The Return of Sword & Sorcery Cinema?

[Ralif Redhammer]

Wasn't there talk of a movie based on Karl Edward Wagner's Kane stories? I seem to recall hearing that it was going to be approached like a horror film, rather than a straight fantasy flick.

As for Elric, the whole saga would be a massive undertaking. But looking at the CNN article, there's a pretty succinctly stated plot arc:

"The novels follow Elric on a series of adventures, in which he is betrayed by his cousin, sent into exile and attempts to come to terms with his own humanity."

An Elric film could easily be a revenge tale, ending with the destruction of Immryr. Sure, it'd be pretty simplified, but I think it would be a good, reasonably palatable to Hollywood, film.

 

[frankthedm]

I seem to recall hearing that it was going to be approached like a horror film, rather than a straight fantasy flick.

Thats actually a good idea, while the Elric series reads like a fantasy story and would be called such by most of us, one of the literary genre’s conventions for fantasy is that the protagonist wins in the end. As such someone making a movie pitch would be in there rights to use horror, rather than fantasy to classify the tale’s genre.

 

[barsoomcore]

An Elric film could easily be a revenge tale, ending with the destruction of Immryr.

That's exactly how I'd do it. Elric leaves kingdom to Yrkoon, acquires Stormbringer (with Yrkoon getting Mournblade at the same time), discovers Cymoril's death, big fight, everyone dies, Elric slouches off into the wasteland.

Something like that, anyway.

 

[Joshua Randall]

See, NOW you're talking!

[stuff]

Can I write marketing fluff or can I?

Why yes, yes you can. And I would definitely see that movie.

But I fear the movie we will get will take itself waaaaaaaaay too seriously. That it will try to capture the New Age philosophizing of Moorcock, or make some sort of after school special point about loneliness and humanity, or something like that.

The only things the Elric movie needs to succeed are:
(1) an albino (paging Paul Bettany?)
(2) a big-ass black runesword

Everything else is fluff, and too much fluff will distract from the movie's focus.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Elric leaves kingdom to Yrkoon, acquires Stormbringer (with Yrkoon getting Mournblade at the same time), discovers Cymoril's death, big fight, everyone dies, Elric slouches off into the wasteland.

Alternatively, Elric has already acquired Stormbringer (or does so in the first 15 minutes of the movie), and then we use the plot from the book "Stormbringer". It's much more a straight epic fantasy plot than the other stories, which are more moody and episodic. Plus, "Stormbringer" has the cool apocolyptic ending.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I just want to see Elric standing on a mound of hundreds of dead bodies.

 

[James Heard]

Somehow I think Vin Diesel is a shoo-in for Elric, because John Travolta and Nick Cage are too old. If they make Samuel L Jackson Elric though, I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[Klaus]

"Elric: Runeswords in the M*********ing Plane".


Hmm... I can see it.

 

[James Heard]

"What?"
"Forsooth, say 'What' again! C'mon, say 'What' again! I dare ya, I double dare ya !@#$%, say 'What' one more !@#$% time!"
Runes of Elric's mighty evil blade pulse. Cue Rave music.

Later on:

"Now THAT is some tasty soul."
"You know what they call souls in Tanelorn?"

 

[horacethegrey]

Anyone here think that Elric would be perfect as an anime? It's tragic themes and apocalyptic leanings are just the sort of stuff the Japanese eat up. Plus, as someone mentioned, Moorcock loves Yoshitaka Amano's illustrations of Elric, so at least we already have a character designer at hand.