What FF movies would you enjoy?

[CharlesX]

In the light of Hollywood producing a D&D movie that critics and audiences seem to like, perhaps it is time for an FF one? Or would an FF film be a failure, like previous D&D films for example?

You may vote for up to 4. This is taken from You Are The Hero Chapter Twenty Eight "Fighting Fantasy Goes to the Movies". By the way, the chapter also mentions Knightmare, which I was a huge fan of back in the day but do not believe could be "brought back", it had a very good run but it seems like a Ceefax era show rather than an Instagram one.

[a moderator]

The whole idea of turning a gamebook into a film strikes me as ridiculous and pointless, so Sky Lord seems the most appropriate title to use.

[scouserob]

I think Deathtrap Dungeon, perhaps mixed with the forced entry into the competition from the start of Trial of Champions could be great.
You have antagonists, allies, drama, monster and Deathtraps. 
Make the Ninja the core antagonist, perhaps killing off a few extra contestants, before the Trialmaster whittles down our band of heroes to one, and tricking the elf into her death.
The hardest thing would be to sort out the 'audience' being kept informed problem.

A modern day House of Hell would fit right into the current trend for low budget horror.
Plenty of creepy back story to go at using the dialog from the Ghosts, letters, etc, to put into flashbacks.
Extend the opening prior to setting off for the business meeting, perhaps a bit of extra cheese with the protagonist knowing the district nurse to up the stakes.
The initial night is just polite and rather unsettling conversation and poison dodging with a bit of late night exploration.
Then have most of the guests arrive on day two whilst the mechanic (who is, of course, a guest) is on his way to fix the car, before the reveal and the protagonist being drugged and tied up for night number two and thing begin in earnest.

Well, I'd watch them.  😆

Not sure which other books from the first 10 would work, Caverns of the Snow Witch maybe, though it would have to have the second half cut.
Island of the Lizard King is about 50 years too late but would have been a perfect Doug McClure vehicle in the late 70s.
The assassination or fetch quests of books 1 to 3 and 5 just don't seem to fit the movie format very well, not enough meat or high concept fun to go at.

Sorcery may work as a pair of films or a mini series.  🤷🏻‍♂️

[CharlesX]

Jun 12, 2023 12:04:12 GMT a moderator said:

The whole idea of turning a gamebook into a film strikes me as ridiculous and pointless, so Sky Lord seems the most appropriate title to use.

You mean as a sort of deliberately bad taste cult film like Movie 43? I believe it's just as hard, if not more, to do a pastiche-bad film as it is to do a small film that is average or a surprise hit. As this isn't the seventies anymore the audience would laugh at the crappy special effects instead of with them. One of the suggestions as well was to turn Deathtrap Dungeon into a film (that is, based on the video game as much as the gamebook), but both the game and sales were nothing special. My thinking is there isn't enough material to work with, even with better FF such as Sorcery!, House Of Hell and Deathtrap Dungeon, and so I heavily fear an FF film would be a poor straight-to-DVD film (like earlier D&D films) rather than a successful show (like D&D cartoon and recent D&D film).

   There doesn't seem to be any need for an FF documentary film now we have YATH and YATHP2. I imagine it woulld be two hours of fan service with no mention of things like their competitors or criticism (because the last few FFs before cancellation arguably saw a decline in quality, and the Scolastic ones definitely did).

[a moderator]

A The Fifth Element-style approach could possibly work for a film adaptation of Sky Lord. And improving on the gamebook wouldn't be a horrendously difficult task. On the other hand, a complete train wreck of a movie could lead to a more positive reappraisal of the original text.

[kieran]

Jun 12, 2023 12:13:05 GMT CharlesX said:

You mean as a sort of deliberately bad taste cult film like Movie 43?

I think the fact that I legitimately enjoyed Movie 43 makes my opinion invalid but I'll share it anyway:

Deathtrap Dungeon/Trial of Champions has potential - deadly contests have been done before (Running Man, Battle Royale, Hunger Games) so one with a high fantasy sheen could be pretty fun. It would need a bit more plot injected of course. Daggers of Darkness could also work for the same reasons.

House of Hell just feels too generic to me. Trying to make it stand out would lose sight of the original book which is meant to be a bunch of horror tropes. Island of the Undead would be a more interesting horror movie imo - people stranded on an island gradually uncovering the mystery.

Talisman of Death could make a good B-movie version of LOTR. Ditto Legend of the Shadow Warriors.

Masks of Mayhem could work - the twist could be done quite cinematically. It would need a few more characters though so it's not just a man plodding across fields dodging fires and following lines of ants.

The Riddling Reaver is already pretty cinematic with a great villain and a fairly complex plot.

Magehunter is basically Warlock with orcs. Hey, I'd watch it.

[petch]

There's still a big part of me that hopes that whoever's behind Netflix's interactive content has the bright idea to engage FF's rights holders and bring some of the classic stories to the screen, and give the franchise a shot in the arm and a whole new audience to boot. Obviously the die-rolling chance elements wouldn't work in its current format, but it's not a stretch to say that the technology couldn't be improved and this could be incorporated in the near future.

Will it happen? Extremely doubtful. Would it work? Dubious to say the least. Would I watch it? Oh absolutely.

[CharlesX]

Jun 12, 2023 15:31:27 GMT petch said:

There's still a big part of me that hopes that whoever's behind Netflix's interactive content has the bright idea to engage FF's rights holders and bring some of the classic stories to the screen, and give the franchise a shot in the arm and a whole new audience to boot. Obviously the die-rolling chance elements wouldn't work in its current format, but it's not a stretch to say that the technology couldn't be improved and this could be incorporated in the near future.

Will it happen? Extremely doubtful. Would it work? Dubious to say the least. Would I watch it? Oh absolutely.

I think we all already know this but if anything along those lines were to happen it is a lot more likely to be a Black Mirror episode (new season this week, SFAIK not the last). However, I don't think Charlie Brooker will be doing one, as even Bandersnatch felt like a stretch.

[sylas]

I would enjoy any FF movie if one was produced but that's highly doubtful judging by previous attempts.

It would only work if the interactive element was removed completely. Yes, you would be left with a standard fantasy film much like many others but it would be the easiest to produce. Another aspect would be to figure out which ones might work with the protagonist working towards his own goal most of the time or which ones would work if you had a small group of characters working towards the same/similar goal.

A few years ago, I had ideas for a Black Vein Prophecy movie but they were just ideas made for fun. There wasn't much interest in it so I abandoned the idea but it did seem like one of the easier books to convert to film due to it's captivating storytelling that wasn't presented as the standard getting from scene 1 to scene 2 to scene 3 etc, making it more compelling. It instead uses a narrative that has the reader work out which series of events happened, when and why they happened, as well as how they might affect the main goal of the protagonist, which itself is a mystery until the halfway point.

Deathtrap Dungeon also has great potential but contestants would have to meet fairly regularly, even if it's not confrontational. It would be difficult to have one main protagonist but if ALL the main characters could be made the focus all at once, that would make for an interesting eventual outcome if the viewer isn't sure who, if anyone, will survive.

[paperexplorer]

The first thought that came to my mind was Black Vein Prophecy, which I've always seen as having scope for based on the storyline.

Not a lot of books have any scope without a huge makeover, many have a stationary villain waiting in one place for the hero to come and get them. Think of Citadel of Chaos for example... you'd have to make a whole new story arc for Balthus Dire while the hero is breaking in, perhaps an army closing on Salamonis to add an element of tension, then think of dialogue between characters which would be pretty minimal given it's one hero on his own... the whole book needs a major makeover

Daggers of Darkness is an interesting suggestion. Years ago I ran an RPG with mates on that plot. One character was to reach the great throne while the others had to protect him. The guy that played the main character was a bit of a dick and not so well liked in the group, and they ended up failing the quest when one of the players took a bribe from a mamlik to kill him with a poisoned dagger. It was kind of funny at the time

House of Hell... nah, an FF movie needs to be set on Allansia

[Wizard Slayer]

Surely Crypt of the Sorcerer?! It's got it all! Hills, fields, forests, tunnels, crypts, graveyards, even a hot air balloon. Dragons and giants and zombies. Skeletons! Set pieces like the destroyed miner's hut and the encounter with goblins on horseback. Stonebridge and Yaztromo! Other characters on the side of good, like Symm and Borri and the blind monk. A huge monster battle with the Gargantis. And a final adversary with a bit of backstory, plenty of evil magic and who is finally undone by his own legendary weapon!

Plus being Crypt the lack of an interactive element is probably a plus.

[sylas]

Jun 13, 2023 7:49:58 GMT Wizard Slayer said:

Surely Crypt of the Sorcerer?! It's got it all! Hills, fields, forests, tunnels, crypts, graveyards, even a hot air balloon. Dragons and giants and zombies. Skeletons! Set pieces like the destroyed miner's hut and the encounter with goblins on horseback. Stonebridge and Yaztromo! Other characters on the side of good, like Symm and Borri and the blind monk. A huge monster battle with the Gargantis. And a final adversary with a bit of backstory, plenty of evil magic and who is finally undone by his own legendary weapon!

Plus being Crypt the lack of an interactive element is probably a plus.

Crypt is a great choice for a potential movie mainly due to the fact that its linearity covers all the important/interesting encounters. A few things I would change would be: to set up a better way to discover the Crystal of Sanity instead of by accident; have Yaztromo then Symm join the protagonist pretty early on; and have Razaak being made aware of the adventurers coming to assassinate him - it's not good storytelling if the main antagonist only appears at the introduction and the finale of a movie. His presence or his deeds need to be woven into the main plot itself so that viewers don't forget who they are up against and why.

[CharlesX]

Jun 13, 2023 15:17:43 GMT sylas said:

Jun 13, 2023 7:49:58 GMT Wizard Slayer said:

Surely Crypt of the Sorcerer?! It's got it all! Hills, fields, forests, tunnels, crypts, graveyards, even a hot air balloon. Dragons and giants and zombies. Skeletons! Set pieces like the destroyed miner's hut and the encounter with goblins on horseback. Stonebridge and Yaztromo! Other characters on the side of good, like Symm and Borri and the blind monk. A huge monster battle with the Gargantis. And a final adversary with a bit of backstory, plenty of evil magic and who is finally undone by his own legendary weapon!

Plus being Crypt the lack of an interactive element is probably a plus.

Crypt is a great choice for a potential movie mainly due to the fact that its linearity covers all the important/interesting encounters. A few things I would change would be: to set up a better way to discover the Crystal of Sanity instead of by accident; have Yaztromo then Symm join the protagonist pretty early on; and have Razaak being made aware of the adventurers coming to assassinate him - it's not good storytelling if the main antagonist only appears at the introduction and the finale of a movie. His presence or his deeds need to be woven into the main plot itself so that viewers don't forget who they are up against and why.

I wonder how a Crypt movie could deal with the unfair-but-necessary attack on the Bonekeeper, perhaps there could be a special cut in which he attacks first like Star Wars ?

[sylas]

Jun 13, 2023 15:54:57 GMT CharlesX said:

Jun 13, 2023 15:17:43 GMT sylas said:

Crypt is a great choice for a potential movie mainly due to the fact that its linearity covers all the important/interesting encounters. A few things I would change would be: to set up a better way to discover the Crystal of Sanity instead of by accident; have Yaztromo then Symm join the protagonist pretty early on; and have Razaak being made aware of the adventurers coming to assassinate him - it's not good storytelling if the main antagonist only appears at the introduction and the finale of a movie. His presence or his deeds need to be woven into the main plot itself so that viewers don't forget who they are up against and why.

I wonder how a Crypt movie could deal with the unfair-but-necessary attack on the Bonekeeper, perhaps there could be a special cut in which he attacks first like Star Wars ?

You are thinking too much in gamebook terms. If a movie was made, you could go about the encounter however you wish without being restricted to gamebook choices. The simplest way could be to just buy it from him. Or he could already be dead/dying when the protagonist meets him. Slain by Razaak or something and the dying Bonekeeper can pass the ring to the hero so that revenge can be exacted later?

[petch]

I like how this idea is taking shape. Here's how I'd cast it:

The protagonist - He's essentially a wordless grunt, so Vin Diesel.
Yaztromo - I'd like to see Ian Livingstone play his own favourite FF character. He's probably about the right age now.
Borri & Symm - This is as good an opportunity to reunite the old Willow duo of Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer as any. They're both getting on a bit now mind, so they'd probably have to digitally de-age them like they done with Robert De Niro in The Irishman.
The Bonekeeper - Richard Wilson, if he's still alive, because at least he would have a suitable catchphrase ready to use when Vin Diesel psychotically attacks him to give the moment some pathos.
The black fairies - The Wayans brothers, with some of the more problematic areas here being repurposed into more empowered comic relief. While they're putting slugs in Vin Diesel's mouth.
Razaak - Surely the role vagsancho was born to play.

[vastariner]

Magehunter carries loads of possibilities. Because of the whole thing about being transported to another world. It could come across as Dr Strange mixed with Aladdin. With a final maze and boss fight that gets CGI'd to oblivion before you get zhoonked back to a dull old mediaeval world.

The process would work in reverse with Talisman of Death. Although the setting for that ought to be Irsmuncast - the city on the rift. It would be literally diabolic.

[sylas]

You wouldn't want the main hero to be a wordless grunt but rather someone with charisma as well as talent to carry the film. I'd say Chris Hemsworth but that might be too obvious. Maybe Jon Bernthal, Jensen Ackles or Daniel Bruhl?

Robert de Niro would make a good Yaztromo though.

[kieran]

Jun 13, 2023 16:29:11 GMT petch said:

Borri & Symm - This is as good an opportunity to reunite the old Willow duo of Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer as any.

Sadly, Val is unable to speak these days since surgery following a diagnosis of throat cancer which is why he didn't do the recent Willow TV series.

[kieran]

Jun 13, 2023 19:38:59 GMT sylas said:

You wouldn't want the main hero to be a wordless grunt but rather someone with charisma as well as talent to carry the film. I'd say Chris Hemsworth but that might be too obvious. Maybe Jon Bernthal, Jensen Ackles or Daniel Bruhl?

Robert de Niro would make a good Yaztromo though.

Could always go for a female hero given most of the other characters are male.

[petch]

Ah, that's a shame about Val. Perhaps Peter Dinklage and Kit Harington instead then for Borri & Symm, although again that might be a bit obvious.

I like the idea of a female hero. Charlize Theron doing a kind of medieval reprise of her Furiosa role could work.

[paperexplorer]

Take your pick:

Phantoms of Fear, directed by Tim Burton
House of Hell, directed by Sam Raimi
Robot Commando, directed by Michael Bay
Appointment with FEAR, directed by Zack Snyder
Blood of the Zombies, directed by George A Romero
The Rings of Kether, directed by Martin Scorsese
Star Strider, directed by Ridley Scott
City of Thieves, directed by Quintin Tarantino (think of the dialogue between Sourbelly and Fatnose!)
Sky Lord, directed by Mel Brooks

[CharlesX]

Creature Of Havoc surely Wes Craven\John Carpenter\Joss Whedon?

Peter Jackson doing Sorcery! sounds like having a laugh but it would be awesome!

[kieran]

Jun 14, 2023 11:23:14 GMT paperexplorer said:

Blood of the Zombies, directed by George A Romero

Think someone would have to bring him back from the dead first.

[vastariner]

Jun 14, 2023 13:11:14 GMT kieran said:

Jun 14, 2023 11:23:14 GMT paperexplorer said:

Blood of the Zombies, directed by George A Romero

Think someone would have to bring him back from the dead first.

Does what it says on the tin.

[sleepyscholar]

Jun 12, 2023 13:58:53 GMT kieran said:

Magehunter is basically Warlock with orcs. Hey, I'd watch it.

Are there orcs in Magehunter?

[sleepyscholar]

It won't be that long before AI-moderated interactive movies are available, though obviously the first few thousand will be porn.

Regarding the idea of turning existing FFs into movies, when worrying about specific elements in them, I think we should remember that movies will always involve significant modification to the plot, the setting, the characters and everything else, including the title.

Hell, I mean I just adapted an FF (admittedly unfinished) as a roleplaying adventure, and it involved significant modification. And we're talking there about very close media, and the modification being done by the original author. With a movie, the medium is very different, and those doing the modification would be very different to the original author (and probably not very interested in the original author's ideas).

[sylas]

Jun 21, 2023 10:04:45 GMT sleepyscholar said:

Regarding the idea of turning existing FFs into movies, when worrying about specific elements in them, I think we should remember that movies will always involve significant modification to the plot, the setting, the characters and everything else, including the title.

Hell, I mean I just adapted an FF (admittedly unfinished) as a roleplaying adventure, and it involved significant modification. And we're talking there about very close media, and the modification being done by the original author. With a movie, the medium is very different, and those doing the modification would be very different to the original author (and probably not very interested in the original author's ideas).

When I was planning out ideas for a Black Vein Prophecy movie, I did similar to what you said. The ordering of the chapters was difficult to plan though. I had part of the finale moved to the beginning but told in such a way to suggest that Bezenvial was the hero (at least through his children's eyes). There was a whole chase sequence as well with Maior fleeing from a group of Man-Horses before falling off from the crumbling battlements into the sea to be rescued by Velkos. I skipped the catapulting part.

[CharlesX]

Jun 14, 2023 11:23:14 GMT paperexplorer said:

Take your pick:

Phantoms of Fear, directed by Tim Burton...

Tim Burton would probably include singing numbers, he'd have a blast with the beasts, demons and Wild Man. Alternatively Disney could ruin the story and then make five unnnecessary sequels .

[kieran]

Jun 21, 2023 9:34:39 GMT sleepyscholar said:

Jun 12, 2023 13:58:53 GMT kieran said:

Magehunter is basically Warlock with orcs. Hey, I'd watch it.

Are there orcs in Magehunter?

Hmm good point

[kieran]

Jun 21, 2023 16:39:04 GMT CharlesX said:

Jun 14, 2023 11:23:14 GMT paperexplorer said:

Take your pick:

Phantoms of Fear, directed by Tim Burton...

Tim Burton would probably include singing numbers, he'd have a blast with the beasts, demons and Wild Man. Alternatively Disney could ruin the story and then make five unnnecessary sequels .

Eric Rune Axe would of course be played by Johnny Depp