Yesterday, the news that Jonathan Nolan will be adapting Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series for HBO broke, and my mind kind of broke a little as well.
I love Asimov’s work, but the Foundation series holds a special place in my heart. It was the first proper science fiction I’d read and it opened me up to a whole new genre. Admittedly, as a fan, my first thought was “please don’t screw it up”, but the potential it has is too great to ignore. I would love to see the world expanded, the ideas realised, and HBO has a big enough budget to pull off the kind of special sci-fi effects that it would require. It’s almost a dream come true to hear about it coming to TV.
Now that I have one of my favourite sci-fi series of all time headed for the small screen, I want to hear what would your pick would be. Like Trevor, would you want Dune remade, or would you prefer a made-for-TV version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Let me know what your ultimate sci-fi TV show would be, and why it would make an awesome adaptation.
Last Updated: November 12, 2014
Kervyn Cloete
November 12, 2014 at 10:45
Arthur C. Clarke’s full Rama series. Make it happen, TV people!
Brady miaau
November 12, 2014 at 17:00
Rama? Rama? Seriously? Perhaps I just do not like Mr Clarke very much (Which I do not) but Rama? Surely other works by Clarke? City and the Stars could become a tv series, I think,
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 12, 2014 at 18:21
They’re busy with Childhood’s End & 3001 at the moment.
Kervyn Cloete
November 12, 2014 at 21:40
I loved the Rama series. Yes, the follow-up books were not as good as “Rendezvous With Rama” but they still had that sense of wonder sci-fi that I love. Aliens aren’t out to kill us or enslave us. We’re just out there in the star, finding out about this incredibly complex and amazing universe.
HvR
November 12, 2014 at 18:14
Think they’ve been trying to make a Rama movie/series 2001.
Edit: like when 2001 was a hit in 1970’s.
Supes
November 12, 2014 at 12:31
Umm, Firefly S2 onwards?
On a realistic note; There was a comic series called The Manhattan Projects by Image Comics, would be an amazing TV series IMHO
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 12, 2014 at 13:30
There’s so many I’d love to see. Foundation was the first sci-fi book I ever read, Dune was the second.
Dune yes, because it’s been long enough since the last one & while there’s spectacle, it’s really more people & story driven & still really relevant today.
Why hasn’t Forever War happened yet? WHY?
I read a while back someone picked up the rights to Morgaine? MAKE IT HAPPEN!
[swear word] Warhammer [swear word] 40K [swear word]s. It’ll never happen, but DAMN I would watch the warp out of that. It’s just so bleak and dark and awesome.
I could go on.
Kervyn Cloete
November 12, 2014 at 14:21
Forever War would be incredible. Still the best depiction of what a real intergalactic war would be like, in my opinion.
Reid
November 12, 2014 at 14:34
Last I read Ridley Scott was involved with a movie for that. If it ever happens they can take tips from Interstellar on how to bring it to the big screen.
Brady miaau
November 12, 2014 at 17:01
Dune is just it. Finished. When my gran was in her late 70’s she read her 1st Sci-fi book, Dune. Shortly followed by her reading her 2nd to 7th Sci-fi books, Dune Messiah through Chapter House Dune
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 12, 2014 at 18:22
After the first, Chapter House is my second favourite of the series. I haven’t read the new stuff, can’t decide if I should or not.
Brady miaau
November 12, 2014 at 19:57
I much preferred Herectics of Dune.
You must read Sandworms of Dune. The one after that (I cannot remember name and could not be arsed to walk from the the TV room to the lunge) is not so good, but still a good read. Not written by Frank Herbert, but based on his notes. Explains the anti-computer thing, anyway.
HvR
November 12, 2014 at 23:07
I think they should just give Dune a rest, they never reach novel fan’s expectations.
HvR
November 12, 2014 at 18:13
Ben Bova’s Grand Tour series.
Since each book (with the exclusion of one two) storyline is only loosely based upon the chronologically preceding book each will make a brilliant 8 to 12 series on its own.
elysium
November 12, 2014 at 18:18
Not very space-y, but come on HBO… give us an anthology-style series based on the works of Lovecraft. The longer stories could even be done as multiple-episode arcs.
Oh, and His Dark Materials as well… that’s more science-fantasy than sci-fi (well, the movie was Teslapunk), but it’d also make a totally killer miniseries, provided they don’t tone it down like the movie did.
Thief: The Dark Project/The Metal Age/Deadly Shadows? That’d be a hard one to do though… and again, that’s more science-fantasy.
Dammit, none of these are like, hardcore sci-fi… uhm… StarCraft? YES, there we go, a good hardcore sci-fi that’d make amazing viewing. Might also be inclined to say a miniseries of Space Quest, if I wasn’t such a LucasArts fanboy, so maybe I should say The Dig miniseries instead?
…and I went on for much longer than I was planning. Dammit, the joys of being a geek.
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 12, 2014 at 18:22
Welcome! 😀
HvR
November 12, 2014 at 23:19
Lot of the 60’s and 70’s SF Masters works being made and also requested.
What about the new SF greats.
Think Hamilton’s Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained Commonwealth Saga books would translate very well to either the small screen or big screen.
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 13, 2014 at 10:36
Those would be good too, or Neal Asher’s Cormac series.
Sageville
November 13, 2014 at 11:14
I’m a massive Asimov fan, the Foundation series blew me away at the time and I’ve been looking for similar awesomeness for a long time now.
I have guarded hopes for this, the nature of the series: tech vs mental evolution, leaves me wondering how they will achieve this, especially in the later books, how do you portray someone subtly altering your perception of something on the small screen…. I remain hopeful that they do this justice.