Subject:
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Re: Sci Fi Novels --> movies
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.space, lugnet.general
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Date:
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Sat, 6 Mar 2004 03:36:13 GMT
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Viewed:
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175 times
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A novel which has, inexplicably, never been filmed, is Alfred Bester’s The
Stars My Destination. This is surely one of the top ten greatest Sf novels
ever. It was written by a veteran radio and TV writer as an intensely paced male
action hero revenge story, with imagery that leaps off the page, including
fantastic costumes and a never-ending supply of amazing vehicles. It has the
required explosions! It has the props, the CGI, the one-liners, the freaks, the
babes. It has it all, even a plot.
Gully Foyle is an unmotivated slacker left for dead after a space battle, who
gets a desire to live and does so in vacuum out of sheer determination for 187
days. In his adventures getting back to Earth he undergoes a bizarre rite on an
asteroid colony, acquires the skills of a killer and a gentleman, escapes from
the deepest prison ever, beds babes, and builds a business empire in the
single-minded pursuit of the truth about why he was left to die and the power to
do something about it. After a pause worthy of a Broadway musical, Gully begins
taking his revenge, wearing coattails. He is the original Joker AND Batman in
one, the original Darth Maul. Think of it as “Les Miserables” meets “Count of
Monte Cristo” in space, with a dash of James Bond and bouquet of Klingon.
I cannot think of any Sf screen cliche that was NOT already 50 years ago in this
novel. It would command the instant loyalty of every Star or X-fan munching
popcorn, past or present, upon seeing a mere 15-second trailer. It is that big.
And it is an actual story. And so it is a mystery that it never has been filmed.
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Sci Fi Novels --> movies
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| (...) (snip lots of good reasons why the book is indeed, a top 10 on many lists, and why thiis movie would rock!) All I can figure is that it's too obscure... that or there is a fair bit of introspection on the part of Foyle (his motivation for (...) (21 years ago, 6-Mar-04, to lugnet.space, lugnet.general, FTX)
| | | Re: Sci Fi Novels --> movies
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| (...) That would be a bit difficult, since his story wasn't published until 1956, 17 years after Batman first graced the cover of Detective Comics #32, and 16 years after the Joker was introduced in Batman #1. Ironically enough, the first Joker (...) (21 years ago, 6-Mar-04, to lugnet.space, lugnet.general, FTX)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Sci Fi Novels --> movies
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| (...) I read a script once of a proposed movie based upon Isaac Asimov's short stories that never got to filming. The explanation was that Asimov's stories are very adult, concerning deeper issues and themes than most Hollywood sci-fi. (...) (21 years ago, 6-Mar-04, to lugnet.castle, lugnet.space, lugnet.general, FTX)
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