Hmm… another fantasy series that I think would make a fantastic TV series: Feist and Wurts “Daughter of Empire” trilogy. It’s sad that this so often gets lumped in with the rest of Feist’s Riftwar saga, because - IMO - this is superior to everything else Feist has written (and the same goes, for that matter, for Wurts). It’s one of those rare collaborations where the sum is just so much larger than the parts.
Setting is a magical world (though there’s not much magic in the story) Kelewan, that has invaded another world, Midkemia (thus setting off the Riftwar series) and it follows the life of a young Kelewan noblewoman whose father and brother are treacherously killed during the war, leaving her the last living heir of her house.
Heavily inspired by ancient Korea (and to an extent Japan), the story follows Mara as she navigates the strict honor system, politics, and intrigue of the noble houses in the society - on the choices made, and the (sometimes) fatal consequences. All against the backdrop of a devastating magical war that is causing major changes to the society she lives in. It’s far from perfect (the first book is definitely the best), but I suspect it would make for some fantastic TV.
Also, all Danaerys Stormborn fans would love Mara of the Acoma.
It’s episodic rather than a long series. I think Leiber wrote one novel but the rest are short stories or novellas. There really isn’t much that ties them together, either, other than the recurring two heroes and their mentor wizards.
Another problem with it is there are no recurring roles for women.
I’d love to see the material on the screen but I doubt it’s what the networks are looking for.
I’ve read nearly everything mentioned in the thread to this point (not that Mieville Bas Lag series, might have to check that out), plus maybe half a dozen more series that could be worthy, and I’d be very happy to see any of them move to TV…if the showrunner and screenwriters are right. That’s always the sticking point with this stuff. The books are great, otherwise we wouldn’t be enthusiastic about them, but translating that to an engrossing and entertaining TV show that doesn’t lose whatever made the original special is a really difficult task. I’d argue that the GoT folks did a good job of that in the first 3-4 seasons and then lost it. For that reason, a shorter series might be better, to really focus the mind on putting together a few great seasons rather than years and years of mediocrity. Of course, that may not fit with the fill-my-money-bin desires of the folks footing the bill…
I thought about that one. Its extremely dark and not suitable for network but it could do quite well on HBO or a similarly well financed cable network.
So many of Powers books could make great TV. I think The Anubis Gates would be fantastic, and that setting could easily be expanded on. He even recently wrote a short story set in that world.
Declare would be great. It has all that Cold War stuff, Noah’s Ark, djinns…just cool stuff.
Stranger Tides would be a great pirate series. The Pirates of the Caribbean movie basically uses the name and a few plot points and little else.
I even think The Drawing of the Dark would be great. That might be my favorite book about beer.
Oh, and The Stress of Her Regard. Byron, Keats, Shelley, and vampires.
I enjoyed the Fafhrd and Mouser stories and they’d surely make for some really fun sword & sorcery episodes, but - IMO - this is one of the problems with a lot of classical fantasy stuff - it’s all heavily male POV. Which means that you either end with a series that in many cases has a seriously limited appeal, or the material has to be adapted to insert or expand the roles of it’s female characters (e.g., as with LOTR and the Hobbit).
Much easier to simply take a series that already has a diverse cast. I suspect that’s one reason the Witcher got greenlighted (also violence, monsters sex, and grimdark - superficially ticking off all the boxes of a GoT-sequel).
A series based on the Nightwatch of Discworld
Amber Series
For some humor - Robert Asprin’s Myth Series (based on early books not the last few)
Wild Cards Series
Glen Cook’ s PI Garrett Series
Brust’s Jhereg Series
The first one is great! Well worth watching. The rest become formulamatic and there is still fun to be had but they pale in comparison to the first POTC movie.
The Discworld movies/miniseries are rather enjoyable, if you haven’t watched them. I’d happily watch many, many more movies/series of the same standard that they managed in Hogfather and Going Postal (Colour of Magic wasn’t really that good, but then it’s also based on what is IMO his weakest set of books).
Also, the Nightwatch are in Going Postal, albeit in minor roles. And Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister) as Lord Vetenari.
