Weitz Brothers making Elric movie?

[Krug]

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=20750

 

[frankthedm]

My Main fear is they won't let Elric be Elric in this age of political correctness. He may be better than his forbearers in some regards but his drug habits and his reluctant accepting of stormbringer's eating of souls may cause friction between the source material and what actually gets on screen. I'd say there is 70% chance Hollywood would change Elric to object to the humans torture & enslavement, rather than his uncaring attitude towards the atrocities.

At least we know hollywood can pull the look off.

http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=23896

From... http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?p=2860763

Agreed.

I was about to make a derogatory comment about the Matrix's peurile so-called philosophizing in comparison to Elric.

Then I remembered that the Elric stories have just as much puerile so-called philosophizing. Yeah, it seemed deep and important when I was 16, but so did a lot of other crap.

So now I've decided that I would far rather see an Elric movie that dispenses with the philosophizing and just features lots of killing and a kewl uber sword.

I almost like the comparison.

I could even forgive the opening scene having the throne room magically lit in a rave-like manner to try and entertain Elric as long as they do not gloss over his depencence on the drugs. I like the series in writing and concept, but don’t forget Mr. Moorcock wrote Elric as almost a parody of Conan and other fantasy fiction.

Manly man? Hell No! Elric is an effeminate looking Bishonen prettyboy.

Strong? No way! He can’t get out of bed without ‘roids.

A mighty sword at his side? A mighty Evil sword is more like it.

Does he gets the girls? He gets the girls

Spoiler

killed

.<<<

Edit
http://www.amanosworld.com/html/work/moorcock.html
Yes, that artist is canon.

Amano has illustrated most of the major fantasy stories by Michael Moorcock which are published in Japan - setting the standard for fantasy illustrations. Mr. Moorcock liked Amano's illustrations so much, he changed the original covers of the English translations to Amano's work.

I think it would actually be a good idea to try to appeal to the female Tokyopop crowd with art and promotions using amano's work.

Exclusive: Weitz Brothers Making Elric
Paul to direct fantasy adaptation?

So his adaptation of The Golden Compass is already being hyped by studio New Line as the new Lord Of The Rings (rather inaccurately if you ask us, since the books share little in common). But that’s not enough fantasy limelight for the guy who, up until now, was best known for small-scale comedies like American Pie and About A Boy. Nope, along with his brother and former co-director Paul, Chris Weitz is going to take on the biggest fantasty-literature property as yet untouched by movieland: Michael Moorcock’s Elric saga.

Elric of Melniboné, aka Elric Kinslayer, aka The White Wolf first appeared in print in 1961, and is the anti-hero of more than a dozen books. A physically weak, perpetually sickly albino who’s the outcast Emperor of a race of cruel, ancient decadent people, he’s no musclebound Conan-type, instead drawing his power from the spirit-sucking runesword Stormbringer, an evil entity with whom he struggles for his own soul. And he’s frankly one of the greatest fantasy characters out there – albeit one who’s going to be fiendishly hard to make work on screen.

“Of the great classic fantasy series it’s the one that hasn’t been done yet,” Weitz tells Empire online. “My brother Paul and I liked those books growing up and we’ve met Michael Moorcock and he trusts us to take those books forward.” The Weitz’s Depth Of Field production company will be behind the adaptation, although no director is yet attached. Weitz does have one in mind, though: “I’d really like it if my brother directed them,” he says.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I would be more interested if the author hadn't taken all of the goodwill he'd built up in me with the Von Bek books and half-remembered Elric books, and took a drizzling, well, you-know on it, and then tossed it out the window with The Dreamthief's Daughter.

Don't mean to threadcrap and all, but I can safely say that I'm going to stay home and wash my hair that weekend.

Brad

 

[Steel_Wind]

I don't think that drugs as recreation are that important to Elric as a character. That element has a lot more to do with the era in which it was written than any underlying importance to the character as a whole.

The drugs are just there as part of a symbol of disconnected decadence.

He's an albino, the last emperor, he has a nasty black sword and he will summon Arioch when he needs to. Moonglum will show up. Dragons as mounts may make an appearance.

Elric in the end is about Elric, his weakness and Stormbringer. He's about the the sword - not the drugs.

It also takes Elric some time to figure out what the sword is *actually* doing.

And if there is any attempt to make this as a major motion picture with a decent budget - every reader of this forum will go to it opening weekend if they can manage it

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

And if there is any attempt to make this as a major motion picture with a decent budget - every reader of this forum will go to it opening weekend if they can manage it

I never say never, but Michael Moorcock's not really grabbed me in the past. I'm sure I'd go see it, but rush out on opening weekend? Probably not.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

I don't think that drugs as recreation are that important to Elric as a character. That element has a lot more to do with the era in which it was written than any underlying importance to the character as a whole.

The drugs are just there as part of a symbol of disconnected decadence.

Hm, among the other Melniboneans, maybe. I never got the idea that Elric used them as recreation- from what I remember, he had to have the drugs to survive. He wasn't exactly all that healthsome before obtaining Stormbringer (which then provided its own twisted version of sustenance for him).

If anything, I'd think the drugs/addiction theme would be a great message in our overmedicated society, and I'd like to see that played upa bit more than it was in the books myself.

 

[Hand of Evil]

One of those, oh, this can be great but fear what will be the result.

 

[Squire James]

Initially, he required drugs to be in fighting shape (I actually suspect a reference to steroids here). Without them, he was pretty much half-asleep and weak all the time. During the course of the series, he got lots of exercise, became more physically fit, and by midway could probably function normally without drugs or Sword.

 

[Alaric_Prympax]

Initially, he required drugs to be in fighting shape (I actually suspect a reference to steroids here). Without them, he was pretty much half-asleep and weak all the time. During the course of the series, he got lots of exercise, became more physically fit, and by midway could probably function normally without drugs or Sword.

IIRC, it's been about 20 years since I read the Elric Saga, in the begining of Stormbringer before he picks it back up to weild he is taking the drugs because they are found near his wife's homeland. Also IIRC in Book V of the Saga while he's travelling with Moonglum while in a forest he comes across and collects the plants that he can turn into the drug. I think this might be the same area near his wife's homeland. This would have taken place before he married her. Like I said it's been since the mid 80's since I read the Saga and I still have to read the Elric books that have come out after The Revenge of the Rose.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Well, then, to clarify, from Elric of Melnibone, book one of the saga:

"... the Empress had died bringing her sole thin-blooded issue into the world... By magic potions and the chanting of runes, by rare herbs had her son been nurtured, his strength sustained artificially by every art known to the Sorcerer Kings of Melnibone. And he had lived - still lives- thanks to sorcery alone, for he is naturally lassitudinous and, without his drugs, would barely be able to raise his hand from his side through most of a normal day."

He's the original crack baby.

Also, I'd have to double check, but I think the drugs he used after he gave up Stormbringer might have been something less addictive, more mediciny (not that that's any better)- certainly he seemed more lively than in the first novel with the Melnibonean stuff.