FF movie intro idea

[sylas]

If Fighting Fantasy gamebooks could be translated to a TV show or movie, what book would this be the Intro to?


‘Hey! No fair! You’ve got more men in your army than mine.’
‘Pah! I’m just better than you.’
‘Give me that!’
‘It’s mine!’
‘Wait…Shhh…What’s that?’
‘…What’s what?’
‘Can’t you hear it? It’s coming from outside.’
The two young boys drop their toy soldiers and rush over to the window. Following the children’s gaze, the view travels from the palace window to the city, across the beach and beyond. Riding on a scintillating pillow of light hovering above the waters, three silhouetted figures are chanting – the droning in the air building in intensity. A great ball of dazzling energy is formed before them and sent hurtling across the waters towards the city. The impact is devastating. Walls crumble, towers collapse, and for the people it is too late to flee. Cavalry, archers, siege engines converge on the beach and ramparts in a hopeless retaliation – any attack that finds its mark is blasted aside. At the height of the chanting, all is drowned in a blaze of white light as an enormous shockwave of sorcerous energy guarantees the city’s destruction.

Back in the palace, a regal figure struggles to fortify a magical enchantment as guards and servants scurry about, searching.
‘Have you found them, Priest? My magic won’t hold for long.’
‘Here, sire!’ Two boys, barely conscious, are dragged out from beneath the rubble.
‘Quickly, take them to the sacred chamber.’
Under the protective warding of their king, they make haste through corridors and down stairwells as the palace begins to collapse above them. Momentarily away from the devastation, the king and his servants burst into a vast dome-like chamber already prepared for their arrival. No time is wasted. The two children are only vaguely aware of being placed into stone coffins as the air is filled with incantation. The king comes to them looking weary.
‘Do not worry. You will be safe here.’
The sound of approaching ruin draws closer. The incantation takes effect, bathing the two boys in a faintly glowing aura of sleep as a voice rings in their ears.
‘Be strong and wise, my sons, and remember all I have taught you.’
As consciousness fades, the stone lids are pushed in place, plunging their world into darkness and eventually, silence…

[thealmightymudworm]

Is this BVP?

[hynreck]

That was my guess, also.

[sylas]

BVP is correct!

[sylas]

Would anyone actually be interested in this if it was on TV seeing as how this is one of the less favorable ones? There'd be no point if people only watched it reluctantly. It's one of my favourite FF books, in terms of story (since the gameplay sucks).

[thealmightymudworm]

Sept 21, 2018 23:58:24 GMT sylas said:

Would anyone actually be interested in this if it was on TV seeing as how this is one of the less favorable ones? There'd be no point if people only watched it reluctantly. It's one of my favourite FF books, in terms of story (since the gameplay sucks).

It does sound quite epic like this.

You say that as though you actually have plans for it somehow...?

[hynreck]

I'd be interested! Of course everything depends on quality...
Have you shopped it to HBO? Game of Thrones is winding down.

[sylas]

Sept 24, 2018 0:16:01 GMT thealmightymudworm said:

Sept 21, 2018 23:58:24 GMT sylas said:

Would anyone actually be interested in this if it was on TV seeing as how this is one of the less favorable ones? There'd be no point if people only watched it reluctantly. It's one of my favourite FF books, in terms of story (since the gameplay sucks).

It does sound quite epic like this.

You say that as though you actually have plans for it somehow...?

Didn't mean it to sound like that. There are no plans (although one could hope). I could certainly write a script as another hobby project of mine. Anything official would obviously have to go through Ian, Steve, as well as Paul Mason and Steve Williams.

One of the reasons I'm trying to drum up some interest is, this book contains so much richly detailed lore and enigmatic storytelling interspersed throughout its pages, and yet it remains widely misunderstood, and mostly unfairly met with distaste among fans. But if it were presented in a different way, maybe people would understand and enjoy it more? This is definitely one of the few FF books that deserves far more respect, recognition, and justice than it currently has.

[hynreck]

I agree it's an entry worthy of rediscovery. Too bad it's hard to get, with no republishing in sight. There are some gems gathering dust and/or rotting away.

[Pete Byrdie]

I don't think any of the books would adapt well on to the screen. But between them, those books set in Titan describe an expansive and exciting world which could be every bit as compelling in its intrigue, lore and variety as Game of Thrones. I could conceive of a world in which the three dark sorcerers are gathering forces to compete against each other for control of Allansia, and a mismatched group of adventurers travel to various locations to find something or other with which to combat them. Throw in some politics, duplicity, rival forces, whatever you'd like, there're plenty of possibilities.

[sylas]

The reason I don't think FF books translate well to screen is that the attempts so far try to bring a completely new story to the setting it is based on. This requires a ton of work as well as too many expectations with them being based on popular classics. Not only that, the potential offer of choices to viewers is great but inevitably causes way too many problems, time and money mainly. A computer game might have been a better way to go about it such as one in the style of the Telltale series.

A screen script that might work needs ONE story told from start to finish with no branching paths. I think it should also be quite condensed as too much world building is too great a task especially for a first outing.

[Pete Byrdie]

I don't know, it seems to me most adaptations of books into other media require considerable changes in translation. Off the top of my head, just one change that would need to be made to adapt most of the books is that the single character on which they focus would have to become a party of interesting individuals for the sake of chemistry and conflict. I'd happily give a chance to a TV series focusing on the world of Titan (or the continent of Allansia at least) with an original story. Most of the material exists already to make it varied. Think of how the MCU uses Marvel characters but without slavishly following the comics. Something like that could work here too.

[sylas]

Oct 1, 2018 13:20:07 GMT Pete Byrdie said:

I don't know, it seems to me most adaptations of books into other media require considerable changes in translation. Off the top of my head, just one change that would need to be made to adapt most of the books is that the single character on which they focus would have to become a party of interesting individuals for the sake of chemistry and conflict. I'd happily give a chance to a TV series focusing on the world of Titan (or the continent of Allansia at least) with an original story. Most of the material exists already to make it varied. Think of how the MCU uses Marvel characters but without slavishly following the comics. Something like that could work here too.

The story still could work with only one main character for the most part. Think of it as told in a similar fashion to Conan the Barbarian - one man's journey, very little dialogue, many different adventures, joining up with other characters only when necessary. If the story is setup well enough, you won't need that much support from other well known figures.

[Pete Byrdie]

Oct 15, 2018 0:15:13 GMT sylas said:

Oct 1, 2018 13:20:07 GMT Pete Byrdie said:

I don't know, it seems to me most adaptations of books into other media require considerable changes in translation. Off the top of my head, just one change that would need to be made to adapt most of the books is that the single character on which they focus would have to become a party of interesting individuals for the sake of chemistry and conflict. I'd happily give a chance to a TV series focusing on the world of Titan (or the continent of Allansia at least) with an original story. Most of the material exists already to make it varied. Think of how the MCU uses Marvel characters but without slavishly following the comics. Something like that could work here too.

The story still could work with only one main character for the most part. Think of it as told in a similar fashion to Conan the Barbarian - one man's journey, very little dialogue, many different adventures, joining up with other characters only when necessary. If the story is setup well enough, you won't need that much support from other well known figures.

It could be, but I don't think it should be. At least, I wouldn't set about writing it that way. Even Conan met characters early on who stayed with him through most of the movie. Of course, a single character would be the focus, as with all good stories. The backbone of a fantasy story is the journey, and events and goals its muscle, but its sinews are character interaction. Don't ask me what its blood and brain are, I haven't examined the metaphor that deeply. Anyway, following a single character trudging along for days, alone but for casual meetings and encounters with inventively strange wild creatures, isn't much of a story. Besides, I spent much of my gamebooking randomly deciding to investigate caves or clearings, or choosing paths based solely on metaknowledge carried over from previous attempts. This would need to be tightened up in a movie or TV series, and other characters with their own knowledge would help with that.

I still think, were Titan ever to find its way on to a screen, a TV series with an original story designed for it featuring a variety of characters would be the way to go.