What makes a quality movie adaptation? Is it adherence to the original plot? A quality cast that look like the characters we imagined all along (except hotter and thinner)? Special effects? Perhaps a strong fan base like our old pal Harry Potter had? In my opinion it is a combination of these paired with a director and crew who are dangerously obsessed with the film. Maybe not dangerously, but nearly there.
A quick example of what I am talking about with this last stipulation is Stephen King’s The Shining. Stanley Kubrick, the sultan of cinema, loved the book, loved the characters, loved the setting, and most importantly, loved the story. Stan knew what it took to make a hit movie – stars, suspense, a concise plot with a twist or at most 3 – so he kept the book’s overall tone and changed a great deal of the book to fit his winning* structure, resulting in the epic masterpiece of horror that the film became. Unfortunately, because the novel was one of King’s first and therefore held a very dear place in his heart, these changes forced him to break his partnership with the Kubrick and denounce the film. But, that is another story for another post.
The movie adaptations on my mind are another of Stephen King’s books – this time with his blessing – The Dark Tower, and the prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit. These two are slated to be released within 6 months of each other, The Hobbit: Part I in late 2012, and The Gunslinger, the first in the Dark Tower series, in mid 2013.
Both have enormous fan bases with absurdly loyal fans. I do not mean to offend here as I proudly serve in the nerd army that marches in step with Frodo and the Gunslinger; however, we geeks are a tough sell. Many LOTR fans will never forgive Peter Jackson for his cuts in the 3 part series, while others will soon be buying their tickets to New Zealand to be made up as extras in Hobbiton. The same shall be true for Dark Tower fans, some of whom are already up in arms about the casting possibility of Javier Bardem as Roland Deschain, the saga’s anti-hero, because of the star-power that he will bring to the series. Some Dark Tower fans see this as a hindrance because audiences may relate him to his prior films, and long time fans want Roland to be remembered as naught but the grizzled Gunslinger. But, let’s be honest: my girlfriend had a crush on Elijah Wood way before LOTR came out and these days he is known to many as simply “Frodo”.
It is clear that Peter Jackson is, in fact, the world’s biggest nerd with the recent release of his on-set videos as filming of first installment of The Hobbit begins, but I do not know how I feel about Ron Howard taking the charge of the The Gunslinger adaptation. PJ was an unknown when he was chosen to take on LOTR, but Howard already has a good deal of fame and some fans worry he is unlikely to invest the balance of the rest his career on this mega-series – which will include TV series in between the films – the way Jackson did with the story of the one ring. Howard already has a wonderful reputation as a director and producer and will be laying all that success on the line with the undertaking of this mon(lob)strosity* of a project.
Stephen King’s series is worth its weight in fiction, with 7 books and nearly 4000 pages. However, it does not have the massive public following that JK Rowling did with Harry Potter. Even though King himself is the most famous living American author, his movie projects – with a few sterling exceptions – have been pretty flat. Will audiences be able to overlook adaptations like The Stand mini-series and be willing to give The Dark Tower a chance?
Also, will the film draw the budget it needs for success? Just this week there has been talk that Universal, NBC, and Howard’s Imagine 
Entertainment have started to get cold feet about the project as they debate how much it will take to make it a success. It took King 22 years to complete all 7 books, while the movies will be rushed along at the speed of Silicon Valley and needy nerds alike. And finally, what about the stories themselves? The Dark Tower has even more twists than The Shining did while The Hobbit is a largely linear story. However, both films will be packed with special effects and Hollywood goodness so which, story or effects, will be featured?
I will leave you with the wise words of Gabriel Deschain, mother of the Gunslinger, Roland: “Let be what will be, and hush, and let Ka* work.” This is one excited nerd signing off.
*It is my understanding that until the year 2011 is through Charlie Sheen must be featured in all types of media.
*Ka is as close to religion as Roland and his companions get in The Dark Tower. It is closely related to Karma.
*A lobstrosity is a sea monster that plays a small but important part in The Drawing of the Three, the 2nd installment of the Dark Tower.