Young Wizards Movies?

[Avi]

Do you think that would be a good idea? If they made movies out of the Young Wizards books? What would they be rated?

Webmaster of Marauders Magic.com (Harry Potter site)

[Wilf]

Oooh.... tough one. I am broadly in favour in books been made into movies, providing that they stick to the plot. I am not totally sure how well they would transfer to the world of film, because the books contain large chunks which do not contain any action - it is decription of how people ar feeling, or what exactly they are doing. For example, look at the opening paragraph of Wizard's Holiday excrept on this site. Bits like that, which DD's writing so wonderful, would not really translate into film.

On the other hand, I htink the books owuld work brilliantly as a radio play - so much easier to do narration.

[Agent M]

NO!!!! At first I thought that would be a great idea, then I saw Timeline (One of the greatest adult fiction books of all time) after reading the book, NO!!!!!!!! It was HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

*Agent~M*
"Those who refuse the Powers, become the tools of the Powers, Those who agree to help the powers, Themselves become the Powers. Beware the Choice! Beware refusing it!"-Young Wizards books.
"Do what the night tells you, and read the fine print before you sign!" -Peach.
"In the Cookies of life, your friends are the chocolate chips" -Sam

[EWizard11]

M, M, calm down...

As for my opinion, I think it would be cool, provided that DD wrote/had a major say in the movies. But she's considering a TV series, isn't she? Spinoff? Which would probably not mean shows with the plots that we know in the books.

*Ella*

"'Do we start kicking now?'
'No, Spongebob, that's a chorus line.'"
-Spongebob Squarepants

[Agent M]

*breathes in and out for a minute* Okay... A T.V. series would be O.K. but still I'm not exactly thrilled about the idea, Movie:NOOOOO!!! Okay, Young Wizards books are kinda confusing for a first read, right? And they're long. That's similar to Timeline's problem. It's a lot of stuff but they can't make the movie too long, and they want the audience to understand the movie and enjoy it. So they changed the whole concept, added new characters (pretty much) changed most of the storyline, made characters that weren't supposed to die, die, and they skipped out on all the best parts. I'm pretty sure they'd do the same to a young Wizards movie, with or without DD there. Hollywood can be evil sometimes...

*Agent~M*
"Those who refuse the Powers, become the tools of the Powers, Those who agree to help the powers, Themselves become the Powers. Beware the Choice! Beware refusing it!"-Young Wizards books.
"Do what the night tells you, and read the fine print before you sign!" -Peach.
"In the Cookies of life, your friends are the chocolate chips" -Sam

[EWizard11]

You can say that again...the problem, however, with making YW movies is that everything is linked to everything else, making it extremely difficult to omit events from the movie. Like the thing with Nita's pen. It leads them meeting Fred, going to Tom and Carl, going to find the worldgate, and ultimately ending up in the alternate universe where their Ordeal takes place. All because of a little space pen, or rather, the theft of one.

*Ella*

"'Do we start kicking now?'
'No, Spongebob, that's a chorus line.'"
-Spongebob Squarepants

[Agent M]

Yeah, that would be a little weird and confusing for the audience, also, unfortunatly, a lot of people at my school love to tease anyone who reads these books... I don't think it'd make much money, it wouldn't be worth it.

*Agent~M*
"Those who refuse the Powers, become the tools of the Powers, Those who agree to help the powers, Themselves become the Powers. Beware the Choice! Beware refusing it!"-Young Wizards books.
"Do what the night tells you, and read the fine print before you sign!" -Peach.
"In the Cookies of life, your friends are the chocolate chips" -Sam

[EWizard11]

Really?! (About the teasing) And they don't tease people who read Harry Potter, I'll bet, hypocritical jerks...! That makes me mad!


Why are there only 2 mad smilies??

*Ella*

"'Do we start kicking now?'
'No, Spongebob, that's a chorus line.'"
-Spongebob Squarepants

[Agent M]

Actually technically there's three ,
I know, they don't make fun of Star Wars or Harry Potter!! But when a kid at my school was reading So You Want to Be a Wizard one of the major jerks said "Oh so you want to be a wizard? I want to be a wizard too, that's so cool" He said in an evil teasing voice, and it's extremely lame, he said the exact same thing to me the year before when I was re reading SYWTBAW.

*Agent~M*
"Those who refuse the Powers, become the tools of the Powers, Those who agree to help the powers, Themselves become the Powers. Beware the Choice! Beware refusing it!"-Young Wizards books.
"Do what the night tells you, and read the fine print before you sign!" -Peach.
"In the Cookies of life, your friends are the chocolate chips" -Sam

[Diane Duane]

I think everybody needs to calm themselves down a little about this.

Yes, plans are still going ahead for a YW movie or TV series. Yes, Hollywood can be evil! I know it well: I've worked there for so long.

But I'm in a position to have it my own way on this project. (a) I own all rights to the property. (b) I'm a screenwriter with many years' worth of credential, which (as far as I can tell) none of the other writers-most-likely-to-get-their-stuff-bought-as-Potteresque are. (c) I have very, very nasty, clever, high-powered, determined screen agents. (c) I don't need movie money. I make more than enough from my books and other independent screenwriting.

I will not sell anyone an option on the YW books unless they guarantee me first crack at the screenplay, and ultimate script veto thereafter. They won't give me that now? Fine. I'll wait. I'm in no hurry. But I will get my way. Anybody buys rights from me and violates the contract, I'll sue them till their eyes bleed.

As for the rest of it: you're all just going to have to take a deep breath and trust my skills as a novelist and screenwriter. It is hard, yes, to successfully move a book to film or video. Movies are not books. Yes, the books would be changed somewhat in the process: it's impossible for matters to go otherwise. But I will be the one making the changes, so you all should relax and deal with it. Whatever screenplay I write will be true to the spirit of the books, even if details are changed. I know we all resist change...but this is my universe, and I get to say what goes.

And just a note in passing: Agent M, if it suddenly got out that someone was blowing $50 million or so on making a big movie out of the YW books, I bet your classmates would stop laughing as the publicity revved up. People have this annoying tendency to be impressed by media stuff...and to want to seem cool. You might even find some of them pretending that they always secretly liked the books....

-- DD

[Agent M]

*snickers* I feel sorry for anybody who ever has to go against you in court. But I think you're probably right DD, kids at school don't make fun of Star Wars books because they've seen the movies. *sigh* Oh well. The appreaciation of books will never be as high as it should be...

*Agent~M*
"Those who refuse the Powers, become the tools of the Powers, Those who agree to help the powers, Themselves become the Powers. Beware the Choice! Beware refusing it!"-Young Wizards books.
"Do what the night tells you, and read the fine print before you sign!" -Peach.
"In the Cookies of life, your friends are the chocolate chips" -Sam

[Avi]

If DD sell any movie company the rights to a Young Wizards movie I hope it's Disney. Cause then with DD's permission they could make a Young Wizards ride in Disney World (and hopefully I'll be an imagineer then!)

Webmaster of Marauders Magic.com (Harry Potter site)
Webmaster of Schoolz Out.com

[Diane Duane]

Mmmm... I would have to think hard about that. Don't misunderstand me. I have written for Disney a number of times, and have lots of friends there. But there are many downsides to working for Disney as well. Particularly, they insist on the kind of conditions, when acquiring a property, which I would not allow them.

Dreamworks would be another story. I could do business with Dreamworks. (And indeed we discussed it.) Disney, though....probably not.

-- DD

[Avi]

lol! I was going to say dreamworks also of hopes of Steven Spelberg!

Webmaster of Marauders Magic.com (Harry Potter site)
Webmaster of Schoolz Out.com

[brokencello]

Hmmm...Well, I think a movie would be ok, but you might want to make it in sections or something, a series trilogy, because all that information can become my favorite word, jam-packed. Dreamworks, hmm. Please not disney. Touchstone! Paramount! MGM!
Hey, if it was disney, it could be a happy cartoon where the lone one turns out to just be lonely, and with a little comfort, he's a happy little man. And they all live happily ever after. Wouldn't that be good, my little sugarpuffs?
Seriously, though. It's true. Actually, M, I DO want to be a wizard. And....a series on TV might be BETTER. As long as it was on at night, on a good channel, TLC or something. TNT. CBS. Just not nickelodeon or Disney! PLEASE! Or the previous disaster would occur.
P.S.-DD would be EXCELLENT in court. Hmm...maybe she's read To Kill A Mockingbird one too many times...

brokencello
the crinkled paper bag
"Life isn't like the movies, Toto."
--Alfredo, Cinema Paradiso