Is sci fi dieing ?

DJ_Switch · 14 Jul 2012 at 19:52

realBabelfish said:
buck rogers is crying out to be remade! loved that series!

Also loved Buck Rogers. There's just no replacing Erin Gray, however, there have been numerous rumours of a remake of this ever since BSG was remade. I wouldn't be surprised if we do see a remake of it.

spudbynight · 14 Jul 2012 at 20:44

realBabelfish said:
buck rogers is crying out to be remade! loved that series!

Wilma was the most beautiful women in Sci-Fi - EVER!

Although looking at pictures now - maybe not.

L1ght · 16 Jul 2012 at 01:11

Seems to be the days of fantasy rather than science fiction. Just saw an advert for something called teen wolf? :rolleyes:

v0n · 16 Jul 2012 at 01:58

Season 2012/2013 will be super dry in terms of Sci Fi.
There are only three "sci fi" adjacent shows from major networks to be premiered this autumn. Dystopian drama about world without electricity "RevolutION" . Superhero series called "Arrow" and based on Green Arrow by DC comics and supernatural spooky building type of story based on a book Gabriella Pierce titled "666 Park Ave".

What's worse, 666 Park Ave has rather short order (trial run) of episodes and RevolutiON looks like expensive exercise that's been slotted in Monday detective/med zone, so it might end up murdered by Nielsen ratings. Traditionally no Sci Fi show survived Monday slot in this decade. This is where The Cape, The Event, Alcatraz and Terra Nova died before. And with all of that in mind, currently only Arrow was picked up by UK network and it will be shown on Sky 1.

Antar Bolaeisk · 16 Jul 2012 at 03:02

That's pretty depressing.

Somnambulist · 16 Jul 2012 at 04:31

Del Toro has a film about giant robots fighting giant aliens coming out, at least.

SixTwoSix · 16 Jul 2012 at 05:33

Somnambulist said:
Del Toro has a film about giant robots fighting giant aliens coming out, at least.

Pacific Rim, looks rather good.

Godzilla remake in the works as well.

Meridian · 16 Jul 2012 at 07:32

Somnambulist said:
Del Toro has a film about giant robots fighting giant aliens coming out, at least.

Unless your master plan is to prove to the world that science fiction is only for children, why would this be a good thing? Del Toro is capable of something much better.

M

ShakenNstirred · 16 Jul 2012 at 08:59

I'm sure it wont die out its just a quiet time
like other genre have gone though

bam0 · 16 Jul 2012 at 12:00

Meridian said:
However, not necessarily Hamilton: his plots are average, his writing is workmanlike (trans: average), and his characters mostly only plot devices.

Wow, really? I would say that the Void Trilogy isn't as good as the Night's Dawn Trilogy or Commonwealth Saga but I disagree that you can call his plots average. The sheer breadth of them precludes that.

Gooner Leroy · 16 Jul 2012 at 12:26

Has anyone read 'Saga of the seven suns' trilogy by James Anderson? They'd make a brilliant tv series if they get the right funding

Meridian · 16 Jul 2012 at 17:12

bam0 said:
Wow, really? I would say that the Void Trilogy isn't as good as the Night's Dawn Trilogy or Commonwealth Saga but I disagree that you can call his plots average. The sheer breadth of them precludes that.

Can I just remind you that the Night's Dawn trilogy ended with what is widely regarded as the worst deus ex machina in three decades? I have to say that my personal favourite is actually Fallen Dragon.

M

The Running Man · 16 Jul 2012 at 18:05

Im pretty sure that BSG was a drama that happened to be set in space..

Could easily have just been a resistance movement in WW2 or in the middle east, and instead of the enemies being robots beignfaceless US MARINE CORPS. the captivating bit really was the charatcter interaction and the suspense - was that a good thing to do/say or not?!!? find out next week...

Demoniser · 16 Jul 2012 at 18:35

The Running Man said:
Im pretty sure that BSG was a drama that happened to be set in space..

Could easily have just been a resistance movement in WW2 or in the middle east, and instead of the enemies being robots beignfaceless US MARINE CORPS. the captivating bit really was the charatcter interaction and the suspense - was that a good thing to do/say or not?!!? find out next week...

I think it was a combination of the character drama and the top notch visual design tbh. It was sci fi but it was believable.

Somnambulist · 16 Jul 2012 at 22:55

Meridian said:
Unless your master plan is to prove to the world that science fiction is only for children, why would this be a good thing? Del Toro is capable of something much better.

M

Am I going to get an awesome cinematic versions of...

Herbert's Dune-iverse?
Neuromancer/Sprawl Triology?
Bank's Culture universe?
Asher's Polity universe?
Ringworld?
Gibson's Shoal Sequence?

Probably not. I'll take what I can get.

TehBluebear · 17 Jul 2012 at 08:58

Somnambulist said:
Am I going to get an awesome cinematic versions of...

Bank's Culture universe?

Oh please. Please, please, please.

Always thought Use of Weapons would make a brilliant TV adaptation, with its multiple narative threads. Then again, a part of me never wants to see the Culture given a tangible shape and feel. I much prefer the version I hold in my head.

krooton · 17 Jul 2012 at 10:22

I would love a big budget tv series based on the Shadowrun universe.

Bubo · 17 Jul 2012 at 11:38

CSI:Venus is probably all you're likely to get.

bam0 · 17 Jul 2012 at 11:40

Meridian said:
Can I just remind you that the Night's Dawn trilogy ended with what is widely regarded as the worst deus ex machina in three decades? I have to say that my personal favourite is actually Fallen Dragon.

M

You can, and I feel bad every time I think about it, in fact I think I actually cringed when I read it. But everything up to that point was fantastic. Also the conclusion to the Commonwealth Saga was much better.

Meridian · 17 Jul 2012 at 13:48

Somnambulist said:
Am I going to get an awesome cinematic versions of...

Herbert's Dune-iverse?
Neuromancer/Sprawl Triology?
Bank's Culture universe?
Asher's Polity universe?
Ringworld?
Gibson's Shoal Sequence?

Probably not. I'll take what I can get.

The first attempt at Dune lost so much money that people are reluctant to go anywhere near it again. There are persistent rumours of a remake though. The rights to Neuromancer were bought not long after it came out, and again the rumours have flown about for years, but to no avail. I'm not sure if Banks has sold film rights to any of his SF stuff (he has for a lot of non-SF stuff).

But I'm always terribly wary of books based on films. In general, good books make, at best, mediocre films. All the best films which have come from books tend to come from mediocre books. The problem with good books is that all the stuff which makes them good is the stuff which is unique to the written word: thoughts, feeling, style etc. Replicating this on screen is all but impossible. It's better to take a mediocre book and have the director put their own stamp on it. It's even better to write something original of course.