two characters with the same name on screen. "William" is a pretty common name, that's a perfectly likely thing to happen.

- I also might've liked to have kept the original book setting for the Red Dragon arc, but I can also accept the reality of "no, Canada really can't stand in for Florida."

- I've seen "musical episode" a lot, but if I were going to steal from Buffy, I'd actually want a "Hush"-style episode. All facial expression and ambient noise and only visual metaphors.


I think any version of Avatar directed by me would turn into the show no one watched because she made it The West Wing with magic. "This entire episode is just discussing transitional justice in the post-war Fire Nation. There are no action scenes at all." "I don't see your point."

[merryeccentricities]

I 1000 percent want this installment of the Avatar-verse. *_*

[yakalskovich]

Oh yes, yes, I want that version of the fourth season -- plus, I still really want Murasaki to be male. We've not yet been at a point where it's completely impossible.

[bjornwilde]

Toby-verse: The Luidaeg has to be played by someone small but yet has a big presence. Ideal would be if they are doll-like but feral or grumpy seeming. I like her hair in braids or dreads simply because they read as tentacles to me. Tempted to suggest a WOC play her but I'd be concerned about doing so due past use of POC as "the Other". I like Tatiana Maslany, or Megan Franich (for a completely different look); although Seanan herself has said she likes Natalie Dormer.

Play with her shadow but in subtle ways. Don't have it move or be so dark and obviously CGI that it stands out, but have it shaped oddly or reaching outside of the direction of the light.

Star Wars: Twin sun rise over a bleak desert landscape as a lonely figure (wrapped in cloth with their face hidden) walks towards the camera. As Binary Suns starts, the cloth covering their face falls, revealing a worn and tired Obi-Wan (playing by Ewan McGregor of course). The camera follows him to a cave with a hidden spring. All seems well but as he crouches to fill his water bottles, a figure moves in the shadows.

Obi-Wan reaches for his Tusken Raider staff, though his instincts still tell him to reach for a lightsaber. The shadowy figure laughs and steps into the light, showing a face tattooed with a yellow bar. "Nice to see you haven't gotten soft, old man."

"Vos," Obi-Wan says, still on guard.

"We've got a problem you and I. Bounty hunters." Quinlan Vos (played by Jason Momoa, naturally) replies grimly.

What follows is 90 minutes of Ocean 11 style thriller as Obi-Wan and Quinlan have to not only fight off the bounty hunters but to erase the trail that lead them to Obi-Wan.

Knights of Sidonia: First, I would leave Izana as trans and cut out the over the top fanservice in season 02. There is more but it'd be spoilers.

Gotham: More consistent narrative for Selina (what the hell was that at the end of season 01?). Maybe a Selina-centric episode. And manybe have Selina start up an all girl gang?

I'd also cut back on the Hollywood depiction of mental illness and how about a positive portrayal of a bisexual and homosexual? Renee needs to come back.

Oh, and Vikings...not so happy with what Rollo seems to be getting up to. I'm fine with him aligning with the Franks but I'd rather he persuaded the other vikings left behind to join his cause rather than seemingly slaughtering them. I know it's likely more accurate to have them slaughtered but I'd love to see Rollo using words and leading.

[notapilot]

What is it about cleaning that gets things flowing for me?

Anyway, Netflix Falcon series! Production to be very much like how Daredevil was and how Jessica Jones is looking. Very street level. Focus will be Sam trying to balance work with the VA and finding Bucky, at least at the start of the series. There may be the occasional flash back to Sam's own trials with PTSD post-Afghanistan, with him reaching out to an old pilot friend named Carol Danvers. Maybe she even helps him with a Bucky mission or two, missions that turn into HYDRA bases pretty quickly.

Bucky is never shown but his shadow is always just ahead of Sam. I would also show Sam struggling with bad dreams from time to time or getting things triggered as he worries about losing Steve like he lost Riley; making sure to point out that PTSD leaves a scar and can flare up again.

[harryhotspur]

I mean, there is a pretty amazing version of Hotspur's canon on right now, but I do have secret and elaborate ideas about a contemporary-set film adaptation. >__>

The Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell miniseries started off so well and then devolved in ways I found rather disappointing into a much more straightforward and traditional storyline than what the book actually has. Casting-wise and aesthetically, it's pretty perfect, so let's just go back in time and re-write the final two episodes.

now I'm imagining a Philadelphia Story remake which I think could actually be great, especially if you used it as a chance to mop of some of the more hideously sexist elements?? also, George Clooney as Carey Grant's character. duh.

[tu_vas_triompher]

NGHHHHHH I WANT TO SEE THAT PRODUCTION SO BAD, SO BAD. and i always wanna hear about henry iv adaptations

[manofbusiness]

And let's put the Castle of the Plucked Eye and Heart back in, while we're at it.

[genarti]

Les Misérables: obviously there are a billion answers possible and fandom has talked over most of them, but you know what? Write's proposed tv show, right there!

And, I mean really, it'd have to be a miniseries or tv show of some sort, or an ongoing comic or something, because you can't really condense Les Mis down into a couple of hours without losing a lot. I love the musical, and it does an amazing job of condensing a brick-sized book into a couple of hours, but of course it does lose things; it has to. And we're talking the dream adaptation, not a version that already exists.

MCU: You know, it already is an adaptation, and the Thor movies specifically I really like. (Obviously there are slight tweaks I'd make, but that's a different question.) Mostly I just want more. Extended editions with more about Asgard! Jane and Darcy vs the world! Thor Hangs Out With Everybody!

Enchanted Forest Chronicles: Would make a great animated... something. Probably one movie per book is the easiest, but some kind of children's miniseries would be awesome too. One could totally add filler of more Enchanted Forest silliness. (But, uh, if it's a movie per book, I'd make changes to Talking To Dragons so that Cimorene's been surreptitiously doing stuff for the last 16 years. It wouldn't be hard. One could fit a whole extra movie or show season in the timeskip, honestly.)

[inlovewithwords]

I... may have as a kid started scripting EFC visual adaptation.

It's lost to time now, but, er. *coughs*

[inlovewithwords]

Eriond: Please. No. Not ever. I will pay good money to prevent it.

Henry: There's... definitely stuff I would like changed, but I can't think of all of it. (other than at least one romance i loathe.)

Evelyn: I actually really like the game. Like, novelization could be done, or comic, or tv series, but between all the possible variants and my liking my version kthnxbai... Nah.

Droid and his boy: ... I. Um. *buries face in hands* I would completely trash the prequels and replace them with good writing. Also refuse to cast Hayden Christiensen. Clone Wars and Rebels series can stay. I hear some of the recent comics are good. I... would either re-animate or even re-dub if possible the original trilogy, even, because terrible writing--but would not want to re-cast because frankly it is too iconic with that cast. Really. (Also <3 Harrison Ford.) And I would fragging keep Mara Jade I assume she is gone now and I am so sad.

Lois: God why do I even play some of these people. I love the characters but the canons! THE CANONS. Smallville needs a ton of epic re-writing and AU-ness. Could make reasonable novel-series, or I'd just AU half of it. And possibly groan because I actually would totally prefer to see, like, post-high school or late high school at earliest Clark and his wandering the world growing into himself. I am actually surprisingly okay with the castings, though; there were some really, really good ones. ...Although honestly Tom Welling looked too old for it, but starting older would help with that. Also more Metropolis, so much more Metropolis. And less Lana Lang. And no killing Jonathan. And, uh, generally less complete stupid.

[cassiefuckingcage]

Cassie and Raiden: Well, Mortal Kombat was already made into an enjoyable if cheesy 90s film. I certainly think a fun, blood-soaked remake could work. (It's apparently been in development hell for some time). It'd be a reboot from the beginning, so Cassie wouldn't be in it (at least not the first one). But some obvious fantasy picks come to mind. Most obviously, the role of Sonya Blade in any Mortal Kombat film that gets made is Ronda Rousey's if she decides she wants it. Gareth Evans is a no-brainer first choice to direct. I think Jason Chambers is nearly as obvious a pick to play Johnny Cage. And, though I don't think he'd ever agree to do it, when I picture the elder Sub-Zero I picture Donnie Yen, so he's in my fantasy cast too. I'd go with either Rory McCann or Nathan Jones (Rictus from Fury Road) as Kano. And fuck it, just bring back Cary-Hioryuki Tagawa to play Shang Tsung again. Liu Kang's a bit harder, since I envision Liu Kang in a reboot film as being a young man, and most of the appropriate actors I know of are in their mid-30s at least. The studio would probably want another "name"-ish martial arts film guy, so Tony Jaa as Scorpion wouldn't surprise me, even though he's Thai and not Japanese. (When did that ever stop Hollywood?) Recasting some of the people who were in the webseries might be worth considering. I don't know, I haven't seen all of it. Basically, there are a lot of options, and I think it's going to happen eventually. It could be cool or it could suck.

Garyn and Sheogorath: Honestly, most of what makes the Elder Scrolls series work conceptually comes specifically from the fact that it's a video game series - one which I'm mostly fine with how it turned out. I wouldn't want to see a film get made out of it. I have had an idea kicking around my head for a while that could be pretty cool, though - a TV series based around the adventures of the Redguard pirate and adventurer, Cyrus the Restless. An exciting high seas fantasy adventure series with a black principal cast is an idea that would have quite a bit of potential.

[boston_bruiser]

If I wrote Legend of Korra? There'd be:

-more fight scenes
-better fight scenes
-no Red Lotus, Unalaq, Varrick, Zhu Li, or Unalaq
-writing that didn't a) dumb down the Equalists or their cause, b) didn't relegate Asami to a fourth-tier supporting character, and c) didn't treat Katara as an on-call healer. It'd...probably also targeted towards a much older demographic than the original in terms of actual writing, but still nothing explicit.

Maybe I'd write a spinoff about Kuvira. Because I'm a huge goddamn fanboy, that's why.

That's the only canon of mine I really feel strongly about.

[falcon_2]

I'm reasonably certain it is in the works, and I am *seriously* excited.

[student_of_impossibility]

Tavi: I would, to be perfectly frank, love to see the TV series. So much. Like, GOT style (except without excessive nudity and gore, because no, thank you). And not done by the people who did the Dresden show. Would need fantastic music. Would, sadly, need glorious effects. Animated miiight be better but I really like the thought of Real People.

Dream Castings, most of which are Never Gonna Happen because and I am really sorry that I have thought so much about this:
- Gaius Sextus: in Live Action Ciaran Hinds. Icons of him playing Julius Caesar in Rome are basically perfect. If animated, Travis Willingham or maybe Cam Clarke for him (if Travis Willingham used different intonations than he did in Xillia/Xillia 2--ironically playinga character named Gaius--definitely him).
- Kitai: is a headache. Live Action, no clue. If it were animated but modeled after real people, I would want to base her on Julia Jones (played Leah Clearwater)--which I know sounds awful, because of coloring, but Kitai is explicitly Not Human despite the white skin because also white hair and like stuff, and Julia Jones has the features I want; for teenage, maybe modeled or even live action could use Camren Bicondova. Or else East Asian of some kind, not sure who. Animated voice: young Kitai, no clue except maybe above; adult: Nicole Fantl, April Stewart, maaaybe Laura Bailey?
- Randomly, if there were ever a series of the prequel bits, Jillian Morgese for Gaius Sextus' first wife. Don't ask.
- Ehren: Strangely enough, no clue whatsoever. Maybe Cory Michael Smith. Edit: or a young Robert Carlyle, potentially.
- Bernard: Joe Manganiello, at least live-action.
- Amara: live action, no clue, because she's supposed to have 'golden'--aka I'd go for Middle Eastern or Latin American--with blonde hair and I have never found a truly satisfactory answer. On the other hand, for voice there is choice of Kimberly Brooks, Kelsey Landsdown, Ashley Greene, or Tara Strong (okay basically Batgirl).
- Araris: ...I can't help myself. Viggo Mortensen. This is based entirely on the end of Fellowship where he is fantastic, but also if he has brown hair and tan-ish skin, honestly, make-up on the scar and he'd look perfect.
- Magnus: if animated, voiced by Todd Haberkorn. Live action, quite possibly Richard Wilson (ironically, Gaius of BBC Merlin).
- Max: if animated, voiced by Matthew Mercer (look, I like the Xillia cast--some of them). Live Action, Luke or Liam Hemsworth.
- Fidelias: Not actually sure, though quite possibly (probably, he does EVERYTHING) Nolan North could handle voice acting; maybe live-action Daniel Craig or Robert Carlyle. Marcus-face: Edward James Olmos, 100%.
- Placida Aria: So long as the same actress plays Cordelia (Naismith) Vorkosigan, I'm good. Strong, awesome redhead. Ditto Sandos; whoever plays him should be capable of Aral.
- Attis: Make him more golden-blond and keep him polished and clean, probably Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
- Invidia: Katie McGrath. Maybe Lana Parilla. Animated voice, potentially Grey deLisle.
- Isana: Giovanna Mezzogiorno might be a little old for it by now? But she is totally my headcanon look. Again, if animated, based on her for looks, and quite possibly Kari Wahlgren for voice.
- Vord Queen: either potentially Grey deLisle if she isn't Invidia; physical should be modeled after Kitai, and probably having Kitai's voice.
- Alera: Cate Blanchett.
- Tavi (and Septimus): animated version, young!Tavi a young Johnny McKeown might have been nice; David Mazouz could really work; animated adult!Tavi probably voiced by Cam Clarke or maybe Travis Willingham (reverse preference of Sextus). Live action: No clue. Either teenage or adult. Teenage, oddly, if Jared S. Gilmore and David Mazouz didn't look so not Italian, either might work. Adult Tavi I would adore Raoul Bova--he is one of my favorite PBs ever--but he is too old for the part now. Maybe Miko Hughes? I use him as PB for Tavi's son, but he might be close enough, for either young or adult? There's a look that needs to be just right for adult, he's hard.

[the_lioness]

*amused*

The only good thing I had to say about that god awful Airbender movie was... hey. That's what an Alera movie could look like with a tiny bit more CGI. *shiny eyes*

[fluffiest_archadian]

For live-action casting, I have no idea for Sherral.

But if he was voice acted, I would (after several hours of deliberation) want Robert Carlyle to do it, using his natural accent - which he doesn't use very often in his roles (he kind of puts on an Edinburgh accent), but here he is using it while talking about himself.

EDIT: Alternately, Richard Madden would also work well - and he has a slightly deeper voice than Carlyle, which helps.


In general, though, if I was adapting FF12, it'd be a live-action TV series ala Game of Thrones. No idea who I would cast for it, though.

[the_lioness]

Alanna and Thayet:

The Song of the Lioness quartet was originally one adult novel until Tamora Pierce's publishers (I think?) persuaded her to break it up and make the story YA. According to her, there is no surviving copy of the adult version, but Thom/Roger was definitely canon, Delia had more of a role, etc. I would LOVE to see that TV show. Game of Thrones style, but you know, without the triggery awfulness. I think there'd be enough material to work with and fill in for the first two and the last books, so I'd want to cut out the, er, problematic third book.

Casting is... impossible. *laughs*


Karou:

...is getting a movie adaptation, I believe! HUZZAH! Only... I feel like that's going to be a tough one to adapt well. With the right budget and the right director, it could be gorgeous.


Sparks Nevada:

Man, I'd love a Sparks Nevada TV show. The only problem is that you'd need to cast all the original voice actors, because anything else would just be weird.

Toby Daye:

Another one I think would work well as a TV show. (Or maybe I just really want some awesome new shows to watch.) I don't know that I'd change much, just do a one book per season thing. Casting... I'll think on that one.

The rest of mine are already from movies or TV shows, so reaching deep to a character I have almost apped: I reaaaaaally want a Newsflesh movie series. Especially as we get deeper into this election cycle. *eyes zombies* Yes. Please, Hollywood. Get on that.

[mighty_avenger]

Okay... going with the theory of all the Fae adults look way younger than they should, Emily Deschanel as Toby and May, because both the Deschanel sisters basically look like they should have pointy ears already. And also CHEEKBONES.

(Ellen Page as the Ludaieg.)

Reese Witherspoon as (adult) Alanna (so I guess I'm casting the Immortals?) because she's SHORT and also I think watching her be a small, angry knight would be awesome.