Hyperion

[Kelgar]

http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=15798

On one hand, I'm extremely excited about the prospect even if Simmons decides to rewrite it a bit to make it more movie friendly. On the other hand, I would rather see Rosanne Barr in a g-string than see Leo Dicaprio as Raul.

[Adelrune Argenti]

I spoke with Dan Simmons a couple weeks ago at a signing here in San Diego. He gave us all the same "hint" being reported on this site. Will be rather interesting to see how well they pull this off. Hyperion is near perfection as far as storytelling goes and I would hate to see it lose its punch in a bad screenplay.

[Boogahz]

A movie I have always wanted to see made....but Leo?!

[Boogahz]

It's been a few years, but hopefully things move forward:

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.ph ... 630&type=0

Warner Develops Hyperion Film

Producer Graham King has set up Dan Simmons' award-winning science fiction book series Hyperion Cantos at Warner Brothers, with Trevor Sands on board to adapt the first two books as one feature, according to The Hollywood Reporter. King is producing via his GK Films banner.

The first book, Hyperion, won the Hugo Award for best novel in 1990, while the second, The Fall of Hyperion, was nominated for a Nebula Award for best novel.

Hyperion deals with a space war, with most of the action taking place on a planet named Hyperion, known not only for its electricity-spewing trees but also for the Time Tombs, large artifacts that can move through time. The tombs are guarded by a monster called the Shrike, which impales people on metal trees.

King acquired the rights to the series several years ago, but its structure--inspired by Boccaccio's Decameron and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales--and its multiple timelines made the task of adapting it into a feature unwieldy and challenging.

[Aardor]

I would like to see some concept art of the shrike =O

[Xyphir]

Aenea on the shrike pilgramage? Are you kidding me? That makes absolutely no sense to the general flow of the books. As for Raul, when I think of him, I don't think of someone "pretty" like Leo. I think more rugged looks, like Viggo Mortensen. Natalie Portman or Christina Ricci would make a good Aenea.

Found this article perusing...

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Dan-Simm ... -8383.html

By now, if any of you are even still with me, you’re probably sick of hearing about how much I love these books, and have forgotten that the point of this is that they’re turning this into a movie. But the folks at Warners are. HR says a writer named Trevor Sands has been hired to adapt the first two books into a single script. And right off the bat they’ve already made their first blundering error. There’s no way both Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion can be adequately squeezed into a single movie. Granted, they both tell a single story, but it’s a huge story. One that cannot possibly be told in two hours. As for Sands, he’s never written anything that anyone has actually seen. That may or may not be a bad thing, for all we know he’s a genius, unfortunately even a genius will need more than the page space provided by a single movie to do justice to Dan Simmons’ epic, important masterpiece. I'm getting worried.

Dan Simmons however does not seem to be. He indicates that this is being done up top notch all the way. Not only is a major studio producing it, Simmons says a major Hollywood name is starring in it. On his official site he says, "It has been optioned by a top-notch studio, is slated to be directed by a top-name director, and already has the involvement of a top-flight movie star. Screenwriters have been attached to the project and a first draft screenplay is expected soon." If Simmons thinks everything is top-notch, then I'll hold off on the worrying.

I was actually thinking recently about rereading the series. I just hope the movie does the books justice, but they rarely do.

[Boogahz]

Where are you seeing Aenea on the pilgrimage? I have read both links, and neither mentions that. Are you referring to the Leo/Raul rumors?

I "could" see the first two books as one movie, and I thought it could be done when I read them. The next two books would be more difficult in my opinion. I do see issues if they try to make a two hour movie out of the first two books though. If so, I believe the character development (which is almost all that book 1 is) being shortened would suck.

[Aardor]

Wasn't Raul supposed to be very "beautiful" with all the surgery he got to make him satyr like? If so, I see Leo working (looks wise). He can probably do it acting wise also, imo.

Edit: I'm an idiot, i got Raul confused with the Poet for some reason. Was Raul even in the first two books? i thought he was only in the last 2 (it has been awhile since i read the series in its entirety)

Further edit: I agree with what others said that Leo doesn't fit Raul, though i think Leo could probably be a pretty badass Martin Silenus (i had to look his name up =( ). Viggo would probably be a good Raul, and I could see someone like Hugh Jackman cast for the roll (not sure if i would like it, but it seems to fit because of other characters he does)

[Xyphir]

Where are you seeing Aenea on the pilgrimage? I have read both links, and neither mentions that. Are you referring to the Leo/Raul rumors?

It's mentioned in the first link, granted from 2003.

Raul Endymion and Aenea, the main characters of the second pair of books, are the main characters of the whole trilogy of movies -- their love story becomes central. The aforementioned big star wants to play Raul.

To accomplish this, Raul Endymion and Aenea are on the Shrike Pilgrimage which is the story of the first novel in the series. This is obviously a major change to the novels; it's so extreme that it would be inconceivable for anyone but the author himself to propose it. I have no idea how he's going to make this work, but I have to say I trust him. The Hyperion saga as written in the novels would not work as a movie, even as a trilogy of movies. But a trilogy which reconstructs the characters, plot points, and themes of the books in a new way could be brilliant.

Odd, considering neither one of them are on the pilgramage. It could have changed since 2003 though. The poet is really the one who ties the books together, so making this into a love-story and putting Raul and Aenea in the center goes against the books as well. I always imagined Martin as being a bit more portly.

[Boogahz]

I always pictured someone like Dustin Hoffman playing the Poet for some reason


I choose to ignore the first link in anticipation of the renewed interest making them move away from that as mentioned by the Simmons quotes in the more recent link