Wheel of Time optioned

[Krug]

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-03/12/11.00.film

Red Eagle Entertainment has optioned worldwide feature-film rights to Robert Jordan's 11-book fantasy series The Wheel of Time, Variety reported. Red Eagle will work on producing an adaptation of the first novel, The Eye of the World, with others to follow, the trade paper reported.

Eye of the World begins when villagers of Emond's Field are attacked by minions of a force known as the Dark One, forcing three young men to confront their destiny and begin a quest, the trade paper reported.

Red Eagle will not produce programming itself, but will seek a production partner and focus on the ancillary licensing of branded products and services, the trade paper reported.

Jordan's most recent installment was the prequel The New Spring, which bowed at number one on the New York Times best-seller list. Jordan is expected to write at least two more full-length novels to complete the series, along with two additional prequels, the trade paper reported.

 

[Dark Jezter]

So instead of 800 pages of women turning up their noses at each other, we'll have 3 hours of women turning up their noses at each other?

 

[Dragonblade]

I think Wheel of Time would work exceptionally well on the big screen. All the slow scenes and unnecessary exposition would be cut out, getting to the heart of the story.

The only thing I wouldn't like is if they can't do the entire series with the same actors/director.

Hopefully, they will get someone like Peter Jackson to do it. Although he is probably sick of fantasy.

 

[EricNoah]

I would watch movies of the first three books, no problem.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Great. I'm sure it will show everything in minute detail, but nothing will ever happen... :\

 

[Aaron L]

I'd pay 100 bucks to see Dumais Wells.

 

[Dirigible]

The only thing I wouldn't like is if they can't do the entire series with the same actors/director.

Of course they can't.
Each movie takes, say, 3 years to make. 11 books at present. So Rand would start off age 18, end up at least 38

Thye should do it CGI or animation (not that there is a whole lot of difference these days).

I'd pay 100 bucks to see Dumais Wells.

Well, if you squint really hard while watching Two Towers...

 

[LightPhoenix]

I think Wheel of Time would work exceptionally well on the big screen. All the slow scenes and unnecessary exposition would be cut out, getting to the heart of the story.

I was thinking the same thing myself. At the hands of a talented writer that can pare down the books, I think it could actually work well.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

I'd pay 100 bucks to see Dumais Wells.

mmmm......

"Ashaman kill!! *BAM*SPLAT*CRUNCH*BAM*SPLAT*CRUNCH*"

 

[mmu1]

I think that realistically speaking, this is a very bad idea... Not once was there an actual film series even close in length to what you'd need to do a book by book adaptation of the Wheel of Time. (Bond movies and Star trek don't count, since there's no continuity to speak of, there) A book by book adaptation of the whole thing is never going to happen.

They ought to get the whole story from Jordan (assuming he's got an idea on how he intends the books to end), pare away all the useless repetitive exposition, and try pitching it as a trilogy, and even then...

I mean, LotR is, what, 900 pages? They still ened up (in total) cutting a couple of hours out of three 3-3.5 hour films, and even with that footage added back in, it doesn't come close to covering the story in detail.

With WoT, we're talking about something in the range of 6000-7000 pages. Even if you cut all the braid-pulling, nose up-turning, slowly going insane, etc. you still end up with a huge amount of story...

They ought to do the damn thing as a mini-series on HBO - that way, Rand's four-way relationship might even get screen time.