All of a sudden, I couldn't stop thinking of the Squire's Tales a couple of days ago. Looked out at night—half moon. No wonder.
Anyway, in my thinkings, I had a question. I know that somewhere we've struck upon the topic of what actor would play what character should the series be made into movies. My question, however, is: should the Squire's Tales books be made into movies? Here's what I came up with.
PROS
1. The books lend themselves perfectly to good, wholesome, mostly-child-friendly, quality movies that could be enjoyed again and again. Each one has action, adventure, romance, comedy, and morals. A lot cleaner than the usual Hollywood fare, with an excellent storyline.
2. Making movies would lead more people to the books, increasing sales for Gerald Morris, who definitely deserves it, and extending the fanbase. These books really do deserve more recognition.
3. Any movie made would be fairly low-budget. I mean, be honest. Is there a whole lot of sparkly-magic-fire-throwing-mythical-creature-type fighting and/or viewing going on? No! Mostly it's just a bunch of guys, a bunch of swords, and a bunch of castles. The low demand for special effects means the Squire's Tales movies wouldn't cost a fortune.
4. The conclusion of the Harry Potter film franchise (as well as the lack of a decent sword-flick since LOTR) has left a hole that needs to be filled by a magic-laden story. Hunger Games won't satisfy everyone. We need some sorcery.
CONS
1. The books are slower-paced than most movies warrant. While each book clearly stands full and entire on its own two feet, if we saw it in a movie (especially one where the director wasn't too careful) it would seem like a whole lot of nothing was going on. What would most likely happen would be a conglomeration of books—and for a gazillion different reasons (mostly related to pacing/arc issues), that would be very, very bad.
2. As proven by movies like The Seeker, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, screenwriters are Not That Smart. Any plot already given to them would likely come out on screen as something completely different. A bad sript or lazy director could easily mess up the movie's chance not only for success, but for any other director to come along and give it a shot.
3. The series takes place over a span of 20-25 years. With the exception of Terence and the other faeries, this means locating actors who can pull off a 15-20 year age progression without being obnoxious about it. Look at the fit people threw when the HP Epilogue was being filmed. It's already hard enough finding actors who fit physical types (redheaded actor with a big beard, much?) without narrowing the field to actors who can convincingly play the same role, older.
4. There's a limited amount of swearing, nakedness, heavy drinking, or other naughtiness involved in these books, which probably means Hollywood won't pay them any mind.
In short, I have mixed feelings about the whole business. While I would KILL to see a Squire's Tales movie, I'd be terrified of something going wrong. I wouldn't mind a few changes—for instance, if the first book was ever made into a movie, I can predict serious editing to either the Questing Ladies chapter or the section with Sir Pelleas and Lady Ettard. That wouldn't bother me so much. But something like dragging Eileen in from SKL because Terence needs a girlfriend, or taking emphasis off of Morgause's plot, or belittling Arthur or any of the less stereotypical knights because they aren't fighting as much...I think not. Thoughts? Feelings? Suggestions? Anyone know a producer/director/screenwriter with some time on his hands?
busy
excited
sleepy