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| Credit: Pixabay.com |
Sorry
about the late post. My desktop was having problems.
Traditionally
books have been adapted for the big screen but now the trend is
in ones
adapted for the small, including online television. This
isn’t a new thing even for the science fiction and fantasy
genres. It started as early as the Six Billion Dollar Man in
the ‘70s, which was based on Martin Caidin’s novel, Cyborg.
Several of Steven King’s novels were made into television series
such as It (1990), and then George R.R. Martin’s Game of
Thrones has been an HBO
hit since its debut in 2011. But now that there are five novels by
four different popular sci fi/fantasy authors that have either
recently been adapted to television or are in the plans to be, a
book-to-TV trend is definitely forming. Therefore you can expect to
see more famous novels (and maybe even not so famous) turn into
television shows in the near future. Here
are the most recent upcoming five:
1) Neil Gaiman’s
American Gods: Cable network Starz will be premiering this
series based on Gaiman’s number-one-selling dark fantasy novel next
year. Read the latest news on it here.
Also, read about the new edition with the far out book cover
art by Robert McGinnis!
2) Micheal
Crichton’s Westworld: Although the movie came first, the
book was written by its screen writer shortly after
and who would later write his best-selling Jurassic Park and
so that’s why I included it here. More than 40 years later, it just
made its television series debut on HBO this past Sunday!
3) Margaret Atwood’s
The Handmaid’s Tale: This totalitarian futuristic novel is
currently in development for its Hulu adaptation.
But one of Atwood’s other novels is also in the plans for a TV
series and that one is . . .
4) The Heart Goes Last: It’s television rights was just recently acquired by MGM
TV,
distributor of The Handmaid’s Tale
TV series. It is set
in, what first seems to be, a utopian future that quickly goes
dystopian.
5) Stephen King’s,
The Dark Tower: Yes, the best-selling horror author is coming
out with another TV series based on one of his novels (in this case,
a series of them). It takes place in an apocalyptic future where
magic
seems to return to the earth in a second dark age. The
series’ production plans have just been revealed and, according to
Entertainment Weekly, filming will start in 2017 and is due to
premiere in 2018.
However, those who are impatient to see it need not feel so bad. The
big screen adaptation is set to premiere this February! Read more
about both and their latest news here.
In the past, movie
adaptations have motivated viewers to read the books they originated
from. (I myself just started reading Richard Matheson’s I Am
Legend.) Hopefully, the
book-to-TV series trend will do the same and help to continue
resolving the literacy problem
in our nation.
Do you think the new
book-to-TV trend in sci fi/fantasy will encourage more viewers to
read? Do you know of any other sci fi, fantasy or horror novels that
have been or are in the plans for weekly television adaptation? Feel
free to leave your answers in the box below.
Until next time . .
.
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