Future Covenant Movies?
From the the mouth of Stephen R. Donaldson posted at his site at www.stephenrdonaldson.com.
This past week, "The Hollywood Reporter" announced that "Covenant" is coming to the big screen. This is both premature and misleading. Here are the facts to date.
The production team of Mark Gordon ("Saving Private Ryan") and Peter Winther ("Independence Day") is quite serious about wanting to make a "Covenant" film. "Revelstone Development" has a design in place and a screenwriter on board (John Orloff, "Band of Brothers"). What Gordon and Winther do *not* have is a studio (i.e. money); and without a studio little or nothing is likely to happen. Since Hollywood basically shuts down in December, Gordon and Winther plan to start approaching studios in January. I would like to emphasize that I have no control over any aspect of this process. After all, the film rights are held by Ballantine Books, not by me. I've met Winther and Orloff, and I'm convinced that their respect for and excitement about "Covenant" is genuine: for that reason, I'm starting to get excited myself. And I have no doubt that Revelstone Development will consult with me from time to time, and will take whatever I have to say seriously. But I have no actual power here. Nor do I want any. In fact, I've refused every offer to give me any power. I love movies; I hope a "Covenant" movie (or several) will be made; I hope it will be good; and I hope it will be successful. But I'm simply not qualified, either by experience or by personality, to make the kinds of decisions--and compromises--which are essential to film-making. And I have my own work to do, work which pretty much consumes all of my creative energy. So I'm rooting hard for Revelstone Development; and if Gordon, Winther, and Orloff ever want my opinion, I'll give it to them. But really this is all out of my hands. More news as it develops.... I want this to be made as well as The Lord of the Rings was, if it ever does come to fruition. If it's not, I might need some of you to hold me back...and to keep chainsaws away from me. I might just go on a killin' spree if'n somebody ruins this modern literary classic. I'm serious. :furious: |
funny we were talking about these series of books being made into a film...it would be interesting to see...thanks for the info...
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You've read them?
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thomas covenant? yes i have ...my husband introduced me to them and i got hooked pretty quickly
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Covenant....
????? I am not familiar with that, where can i pick up a copy? |
Read the first post and you will find what you are looking for. Did you read the first post?
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Originally Posted by LordSlaytan
Read the first post and you will find what you are looking for. Did you read the first post?
Anyway, yeah. I've got a couple of these books somewhere, just never got round to reading them. Think I should get to it ? |
Ah...Minion. They are the only books out that that can even come close to rivalring Tolkien’s Ring trilogy. The are an homage to a classic writer (Tolkien, of course), a great series of books (Rings…duh!), and a never ending theme (good vs. evil against all hopes or odds). What makes them so spectacular is that even though they follow a ‘basic’ outline of Tolkien’s; they are their own story. Wholly unique and wonderful.
They are easily my favorite books out of the hundreds I’ve read. Thanks for asking, Minion! Nice to see you posting again. |
Originally Posted by LordSlaytan
Ah...Minion. They are the only books out that that can even come close to rivalring Tolkien’s Ring trilogy. The are an homage to a classic writer (Tolkien, of course), a great series of books (Rings…duh!), and a never ending theme (good vs. evil against all hopes or odds). What makes them so spectacular is that even though they follow a ‘basic’ outline of Tolkien’s; they are their own story. Wholly unique and wonderful.
They are easily my favorite books out of the hundreds I’ve read. Thanks for asking, Minion! Nice to see you posting again. |
There are actually seven books now centering on the Covenant saga.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever
The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever
The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
As far as The Vampire Chronicles go; they start out pretty strong but progressively get worse. It gets rather tedious when every single book gets more and more mired in the whining of the immortals. Not too mention that the books almost turn to being silly in its representation of the history of the Vampires after awhile, and they really get boring when Anne Rice merges their tales with that of the Mayfair Witches. It just gets to be too much after awhile. Interview With A Vampire and The Vampire Lestat are as good as it gets; don’t expect to be blown away with any of the successive novels. |
I read the first three way back in high school, and they were sort of Tolkein-esque, but without all the lame hobbit songs to read through ;)
Commenting on Slay's comment about rivaling LotR: I don't remember getting this impression from them, but it was a long time ago, and I was a mad Dragonlance and Belgariad fiend, and everything paled next to those in my eyes back then (why? I don't know, as Dragonlance is total crap in comparison to LotR, and apes most of it's ideas from it, and The Belgariad is run of the mill stuff....) Anyway, I recognize what Tolkein did with his books and how he basically created the fantasy genre as we know it today. Still like George RR Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire, more. Actually, pretty much everyone I know who has read both series feels the same. Martin has refined the genre, and I feel he is just a better writer, hands down. I felt Tolkein was a master of ideas and language, but sort of a poor prose writer, who tended to digress on and on. I guess I was just not that interested in the entire lineage of every character in LotR, and those digressions made the story lose cohesion for me, even if it made the world the story was in more real. I probably need to re-read the Covenant stuff though, now that I have grey hair ;) |
i read the first and second chronicles when they first came out...i have them all in hardcover...
i noticed the newer book last week and was actually thinking of picking it up and starting again... not really into anne rice although i have read certain portions of her beauty books which she wrote under another name my favorite will always be mary stewarts merlin trilogy...if anyone is interested in good king arthur stories.. |
I'd have to agree with Sedai.
The song of Ice and Fire is mint. Can't wait for the next installment. I need to know how Brand is getting on beyond the wall. After that rape scene in the first Covenant novel I wasn't too impressed. Thomas was just too self centered and concerned with himself for my liking. |
Originally Posted by Sedai
I read the first three way back in high school, and they were sort of Tolkein-esque, but without all the lame hobbit songs to read through ;)... Anyway, I recognize what Tolkein did with his books and how he basically created the fantasy genre as we know it today... I felt Tolkein was a master of ideas and language, but sort of a poor prose writer, who tended to digress on and on. I guess I was just not that interested in the entire lineage of every character in LotR, and those digressions made the story lose cohesion for me, even if it made the world the story was in more real.
It'll be interesting to see how the more story-friendly, or even 'modernised'/morally challenging books match up (in film - i'm not gonna read them all ;)). I especially wanna see how they pull off Pullman's books, now that they've allegedly toned down the religious aspects (given that they're books that really take on the Church, from what i've browsed).
Originally Posted by Sedai
I probably need to re-read the Covenant stuff though, now that I have grey hair ;)
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Re: Future Covenant Movies?
What a good old thread! Did any of you long time MoFo's ever hear what became of LordSlayton? He is definitely going in my *cool book* for this thread. I think he may be the only other person I've seen so far that has read all these books. A big part of me still wants to see a movie get made and I hope if it does it gets a director like Jackson. I just received Fatal Revenant the other day and I can't wait to read it.
Man, I wish I joined this forum 3 years ago so I could've talked about this with him them... |
Re: Future Covenant Movies?
i have read Tolkien with great disdain. i love his stories but damn, he is way to over descriptive. Donaldson's trilogies are nothing alike except for a ring, one ring. each and every character in Tolkien's books we've already seen, not so with Donaldson. getting down to brass tax, Donaldson is far more creative and detailed in his characters interactions. Tolkien has his place but Donaldson is the next level of fantasy!!!
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